spawning

[fantaildaz]

hi everyone, two questions.
my gh/kh levels are right down par with zero and i have added a iced marble rock to the pond. its not a huge pond by any means so i thought this would suffice (its only 2 by 3 by 1 feet) a hobby pond if you will. its says to add marble chippings and i dont know if iced marble and chippings relate the same when it comes to ponds, is there a cheap fix for bringing up the levels to a safe zone as i want to try and get some spawn this year?

i have noticed in a few posts of someone from the uk in the forums. pls can you tell me the best time you think that they may spawn, i have 3 rather large (wide) fish and the other 4 are rather slim, im presuming they may be females, would i be wrong?

lastly, dave i have put to use your spawning mop and has sunk as stated (the threads of yarn not totally) but my golden tench has made it his home, will this detere the goldies from spawning in/on the mop?

thats three i know but hey.

thanks for any help with this situation

daz

 

[addy1]

Do you have crushed oyster shells at feed stores? They sale it for chickens. That seems to work well and cheap.

 

[fantaildaz]

im not sure about the crushed oyster shells but i will look into it, i am trying to avoid a messy bottom. i dont mind a little algea but i dont want it looking like an outdoor fishtank if you know what i mean :yikesu:

 

[stroppy]

mine were spawning around may time last year water has to warm up and i find it often happens after a thunderstorm .. also think your wider fish is more likely to be female ...males are often slimmer well mine are but they are goldfish ..as your pond is rather small i wouldnt think you would want many more in there ... sorry i have never heard of marble for ponds, but water changes might help what type of fish do you have ?

 

[fantaildaz]

may, i think i,ll pull the mop out then before the tench gets to comfortable.
if they do spawn (god willing) it is my intention to move and expand the pond this summer. at the moment the temp fluctuating between 10/15 celcius day/night. when will it settle i ask! the fish are 5 goldies 2 shubunkins 1 black (i think goldie) and a loner tench which i intend to retify (they not loner fish)

i,ll see if i can get pics up of the gals

when gh/kh levels are low add calcium carbonate, dolomite stone or marble chips, quote

 

[stroppy]

hopefully someone will be able to help with the gh and kh ...mine have never been that low .. sorry i havent been much help fantaildaz.. your water is warmer than mine this morning mine was 9 Celsius... . we always love to see ponds and fish :0)

 

[fantaildaz]

the therm said 15 the other day but that might be the shallow water, if the sun shines an all that, recordex 10 myself awell this morn an im ony in portsmouth

 

[addy1]

from the net

If you have a very unstable KH level (drops rapidly), look into causes such as a large amount of decomposing organic material. The more organic break down (de-nitrification), the more acids produced. Some filters if not cleaned regularly can cause this; including canister, UGF, and Wet/Dry.

http://www.watergardensandwildlife.com/page/421600170 a good article


To raise both GH and KH simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the KH and GH by about 1-2 dH. Alternatively, add some sea shells, coral, limestone, marble chips, etc. to your filter.

To raise the KH without raising the GH, add sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon per 100 Liters raises the KH by about 1 dH. Sodium bicarbonate drives the pH towards an equilibrium value of 8.2.

 

[fantaildaz]

thanks everyone for the help.
gh/kh levels are now up after adding a marble rock to the pond.
scales on 2 of the goldfish (which are gold) are turning black, i presume this is normal.
still trying to get the pics of the wider fish (femals i hope)
good job all round

 

[addy1]

It takes some time for the media to start to work, glad it is working for you.

 

[stroppy]

thanks everyone for the help.
gh/kh levels are now up after adding a marble rock to the pond.
scales on 2 of the goldfish (which are gold) are turning black, i presume this is normal.
still trying to get the pics of the wider fish (femals i hope)
good job all round

no i dont think its normal for a gold fish scales to turn black

 

[fantaildaz]

oh! i thought sometimes they change colour. i wonder what could be causing that then :regular_waving_emot

 

[addy1]

See if you can get a picture, someone here should be able to help you.

 

[fantaildaz]

i,ll have to pull it out of the pond to get a good picture. didnt really want to have to do that as only roughly a month untill spawning but their health is more important

 

[j.w]

Goldfish don't turn black. They start out black and turn to orange tho :regular_waving_emot