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Goldfish ponds are a beautiful addition
to any garden and a stunning focal point. Goldfish ponds have been admired
in Asia for centuries, especially in China and Japan. Today, you will find
goldfish ponds all over the world, including Europe and North America.
Since the Goldfish hails from a wild carp that can live in cold water, the
Goldfish will survive outdoors during the winter even in colder parts of
the world. In some regions it is however advisable to house your fish
indoors during the roughest months since it can suffocate in a pond if the
ice freezes across the entire surface.
Goldfish can be kept in ponds as well as in aboveground pools. It is
recommended to plant your pond/pool since goldfish will feel much safer in
a planted environment. It will also be able to hide among the plants in
order to avoid predators. A lot of animals like to chase and eat goldfish,
including cats, birds and raccoons. Sometimes plants are not enough to
guard your fish and you will be forced to cover the pond with netting
during the night. In an above ground pool with straight sides, the
predators will be unable to wade in and must instead perch themselves at
the edge of the pool when looking for prey. This will usually be noticed
by your Goldfish and it can seek shelter deep down in the pool.
A planted goldfish pond is easier to maintain since the plants will aid
you in keeping up the water quality. Live plants can use organic compounds
excreted by fish as nutrition. This means that the organic waste will be
absorbed by the plant instead of staying in the water and polluting it.
Live plants will also inhibit algae growth since plants and algae compete
for the same nutrients. If you still experience excess algae growth, you
might be feeding your Goldfish too much. If you feed your fish a lot of
food, they will subsequently produce a lot of waste and there will be
plenty of nutrients for plants as well as algae in the water. Some algae
are a natural part of any pond or aquarium, but excessive algae growth
should be counteracted since it is unhealthy for the fish. Keep in mind
that if you use a chemical to kill the algae, or if an algaecide is
involuntary introduced to the pond, the dead and decaying algae will use
up a lot of oxygen and your Goldfish might suffocate and die. Using
natural methods to combat algae, such as plants, is therefore recommended.
When you have filled your Goldfish pond you should treat the water with a
water conditioner if you use tap water containing chlorine and/or ammonia
to fill your pond. Check that the water temperature in the pond is at
least 60 o F before you add any fish. A common beginner mistake is to add
all the Goldfish simultaneously to their new home. This will cause a rapid
change in water quality since the bacterial colonies that inhabit the pond
are too small to process the sudden increase in organic waste. Instead,
you should ideally add one or two fish and allow the bacterial colonies to
grow larger before you add any new fish. This will naturally also depend
on the size of your pond and if you are using any type of filtration. In a
large pond, excess waste will be dilute by a very large amount of water
and therefore less likely to reach concentrations high enough to harm you
fish. Good filtration will also help removing organic waste and other
toxins from the water.
So, how much Goldfish can I fill my pond with? As a rule of thumb, one
Goldfish per 30 gallons is recommended, but this is naturally a very
imprecise ratio. As mentioned earlier, the water quality is one of the
limiting factors. Plenty of water, developed bacterial colonies and good
filtration will make it possible for you to house a larger number of
Goldfish. There are three basic types of filtration: biological,
mechanical and chemical. Biological filtration will be taken care of by
the mentioned bacterial colonies. A mechanical filter will filter the
water through some form of filtering media where larger debris will get
caught. The most common form of chemical filtration is the addition of
carbon to the mechanical filter, where the carbon will bind various types
of toxins. Another important factor to keep in mind when you decide how
much fish you wish to add to your pond is aeration. Fish require air to
breath and will suffocate in a poorly aerated pond, especially if decaying
plant matter consumes a lot of the dissolved oxygen. In an open pond,
there will however be a considerable gas exchange between the water and
the surrounding air. The larger the surface area of your pond, the more
oxygen will be brought to the water. A large surface area will also make
it easier for the water to release carbon dioxide. Plants in the pond will
also produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. In some ponds, this will
however not be enough and if you want to be able to house a large number
of Goldfish some type of aeration is recommended.
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