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Pet Forum / Aquaria / General / April 2004From pond to aquarium - and back again? (bit of a saga!)
Any advice on the following from you experts out there would be greatly appreciated! Late last summer we created a garden pond. Didn't think we wanted any fish in there, so we didn't dig it very deep (1.5-2 foot max). Turns out we were wrong, as once it was all finished, we realised that having a few fish would be great! We consulted our local garden centre and were told we could put a few goldfish in the pond, but we'd have to take them out for winter and put them in a tank until the spring/summer. We went ahead and bought a shubunkin, a comet and a standard-type goldfish. As instructed, when the weather started to turn we bought a tank, filter, gravel, plants (then more and more and more plants as they ate them all!) etc. etc. and brought the fish in for the winter. They seem to have been very happy and content in their indoor home and we've had a great deal of pleasure from having them there too. Now, the quandary is this: the fish have grown - as they do - and we need to make a decision whether to invest in a new, much larger tank and keep them indoors, or to redesign and dig out the pond so that they can live there all year round. The only strong feeling we have on the subject is that we want to do what is best for the fish - is there a danger with putting them back in the pond environment now that they have become accustomed to "tank life"? Is there a way of minimising the danger/shock to their little fishy systems if we do put them back outside? Most of our friends think we're crazy for being so concerned about a few fish that cost less than a fiver, but we feel responsible for them and have grown quite attached to them so want to do the right thing whatever it may be. Hope someone can advise. Roo > The only strong feeling we have on the subject is that we want to do what is > best for the fish - is there a danger with putting them back in the pond > environment now that they have become accustomed to "tank life"? Is there a > way of minimising the danger/shock to their little fishy systems if we do > put them back outside? There is no doubt that if you want the fish to grow large and realise their full potential, then a large outdoor pond is the best place for them. They're cold blooded, so they won't have turned into soft house fish :-) Obviously the pond needs to be deep enough to ensure it doesn't freeze up completely. As to minimising shock, I'd put them in a bucket and leave the bucket floating in ther pond for an hour or so before gently letting them in. > Most of our friends think we're crazy for being so concerned about a few > fish that cost less than a fiver, but we feel responsible for them and have > grown quite attached to them so want to do the right thing whatever it may > be. Nice to see that kind of attitude. Too many look on fish as colourful objects and forget they're living creatures. Build them a stonking great pond, you'll enjoy it as much as them :-)  SignatureEdward Cowling - London - UK Thanks for the advice Edward - looks like I need to get digging! > > The only strong feeling we have on the subject is that we want to do what > is [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Build them a stonking great pond, you'll enjoy it as much as them :-) > Any advice on the following from you experts out there would be greatly > appreciated! [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > may > be. Where are you? I would have thought that unless you live in one of the more extreme parts of the UK and at altitude then the chance on a 1.5' pond freezing are slim to say the least. The most extreme winter I can think of (1963) my goldfish survived outside in a pond about 1' deep. OK that was on the South Coast, but even so that also covers a 45 year period. I seldom see ice more than a couple of inches thick, and the above ground cast iron bath which I use as a Mossie larvae farm for the tropicals has never frozen completely solid in 8 years. Roger Sleet Roger's Aquatic Pages http://www.sleet.plus.com > Where are you? I would have thought that unless you live in one of the > more extreme parts of the UK and at altitude then the chance on a 1.5' > pond freezing are slim to say the least. The most extreme winter I can > think of (1963) my goldfish survived outside in a pond about 1' deep. OK It's more the reservoir of air that matters rather than the fish being frozen solid. Once a pond freezes over for a few days the fish are surviving on the air already dissolved in it. The bigger the amount of free water the longer the fish can survive. SignatureEdward Cowling - London - UK > > Where are you? I would have thought that unless you live in one of > > the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > for a few days the fish are surviving on the air already > dissolved in it. Far more important is the escape of gases from decaying organics. The amount of oxygen being used by a fish a 4C is so low that it can probably be ignored. I have accidently frozen Gudgeon in a solid block of ice, they were fine once thawed. > The bigger the amount of free water the > longer the fish can survive. Yes. What has that got to do with the depth of the water apart from the very marginal fact that a 1' deep pond with 1" of ice on it has proportionally more of its water locked in ice than a 2' deep pond with 1" of ice on it. Roger Sleet Roger's Aquatic Pages http://www.sleet.plus.COM Awwww..... now I'm really confused! I just want the best for my fishies - and if that can be achieved with my existing pond after all then that's great, but I was told they wouldn't survive the winter... maybe the 2 garden centre "fish people" who told me that were just being cautious in case anything happened to the fish and I complained! Roo > > > Where are you? I would have thought that unless you live in one of > > > the [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Roger Sleet > Roger's Aquatic Pages http://www.sleet.plus.COM > Awwww..... now I'm really confused! I just want the best for my fishies - > and if that can be achieved with my existing pond after all then that's [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Roo Well done for caring so much for your fish. Ponds. The hardest frost I ever endured was the plains of Germany at -5C for six weeks. Wind chill took it down to -30C. The ground was frozen to a depth of five inches. I know because we dug trenches in it. The lake froze completely. The lake police drilled in the centre to allow ice skating. 11cm (about four inches). So provided you have six inches to freeze over then allow enough room below this for your fish to live in. If there is a danger of freezing then put a handful of plastic balls in a bag in the pond. Or run a fountain, or a small heater near the surface. I have used each of these techniques to prevent a total ice cover. This will allow dissolved gases to escape and oxygen to enter the system. Remember that at these sort of temperatures everything is in slow motion. Dave North east coast of England. The pond froze over quite frequently last winter, but you're right, it was never more than 1.5"-2" max. It's quite small overall though - an 'L' shape, about 7 or 8' long x 3' + wide. Like I said, I just don't want to take any chances with the little fellas, so will make it deeper as Edward suggests. Thanks for responding with your experiences though Roger. > Where are you? I would have thought that unless you live in one of the > more extreme parts of the UK and at altitude then the chance on a 1.5' [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Roger Sleet > Roger's Aquatic Pages http://www.sleet.plus.com |
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