New Pond

[shell]

I have decided to try a pond this year.  I bought a pond kit at Make It Green Landscaping, dug the hole, put in the liner and lined it with rocks around the edge.  Its about 4 ft long, by 2 1/2 feet wide and only about 12 to 18 inches deep.  The kit came with a pump and a fountain attachment.  I understand that I also should get a filter.  Is there anything else I should know?  I have the chemicals to get rid of the chlorine and the bacterial starter, and I'll keep a few comets or feeder goldfish for the summer.  I'm wondering that since goldfish are cold water fish, won't it be too warm for them in the summer?

[dannypd]

I have decided to try a pond this year.  I bought a pond kit at Make It Green Landscaping, dug the hole, put in the liner and lined it with rocks around the edge.  Its about 4 ft long, by 2 1/2 feet wide and only about 12 to 18 inches deep.  The kit came with a pump and a fountain attachment.  I understand that I also should get a filter.  Is there anything else I should know?  I have the chemicals to get rid of the chlorine and the bacterial starter, and I'll keep a few comets or feeder goldfish for the summer.  I'm wondering that since goldfish are cold water fish, won't it be too warm for them in the summer?

18" should be fine for the fishies, but not deep enough for the winter.

[squeeker]

Just be careful:  With a pond that shallow, your fish could become quick snacks for cats, herons, raccoons, etc.  Be sure to have lots of plant cover, and possibly rocks or clay pots to make caves under water.

[dannypd]

Just be careful:  With a pond that shallow, your fish could become quick snacks for cats, herons, raccoons, etc.  Be sure to have lots of plant cover, and possibly rocks or clay pots to make caves under water.

lol, good point...keep adding feeders to your pond, lol

[gvv]

I had no problems with 18" deep pond - I haven't lose any fish even local frogs made the pond their home, but forget about leaving fish for winter if you don't like it deep frozen.
There are two rules I foolowed:
First, any pond should have 60% covered with floating plants in order to minimize evaporation;
Second, don't put fancy goldfish - I selected commets. They are fast and ot easy to catch. I also have a lot of underwater plants and they hiding very well.
But in order to save them I had to take them into basement for the whole winter.

[Roop]

i think it's great that you're setting up your first pond. my first one was a all in one kit as well. it was pretty crappy but i learned a lot. i went bigger each year after that.

with ponds and aquariums, the bigger the better. although the initial setup and cost will be greater, it will be far easier to maintain. you'll have more time to enjoy the pond and less time working on various issues.

on the first year, i didn't have fish or plants in mine. that was the biggest mistake. aquatic bugs will find your pond and infest it. feeder goldfish are a good idea. plants will absorb excess nutrients. get atleased a few square feet of aquatic plants. maybe a single hardy water lily and perhaps a couple water hyacinths.

throw away your anti-chlorine stuff, that won't do any good. the bacteria starter may help. add half a dossage in there. i wouldn't recommend the full dose at this time of year due to the fact that it's still cold out and bacteria would just be comming out of hibernation, so to speak.

as for the goldfish, they can tollerate very cold water. as long as they aren't incased in ice, they will be fine. the imporant thing to remember is that they cannot adjust rapidly. if there is a big difference in temperature or pH, make sure you adjust them gradually (hours or days). bigger goldfish usually adapt faster than the babies. good luck.

petsmart on innes sells feeders for about 25 cents a piece. get the biggest feeders they have, those are the healthiest. they cost more than the smaller ones but will have a better chance of survival. pet stores treat them as throw-away fish. ask for a  scoop or maybe $5 worth. many of them may be ill, or may die. it's to be expected with this quality of fish. the ones that live will probably live for years and years. i would not suggest fancy goldfish for your first pond, they aren't as hardy as commets.

please let me know if you need more info on something.

[shell]

Why should I throw away the chlorine remover?  Won't the chlorine in the water kill the fish?  I always use it when I do a waterchange with my aquarium.  Do I also need a filter with the pump?  Thanks everyone for your comments.

[squeeker]

I would use the chlorine remover, myself.

The filter is optional:  as long as you have lots of plants, a filter isn't a huge deal, but it doesn't hurt.

[Marc]

Absolutely use the chlorine remover.  Ottawa water contains a form of chlorine called chloramine.   It can take weeks or months for the chloramine to evaporate from the water by itself.

[shell]

Is it too early to put plants and fish in?

[suu]

You are really going to enjoy your pond.  Why don't you just get a couple of Shubunkins (calico gold fish).  Big Al's usually gets some really nice ones in for the pond season.  If you just pick up 2 nice 3 inch or larger ones they will grow into colourful lovely big fish.  One of mine is about 9 years old.  You could also add an apple snail to help keep the pond clean but if you are using potted plants it will probably eat them unless the top of the pots are about an inch above the water, floating water lettuce multiplies quickly and the fish love the roots.    I usually wait until mid May to add my fish.  I toss the floating plants etc. in as soon as I buy them in early May.

[Roop]

i've just never had an issue with chlorine/chloramine causing any problems in my aquaria/ponds in the last 3 years. i personally consider chlorine remover a waste of time and money on this water.

[squeeker]

i've just never had an issue with chlorine/chloramine causing any problems in my aquaria/ponds in the last 3 years. i personally consider chlorine remover a waste of time and money on this water.

When I first moved to Ottawa, I didn't know that the city water had
chlor(amin)e in it; I never had to use conditioners back at home, and had never even heard of them.  When I set up my tank in Ottawa, I killed 6 fish before within HOURS before I found out what was wrong.  Chlor(amin)e removers are certainly necessary!  

Perhaps you could get away with not using it if you only did small 10% water changes on an established tank, but for filling a tank or pond from scratch, or for performing large emergency water changes, I would certainly use it.

[Aiglos]

Point to note.  The effects of Chlorine are more longterm then shortterm if I am not mistaken, you might not see the effects right away as squeeker did but they will effect your fish in the long term, Chlorine is known for breaking down fish organs.

[Roop]

squeeker: when doing water changes i don't do very much 1/3 is the biggest i ever do and 1/2 are emergency changes. i usually do 1/4 twice a month on each tank.

when i setup new tanks, i always use a good quantity of water from the other tanks. due to these reasons, i may have inadvertantly avoided chlorine issues.

however, for all of my ponds, i've always just opened the hose and filled it from scratch. i usually wait a few days atleased before adding fish.

these are my common practices. the only fish that have died when introduced to my tanks/ponds are ones that were already sick with bacterial/viral infections.

this is all my personal experience though. is there someone that has some scientific evidence to prove one way or the other?

[gvv]

Everybody should do as he/she wants. As Marc mentioned to me a year ago, if you do not have problems without using dechlorinator, it is up to you, but don't suggest this to anybody else, as you will be blamed later on :!:
Personally, I do as Roop described and never had deaths because of ADDING non-dechlorinated water to my tanks/pond. But I'm not suggesting to stop using it to everybody else.
Regards