Goldies!!!

[TheCrabbyTabby]

I have a pond in my backyard. Its 4 feet long, 3 feet wide and at its deepest its 2 feet. It has ledges around the edge that are about 1 foot deep. and a foot wide.

In the pond we initially put 6 little baby goldfish from Petco or Walmart (forgot now which store they came from) in it some 3-4 years ago. They were about a couple inches long and looked absolutely tiny in the pond. They have since grown into 8 inch long adults. They have also spawned several times, and despite the fry and eggs being eaten, two from each spawning season have always managed to survive.

We now have 4 more goldfish in the pond of varying sizes. 10 total. Some day we might run into a problem. In fact, now the old pump we have in there to help filter the water has broken down and it looks like we might need to get a new one. Thankfully, the weather isn't as hot as it has been so the fish don't look to stressed.

Here are some pictures. Sorry if they are too big.

[thekoimaiden]

Very pretty fish! Goldfish are notorious for spawning all the time; this can become a problem as it will result in overstocking. If I ever get a goldfish pond I'm only adding males. Your pond is about 130 gallons (if you were wondering), and probably shouldn't have anymore fish added to it. Since you said that you have that lip on the edge, you should think about getting some bog plants like cattails, rushes, or iris. They will certainly help keep the water clean for your goldfish in the absence of the filter (and when the filter comes back, too). Floating plants like water lettuce or water hyacinth will also do a lot to clean the water and keep it cool (and free of algae). If the pond gets enough sun something like water lilies would be beautiful.

I love seeing other people's water gardens. Can we get a full pond shot?