my cheap pond story ..........

Don't let any "pond guys" tell you that you need this and that and
whatever to make your fish live.

My pond is only 8 by 4 and less than 3 feet deep. I only have 1
waterfall and a spitting frog for water circulation. NO FILTER and
NOTHING ELSE. I was told I need a bio filter and yet I have not lost a
fish all summer of 2004. I have feeder goldfish and NOT KOI and they
still lived. I get green water but I just replace the water every month
or so and get back the crystal clear water. I was told I need water
conditioners and yet my fish are healthy.

In the winter I was told to shut off my pumps and get a heater, either
floating or submersive. I just kept the pumps on and although the water
stopped flowing they generated enough heat to open up a hole and keep
the water from totally freezing. Winter is over and my fish are still
alive (over 50 of them) and they have gotten bigger.

This year I will put in live floating plants to help out with green
water. May I add that I live in Toronto, Canada which was harsh this
past winter. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise what you need for a
healthy pond. If you have a limited budget you can maintain a pond
without spending a fortune. Fish live in natural surroundings and don't
need all the bells and whistles that pond people try to load on you.

Thanks !

Careful there, cowboy. This ain't a bunch of salesmen your a'talkin'
to, here.
Seriously, this is a mixed group of real ponders with approaches that
range from engineers with spreadsheets to track water quality from
detailed test kits, on down to folks with no power to their ponds, who
are on fixed budgets and have next to nothing extra to spend on their
ponds. It is a common thread here to have someone ask for suggestions
to copy expensive systems and equipment so that they can by-pass the
expense. And yet, there are basic tenets of biology, botany and water
chemistry that can't be ignored. Your waterfall may be acting as a
filter, of sorts. My MIL changes her water frequently because she
doesn't want to clean filters. She too, only has goldfish. That is
another well accepted method among people who don't have chloramines in
their water. You don't say whether you feed yorur fish or how often.
Do you have plants? It sounds as if you only talked to one person. If
I got that wrong, then I got the wrong impression from your post. Any
experienced pondkeeper will tell you that there is more than one way to
do almost anything regarding ponds.
You say that you only have goldfish, and state that you have ignored
many of the things you have been told you need. Well, lots of the
things that are sold to ponders are specifically for koi keepers. Many
people here avoid koi so that they don't have to deal with the
requirements of those fish. It's nothing new. We recognize, here,
that there are a lot of things that are developed for this market that
just aren't necessary, and we are a skeptical group, even the koi
keepers among us. That's one of the most useful things about this
group. We can get other opinions before we buy something that might
not be worth the cost.
Simmer down, and read and make suggestions, and don't get offended if
people disagree with you from time to time. We've all tried different
things, and it's tough to see the consistent trend sometimes, but if
you keep an open mind, we can figure most things out together.
Welcome to rec.ponds

I have a feeling with over 50 fish no filter and that capacity pond it
may just bite you in the butt one day......

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 18:56:24 GMT, CanadianCowboy
wrote:

===Don't let any "pond guys" tell you that you need this and that and
===whatever to make your fish live.
===
===My pond is only 8 by 4 and less than 3 feet deep. I only have 1
===waterfall and a spitting frog for water circulation. NO FILTER and
===NOTHING ELSE. I was told I need a bio filter and yet I have not lost a
===fish all summer of 2004. I have feeder goldfish and NOT KOI and they
===still lived. I get green water but I just replace the water every month
===or so and get back the crystal clear water. I was told I need water
===conditioners and yet my fish are healthy.
===
===In the winter I was told to shut off my pumps and get a heater, either
===floating or submersive. I just kept the pumps on and although the water
===stopped flowing they generated enough heat to open up a hole and keep
===the water from totally freezing. Winter is over and my fish are still
===alive (over 50 of them) and they have gotten bigger.
===
===This year I will put in live floating plants to help out with green
===water. May I add that I live in Toronto, Canada which was harsh this
===past winter. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise what you need for a
===healthy pond. If you have a limited budget you can maintain a pond
===without spending a fortune. Fish live in natural surroundings and don't
===need all the bells and whistles that pond people try to load on you.
===
===Thanks !


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

"CanadianCowboy" wrote:

Don't let any "pond guys" tell you that you need this and that and
whatever to make your fish live.

snip

Calm down a notch.


San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar.

"We need to make a sacrifice to the pond gods, find me a young virgin... oh,
and bring something to kill"

CanadianCowboy wrote:

Don't let any "pond guys" tell you that you need this and that and
whatever to make your fish live.

Like Ann said :-)

There's not a lot of "pond guys" here will tell you that you need much
technology. I haven't even got that from my water gardening centres. It's
the landscapers you have to be careful about.

My pond is only 8 by 4 and less than 3 feet deep. I only have 1
waterfall and a spitting frog for water circulation. NO FILTER and
NOTHING ELSE. I was told I need a bio filter and yet I have not lost a
fish all summer of 2004. I have feeder goldfish and NOT KOI and they
still lived.

I should think! That's a huge pond for a few (even 50) feeder goldfish.
I've grown goldfish to 8" in 20 gallons of 3" deep water in a lotus tub,
without any kind of filtration or pumps (it was an accident - they get
there as eggs attached to plants from the main pond).

I get green water but I just replace the water every month
or so and get back the crystal clear water. I was told I need water
conditioners and yet my fish are healthy.

Never used them...

In the winter I was told to shut off my pumps and get a heater, either
floating or submersive. I just kept the pumps on and although the water
stopped flowing they generated enough heat to open up a hole and keep
the water from totally freezing. Winter is over and my fish are still
alive (over 50 of them) and they have gotten bigger.

There are those here who swear by heaters. More, I think, would recommend
an air pump - even in Toronto. I rather doubt it was the heat of the pump
that kept the whole open, it's the movement. Air pumps will do the same
for less power. Water pumps should be raised off the bottom if you do that,
to allow some still water at the lowest part of the pond.

If you have a limited budget you can maintain a pond
without spending a fortune. Fish live in natural surroundings and don't
need all the bells and whistles that pond people try to load on you.

This year I'm putting in a pond at an off-grid home. Technology, is _not_
an option :-)
--
derek