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Information Guide

Fish
fish

Types of pond fish

The supply of fish types for a pond is enormous. Ranging from goldfish, gold orfes, sturgeon to koi carps and more. However, what types of fish do you choose for your pond? When making a choice you should reckon with the qualities of various fish types. There are fish which dig the bottom, fish which eat plants, fish which are nearly invisible because of their camouflage and fish which propagate at lightning speed. You can bring different kinds of fish together. In principle any type of pond fish can be brought together with any other type.

 

Surface fish

Surface fish are fish which search feed at the pond surface and not on the bottom. Therefore you see these fish species swim better, moreover they do not make a mess of your pond. However, they need additional protection against a threatening calamity like a hungry heron or cat.

 

Eye-catching fish

Fish in natural water often have a camouflage, which protects them against herons and different enemies. In a pond you should rather introduce fish with an eye-catching colour. After all you want to see your fish. Protection can be applied in many different ways.

 

Quickly propagating fish

A pond can accommodate just a limited number of fish, without it getting into trouble with the biological cycle. If there are too many or too large fish in a pond, the pond plants and the filter can no longer cope with the amount of waste materials. So, it is important to choose fish which do not grow too fast and which do not get hundreds of young ones per annum.

We have composed a list of suitable fish species for you which you can keep in your pond:​

Algae eater or Gobi

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Length: 5 to 6 in

Appearance: Greyish-brown

Age: 5 years

Feed: Insects, worms, snails and feeding additionally with high-grade quality of feed, containing vitamins and minerals

Pond: Minimum depth 28 in, locally 8 in for mating purposes. Put this fish in a group of at least 6 specimens

Protection: Not necessary

A Gobi has a small brown body with black patterns. As this fish is living in its natural habitat close to the soil, often under or between stones, it is duly camouflaged there.

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In nature a Gobi will grow to a length of maximum 5 to 6 in; in a pond it will be somewhat smaller. They can reach an age of about maximum 5 years. A Gobi is sometimes sold as an algae eater. However, it is not a real algae eater, it mainly lives on insects, worms and little snails.

Locally a pond should be 28 in deep enabling this fish to hibernate and in other places it should be shallow (8 in) for mating. A powerful filter is necessary because this fish likes clean water with a little flowing. You should keep them in a school of at least 6 specimens, however do not put them together with too big fish. 

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Goldfish

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Length: Up to 14 in

Appearance: orange

Age: 20 to 30 years

Feed: Easily digestible high-quality feed with vitamins and minerals

Pond: Minimum 40 in deep, propagate quickly and easy

Protection: Necessary

The common goldfish is a slow swimmer and is living chiefly by vegetable food, although it also eats small aquatic animals. The larger specimens may cause turbidity of the water owing to their rooting in the bottom. It is important when keeping goldfish to keep the population under control, because goldfish propagate quickly and easy. As a consequence of this there will be too many fish in your pond after a few years and there will be problems with respect to biological equilibrium. Just born goldfish initially are black. Later on they change color. Besides orange there are red, yellow and even white variants.

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Care for goldfish

Always purchase goldfish in a small group of at least five fish, However, not more than five fish per 1,000 liters of water. For goldfish your pond should be at least 40 in deep, in order to keep the temperature for the fish in the pond as constant as possible, enabling them to hibernate. Goldfish like easy digestible feed. 

Goldfish are a favorite prey for herons and cats. 

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Koi, Japanese Koi or koi carp

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Length: 28 to 32 in

Appearance: White, red, black spotted

Age:Up to 40 years

Feed: High quality of feed with vitamins, minerals and additional chicory and vitamin complex

Pond:Minimum 60 in deep,  extensive filter equipment.

Protection: Necessary

In the past few years keeping koi fish in ponds is becoming more and more popular. A Koi carp or Cyprinus Carpio is better known under the name Japanese koi carp, often abbreviated to Japanese koi or simply koi. It is a splendid colored fish, which, under favorable conditions, can grow to a length of 28 to 32 in and may become as many as 40 years old.  A koi pond should be at least 60 in deep (preferably deeper still). This necessary to keep the temperature in the pond as constant as possible and for the fish to hibernate. For the number of koi in your pond you should go by the rule, one fish per 1,000 liters of pond water.

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Koi carps and care

Only the best feed is good enough for a koi carp. Therefore take care that koi feed contains Chicory ingredients. This is enormously effective for the digestion and the well-being of koi. Feed containing a vitamin complex is recommended because it will always keep resistance of koi to the level. In spite of good feed and a healthy pond a koi carp can fall ill. Special medicines have been developed for koi carps in case they should fall ill.

Owing to its bright colour combination a koi carp is not only attractive for a pond owner, but also to birds of preys (herons) and cats. There are different animal-friendly solutions for fish protection. They will enable you to keep herons and cats at a distance.

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Shubunkin

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Length: 4 to 8 in

Appearance: Spotted with mother-of-pearl aura

Age: 15 to 20 years

Feed: Insects and high-grade quality of easily digestible feed with vitamins and minerals (additional feeding)

Pond: minimum depth 28 in, locally shallow areas of 6 in with a view to mating; put these fish in a group of minimum 5 specimens

Protection: Necessary

Shubunkin, with a mother-of-pearl appearance

A Shubunkin is an attractive breeding variant of the common goldfish. What is so beautiful about a Shubunkin are its spotted colours of red, yellow, orange, blue, white and black in combination with metallic and transparent scales. This makes a Shubunkin have some kind of a mother-of-pearl appearance. It has a simple tail and long spotted fins. The form of the body is that of a common goldfish.

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Care Shubunkin

A Shubunkin is a strong fish which will not easily fall ill. Nevertheless it is sensitive to carp louse and mould, like many cypriniformes. Your pond should be at least 28 in deep to let Shubunkin hibernate and besides there should be shallow areas of about 6 in for propagation purposes. The pond bottom should have a coarse composition, because this fish is grubbing rather much in the bottom.

Shubunkin like water plants in a pond, however, they also need room to swim. This fish should be kept in a school of at least 5 specimens. It can easily live together with koi, golden orfes and goldfish. A Shubunkin likes balanced feed that is easily digestible.

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Sturgeon

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Length: Up to 50 in and larger

Appearance: Greyish brown

Age: 50 to 100 years

Feed :High-grade quality of sinking feed with fats, vitamins and minerals

Pond: Minimum 50 in deep

Protection: No

A sturgeon, a prehistoric appearance

By nature a sturgeon is a strong fish which will not easily fall ill. However, it is a fish which may grow very big in a pond, although this may last rather long. A pond should therefore have a depth of minimum 50 in everywhere and it should contain very few plants. Assume that per sturgeon you have 1,000 liters of water in your pond. Moreover you absolutely need a powerful filter because a sturgeon likes a strong current. On the bottom of your pond a sturgeon likes a layer of mud and absolutely no sharp gravel or sand because it is sensitive to it.

 

Items for special attention for a sturgeon

If you want to keep sturgeons in your pond, there are a number of items for special attention to bear in mind.
An sturgeon needs special feed for sturgeons, because its mouth is at the underside. The feed will sink to the bottom and has a very strong odour, so that it looks like its natural feed.
A sturgeon is a bottom inhabitant, which is living in cold streaming and very oxygen rich water. A sturgeon does not have sufficient possibilities to pump water round with its gills and will consequently have to swim, just like a shark, in order to breathe in enough oxygen. This implies that good aeration and room in the pond are therefore indispensable.

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A sturgeon can not swim backwards. In a pond with plants or filamentous algae a sturgeon will soon be stuck while swimming and it will drown. Especially smaller specimens are not strong enough to swim off and may lose their lives just in a little piece of filamentous algae.


Do you want to have a sturgeon and a koi in one pond? You should bear in mind that a koi will often find the sturgeon feed sooner than the sturgeon itself. Especially little sturgeons will die of starvation this way. It will help if you feed fish every day at the same time and place. In this way you train fish to find out where their feed is. If you divert your koi on the opposite side of the pond, the sturgeon will have some more time. Sturgeon feed has a different composition than koi feed. It is far richer and in winter it is not suitable to feed koi on. A better solution is to distribute sturgeons sinking koi feed.


The bottom of the pond should stay clean. Accumulating dirt may cause gasification as a result of which sturgeons will fall ill and could die. This is caused by the fact that the bacteria consume all oxygen in the water layer where sturgeons stay most. A proper soil discharge is therefore necessary.


Sturgeons up to 8 in have to be fed every 3 hours, otherwise they will die.
As a rule of thumb you can apply that a sturgeon needs a pond size of at least 10 times its length.
During the coming 7 years they will grow considerably.

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How to feed pond fish

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One of the first questions that new fish keepers ask is “how much do I feed my fish?”. The more appropriate question could be “how do I feed my fish?”. The part about quantity of food is best answered by the fish themselves, because they will let you know when they’ve had enough and lose interest in feeding time.
Feeding fish in your pond is different than feeding other types of pets, but most new fish keepers tend to treat feeding time for fish like they do other types of pets like birds, rabbits, cats, or dogs. For most of these pets you can fill a bowl and walk away, the animal will eat what it wants to eat, when it wants to eat, and you’re done. As a side note, even for those types of animals this is not the best feeding practice, nor one I recommend; but let’s face it, that is how many people handle the feeding of their pets.


One thing the fish will have in common with other pets is that they will eat what they need and then they are done. If you have thrown in too much food the fish will ignore it, but then this excess food has nowhere to go, it stays in the pond. Excess food quickly breaks down and begins to drag down water quality, raise nutrient levels (which is great for algae growth), discolor water, create odors, encourage pesky flies to hang around the pond, and create maintenance for the pond owner because this food clogs filters and pump intakes.


To toss in food to your fish and walk away is not good practice. Remember, fish do not over eat, we overfeed. Overfeeding a pond will only create poor, possibly deadly conditions for your pond fish. So with the understanding that poor feeding practice can have possibly disastrous results, let’s bullet point some feeding tips:


• When feeding fish, take your time, at least several minutes. Do not toss food and walk away. This feeding time lets you connect with your fish, and observe them to see how they are doing health wise.


• Give small portions, let them clear ALL of it, and offer small portion again until they are slowing or not showing interest in feeding. Pay attention to how much it is they are eating so you can portion feedings if necessary.


• Do not throw food out to your fish, you are teaching them to stay away from you during feeding time. Offer food close to the edge of the pond where you are standing so they associate your presence with food. You are the FOOD GOD, so work it, be it.


• Try to have a “feeding station” for yourself and offer food from that area. This will also train the fish to associate your presence with the reward of food.
 

• If you have a skimmer system on your pond (like you should), try to choose a feeding station away from the draw of the skimmer, slow water is the best feeding area.
 

• Do not feed your fish twice as much before you go out of town, because they do not know you are going out of town and will not eat twice as much because tomorrow they will not get fed.
 

• If you have someone coming by to feed your fish while you are away, make sure you pre-portion the feedings for the hired care taker, and make the portions smaller than typical.
 

• Keep in mind that fish eat different quantities of food at different times of year. How much a fish eats in May will be very different from how much they are eating in September. Adjust your feedings accordingly.
 

• The general rule of thumb is to slow feeding when water starts to cool into 15 C - 10 C, feeding small amounts of Cold Water Fall Fish Food a few times a week, and to quit feeding altogether when the water reaches 9 C.

In colder climates, do not feed your fish, the fish will not properly metabolize/digest the food and this can lead to health issues.

Proper feeding habits for your pond fish will lead to happier and healthier fish with good growth rates and nicer coloration. Good feeding habits will also lead to a healthier nicer looking pond, cleaner water, and a lot less maintenance for the pond keeper.

 

 

Predator proof your pond

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Predators arrive at your pond by many routes:

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  • On the land: Raccoons, opossums, muskrats,  or even foxes may eat your fish. Though deer will not eat your fish, they might take a break from your garden to graze on your pond plants.

  • Through the air: Most wild birds will leave your fish alone, but there are two species that must be dealt with if they are common in your area, Herons and Kingfishers. Herons are aggressive fishing machines. Unchecked, they can wipe out a pond of Koi in a couple of hours. The much smaller, but well-named Kingfisher will swoop in from a nearby tree or perch and spear your fish with his long sharp beak.

  • In the water: If you have a creek or natural body of water nearby, amphibians can find their way into your pond. They commonly migrate through wet grass or standing water during heavy spring rains. Large bullfrogs, for example, will eat small fish. Snapping turtles will eat anything, even snap at your finger, if you fail to take care.

 

 

Some options to control predators:

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  • Netting - Covering your pond with netting, particularly at night, when predators are most active, is an excellent way to control most predators. Netting can also be used seasonally, for example, during spring and fall when animals are most active.

  • Decoys - Some predators like herons are territorial and will not intrude on an area they perceive as already dominated by one of their kind. Others simply won't risk attack from a natural rival like a snake or owl. These are all available as decoys and work very well. For optimum effect, they need to be moved about frequently so that predators don't catch on.

  • Repellents - Repellents use smell and taste to ward off predators like deer, squirrels, and raccoons. They are very versatile because they can be applied wherever you desire. For best results, they should be renewed at intervals or after rain.

  • Hiding Places - Predators cannot eat your fish if they cannot catch them. Make sure your pond provides plenty of floating vegetation for your fish to hide under, and structure to dive below. Sections of wide diameter black PVC tubing can be placed inconspicuously on the bottom of your pond. These have the added advantage of providing good habitat for your fish. If you encounter an agile predator like an otter, consider a fish refuge, which is a hard mesh cage that allows fish in but keeps predators out.

Aquatic Plants
Aquatic Plants

Not only do plants add beauty to any setting, they are essential in helping create and maintain a healthy contained ecosystem in your backyard. Pond plants are extremely beneficial, as they:

 

  • Limit algae growth by blocking excess sunlight and consuming algae-fueling nutrients

  • Filter water naturally by trapping sediment, reducing nutrients, and breaking down toxic compounds and pathogens

  • Provide surface area for colonies of nitrifying bacteria (the same in your biofilter)

  • Offer shelter for pond inhabitants

  • Supply oxygen (a by-product of photosynthesis) to your pond as well by keeping water temperatures down (and oxygen in) through shade 

Choosing the right variety of plants
Pond plants are categorized as submerged plants, marginal or bog plants, floating plants, and deep water emergent plants. Before selecting pond plants, research your desired varieties to determine their needs, growth habits, and ultimate size:

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Submerged plants
Submerged plants, such as Anacharis and Cabomba, grow completely underwater. They provide a great place for your fish to hide from predators. These plants are often referred to as "oxygenating" plants as they are very efficient at pulling carbon dioxide from the water and then releasing beneficial oxygen after photosynthesis. These oxygenating plants do not require fertilizing; they use the excess nutrients already present in your pond water.

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Anacharis                                                                                             Cabomba

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Marginal or bog plants
These colorful, lush plants, which include Cattails and Irises, grow in the shallow water or saturated soil around the rim or margins of a pond. Bog plants tend to be heavy root feeders that search for nutrients primarily from soil or potting media. While they rely minimally on pond water for nutrients, bog plants improve water quality by extracting excess detrimental nutrients from the pond environment before they can accumulate.

 

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Cattail                                                                                                       Iris

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Deep water emergent plants
Some of the most well-known and recognizable pond plants come from this group, which includes Water Lilies and Lotus. Deep water emergent plant roots grow deep underwater in planters on the pond bottom. Leaves and flowers emerge and spread upon the surface, providing fish and other inhabitants with shade and cover from predators.

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Lilies                                                                                                 Lotus

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Floating plants
Floating plants like Water Hyacinths and Water Lettuce simply sit on your pond's surface. Roots drift below and act as filters. These easy-care plants provide surface cover, shade, and hiding places for fish. Many floating plants also produce flowers that can cleverly - and beautifully - disguise filtration or other elements. Floating plants use nutrients from the water, competing with algae and improving water clarity. Rapid growth and the ability to remove excess nutrients from water make floating plants extremely important in keeping a healthy water garden.

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Water Hyacinths                                                                  Water Lettuce

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Plants, whether full or sparse, flowering or pure foliage - offer a simple, natural solution to boosting pond health and enhancing beauty. 

Algae / Green Water
Algae / Green Water

How To Control Algae And Green Water In Your Pond

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Algae—it’s the number one complaint of pond keepers. This ubiquitous, unwelcome plant life in all its green glory is the bane of the pond keeper's existence and can make the simple pleasures of pond and fish keeping seem like chores. In addition to other non-life-threatening challenges, algae obscure colorful fish and deplete valuable oxygen. The good news is, with a few simple steps, you can stop seeing green and start seeing the beautiful, unobstructed tranquility of your water garden.

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First, understand it. 


Algae are primitive plants that, via photosynthesis, combine water and carbon dioxide to form sugars for energy and growth. Algae produce oxygen, a useful by-product, but when sunlight is not available at night, they quickly respire. This respiration uses the stored sugars and oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which depletes the oxygen in the pond. There are basically two types of pond algae:

  1. Green Water: These single-celled organisms—which remain suspended in water—are so tiny, they pass through even the finest filter. If conditions are right, meaning there’s plenty of nutrients and sunlight, as many as five million algae cells per milliliter of pond water can be present.

  2. String Algae (also known as “hair algae”): This filamentous species, which grows in long strands, adheres to rocks and waterfalls. They eventually tangle together, forming thick, unsightly mats that can double their weight within 24 hours.

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Then, eliminate it.


The following are some tried-and-true methods that will not only help you treat algae, but also help prevent it.

  1. Add Plants 
    In a natural setting, fish produce nutrients that are absorbed by plants, leaving very little for algae. However, many garden ponds do not possess enough plants to handle all the nutrients produced by the fish. This causes an excess buildup and produces an ideal environment for rapid algae growth.

    Whether you're just beginning and want to avoid algae problems or have an existing problem to control, you’ll first want to increase the number of oxygenating plants on the surface of the pond. This is perhaps the simplest, long-term solution to keeping water clean and clear.

    Floating plants, such as lilies and lotus, provide shade and reduce direct sunlight in the pond to control the growth of algae. Add submerged plants that release oxygen to the water, such as anacharis, hornwort and parrot’s feather. As a guide, one bunch of six to seven strands of oxygenating plant can be added to every two square feet of water surface, and submerged by tying to a rock or planting in a soil container.

    All aquatic plants also absorb nutrients and starve the algae. After initial plant introduction, green water may occur, but will last only a short time. Established marginal plants can be planted around the periphery of the pond or in shallow sections of the pond. These are also effective in absorbing nutrients and providing shade.


     

  2. Water Treatments
    Water treatments are an excellent option where algae problems already exist. Green water and string algae can be controlled using repeated applications of an effective algae c
    ontrol water treatment.  Reapplication is necessary for maximum effectiveness, but be sure to follow dosage instructions.
     

  3. Fish Feeding
    Using a high-quality fish food will also help discourage the growth of algae, as the food will be fully digested, leaving fewer nutrients to pass through the fish.

     

  4. Green Water Control: Ultraviolet (UV) Clarifiers
    UV clarifiers combat green water by exposing suspended single-celled algae to very high levels of ultra violet light, which destroys its reproductive ability. UV clarifier units consist of a tubular fluorescent bulb that emits UV light. Because UV light is harmful to the human eye, the bulb is enclosed in dark, opaque housing.

    • Here’s how they work: Pond water enters through the clarifier’s inlet tube and travels around the UV light. The UV light kills the suspended algae, causing them to clump together into particles large enough to be removed by filtration, and then exits the clarifier. Finally, impurities are removed from the water as it passes through a mechanical and/or a biological filter, exiting back into the pond.
       

  5. String Algae Control: IonGen System Clarifier

      The IonGen electronic water clarifier for Ponds, Pondless Waterfalls and other decorative water features        drastically reduces maintenance caused by algae without the use of chemicals.

       A microprocessor inside the IonGen release ions from a scientifically blended and tested probe that achieves                             maximum  treatment results in water features.              

       

  •        Drastically reduces pond maintenance caused by algae

  •        Helps reduce unsightly string algae

  •        Compatible with water containing fish and plants

  •        Energy efficient (less than $1 a month in electricity cost)

  •        Treats containerized ponds up to 25,000 gallons

  •        Probe typically lasts 1-3 seasons, depending on the ionization level it is operated at, size of water feature               

  •        Complete with electronic control panel, outdoor-rated transformer, flow chamber, probe, fittings

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When it comes to controlling algae, balance is best.
No pond is ever totally free of algae, but in a balanced environment, algae can be kept in check. Understanding how it grows is a good start, followed by an appropriate treatment for the type of algae present. UV clarifiers, water  treatments, and other algae eliminators are effective methods for treating and preventing algae proliferation. But don’t ignore Mother Nature; the addition of plants should be part of the long-term solution. 

Pond Safety
safety

Kid Proofing A Pond

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No matter how hard you try, it's difficult to always know exactly where your child is, and drowning often occurs while a parent or carer assumes their child is safe.

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Fortunately, there are easy options you can take to give you peace of mind and keep your little ones safe.

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Grille it!

Covering your pond is a good option for some people – you just need to make sure you use a rigid metal grille rather than flimsy chicken wire. Don't forget to check it regularly to make sure it's up to the job of keeping young children out of the water.

 

 

Fence it!

Another good option, although it can sometimes give you a false sense of security – particularly as most young children are excellent climbers! If you do choose a fence, make sure it's at least 1.1m and that access points such as gates are kept locked.

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