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new pond....need help

3K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  finsNfur 
#1 ·
We have a new small 35 gallon pond. What type of fish will work ok? Can we use feeder goldfish? Also is substrate needed, and if so what type?
 
#2 ·
im not a pond expert but a 35 gallon pond sounds small. this prob will eliminate the option of being able to get koi and most goldfish, besides maybe 2 fancy goldfish maximum ( which i personally think arnt very "fancy" ) i would recommend some White Clouds, maybe 10 of them max. this really also depends on where you live because White Clouds can take colder waters but i dont think they will survive a pond freeze but im unsure about that. id say substrate would be needed for having plants but dont think its absolutly required without plants. you probally do however want to put some sort of plants in there, like something that gives alittle coverage on the water surface ( maybe along with a scarecrow next to the pond) to prevent pesty birds from eating your fish. im sure you can get away with buying a 30-40lb ( or whatever size ) bag of natural color landscaping stones in the gardening section of home depot or walmart for like $3-4 a bag and you prob only need 1 1/2 - 2 bags HOWEVER make sure it is rinsed super good because sands and dust are in with the rock and this will cause cloudy water. if you do this as your substrate you'd probally want to add an aquarium safe liquid fertilizer ( following the back of the bottle for directions ) or plant root tabs ( which prob will work better for rooted plants ) they do make aquarium substrates specifically for planted aquariums and im sure this will work fine but can be expensive ( about $20+ for a 16lb bag, depending on brands ) I dont know for sure if they make pond size bags of this ( i dont see why not ) but it wouldnt hurt to do some online research for some..
:!: as I stated, im not a pond expert ( this is what sounds right to me ) so if anyone has better advice or knowledge please let them know.. im curious to hear about it myself :D
 
#3 ·
What is the pond made of? Is it a rubber liner, or a plastic tub? A substrate isn't essential, but some plants would be a good idea, that would be good for water quality, and give a place for the fish to hide. And you definitely don't have a lot of room for big fish such as koi (which reach 24+ inches) or feeder goldfish (which grow to be 12" or so), I would suggest something like "Rosy reds", or "mosquito fish", they are a small fish. How cold it gets where you live is important, because it limits what kind of fish you can get.
 
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