Setting up a pond

onefish2fish

hmm. why not return the fish and fishless cycle the pond with pure ammonia?

adiumroot

I was thinking of that too, but running the pond for weeks without any fish would be boring.

Is fishless cycling the norm now? I don't see any bad effects of cycliong with fish, especially when I'm using 4 tiny fish in 200+ gallons of water.

willow

the problem i see with using little fish, i would have thought that
when you go to add the amount of goldies in the pond,there won't be enough
bacteria in the filter to cope with their amount of waste ?
are you able to get hold of amonia ? kinder to fishless cycle.

forgot to add,will love to see pictures :)

adiumroot

My brother added four 3" Goldfish already. Oh well, my fault since I started adding fish and the kid got too excited. Hmm. Should I take out some of the fish?

I can get hold of ammonia easily but yeah, since I've started the pond running already, my kid brother's enjoying it very much right now. Usually said kid is quite grumpy but he lightens up when he sees fish swimming.

Do I absolutely have to remove the fish? Or will I be able to manage until the bacteria get a hold and build a nice colony in my filter? I'm using filter mats (so-called japanese filter mats) and lava rock as media.

willow

well with fish in place,it will cycle with them in it i guess :)
nice to see animals having a possitive affect on a young person.
will he be able/willing to help take care of them ?
keep a good check on the water results.

adiumroot

He's able, but not willing. LOL

I offered that I pay him (just a small amount) each day to feed the fish when I'm not home. He refused, even with the money. Oh well, kids are kids. XD

I'll need to watch the water results better. Will take a picture of the initial set-up tomorrow. I didn't fill it up full yet. It's currently at around 3/4 capacity.

willow

oh well,at least you tried lol :)
look forward to the pictures :)

aunt kymmie

You offered to pay him and he refused? I've never experienced a kid refusing money for a chore. Instead of a kid he must be a temperamental teenager.
(My apologies, in advance, to our forum's rockin young adults)

Looking forward to seeing pics of your pond. My pond is currently sitting empty and I like that I'm able to follow along w/ your progress. Looking forward to pictures!!

adiumroot

Probably because there are other higher-paying chores in the house. Like massaging my grandma's legs. Haha. Picky worker. XD
I just came out of my teenage years and yes, I was quite the temperamental one. D:
Anyways, the topic here is setting up a pond, not how to raise a little kid. LOL

I checked and saw no more leaks. If anything serious comes up I would have to drain the whole thing, so I hope we've seen the last of the leaks. I also noticed that the mollies are quite confident, swimming about and hanging out by the powerhead. The Goldfish (shubunkins) are quite shy, hiding in the plants, rarely coming out. Probably it's because the mollies have been in the pond longer. Funny though, because the much larger fish seem to be hiding from the tiny ones.

willow

i hope the settle in soon :)
how are they at feeding time ?

kymmie......
why is yours empty ?