Patio pond information

[likwid]

If you are wanting to put fish in your patio pond check out this thread. Lots of suggestions there.

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=19361

Is your pond in a sunny location? Maybe try filling with water and see what temperatures you get over a course of a number of days. How great a temperature swing is there? A 35 gallon patio tank is going to have much wider temperature fluctuations than an in ground tank.

Unless you are prepared to build an outside pond 500 gallons + next year, do not get koi. Of the fish on the thread, the hardiest is probably Comet or Sarassa goldfish. They come in some beautiful colors from Red & White to golds. They usually max out at under 10 inches.

Good luck with your pond!

Thanks for the link. I don't know exact water temperatures, but I do know that it does get nice and warm during the day, and fairly cool at night, since the overnight lows are around 10 degrees. Would it be alright to add a few goldfish, or is it too late in the season to start this now?

[gobies et al]

If you are wanting to put fish in your patio pond check out this thread. Lots of suggestions there.

http://albertaaquatica.com/index.php?showtopic=19361

Is your pond in a sunny location? Maybe try filling with water and see what temperatures you get over a course of a number of days. How great a temperature swing is there? A 35 gallon patio tank is going to have much wider temperature fluctuations than an in ground tank.

Unless you are prepared to build an outside pond 500 gallons + next year, do not get koi. Of the fish on the thread, the hardiest is probably Comet or Sarassa goldfish. They come in some beautiful colors from Red & White to golds. They usually max out at under 10 inches.

Good luck with your pond!

Thanks for the link. I don't know exact water temperatures, but I do know that it does get nice and warm during the day, and fairly cool at night, since the overnight lows are around 10 degrees. Would it be alright to add a few goldfish, or is it too late in the season to start this now?

You could start now. You would have up to 6 weeks with them outside, depending how our summer/fall goes.

[nyb440]

I agree with Gobies et al, that your best option is probably goldfish, as temperature swings in a small above ground pond are greater than in-ground ponds, and other species may not be hardy enough. However, you could possibly try paradise fish. The paradise fish don't get as big, so you wouldn't need as big a tank to overwinter them in, which might be something to consider. By "a few" goldfish, how many are you thinking? I wouldn't add more than one or two small ones. I like to keep my pond understocked. There's less maintenance, and I don't have to feed them that way (there are enough bugs that they get really nice and fat over the summer).

[likwid]

Just to update you guys. I put in 4 small goldfish a few days ago, and they are doing great. They are really active, and come up to the surface easily when there are flakes of food up there. I also put a cup at the bottom of the pond that they like to go inside and play around in, very cute.

What size tank would be sufficient enough to over-winter these guys in?

[gobies et al]

Just to update you guys. I put in 4 small goldfish a few days ago, and they are doing great. They are really active, and come up to the surface easily when there are flakes of food up there. I also put a cup at the bottom of the pond that they like to go inside and play around in, very cute.

What size tank would be sufficient enough to over-winter these guys in?

How about just moving your patio pond indoors?

[jvision]

You could probably get away w. just a 3' tank to overwinter them this year... they may need something bigger next year - including a bigger pond!! :w00t: