balikiss Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 hey everyone. thought i'd run an idea by you all and see what you think. all comments are welcome. So i have a very large pond aka the dug out (some of you who live out of town know what i'm talking about). The pond is about 120feet long, 50 wide, and at least 10 deep all year around..It's approx 673000 gallons lol. The problem is that all this water breeds alot of mosquitos. I was thinking about getting a dozen cheap feeder goldfish and raising them up a little in a 20 gal rubbermaid container and then putting them in the pond in the late spring. Do you think they would survive the winter? The pond is aerated all year round and is usually a hole in the ice all the time. How about putting a dent in the mosquito population? Any thoughts would be very welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NomiDemekin Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 hey everyone. thought i'd run an idea by you all and see what you think. all comments are welcome. So i have a very large pond aka the dug out (some of you who live out of town know what i'm talking about). The pond is about 120feet long, 50 wide, and at least 10 deep all year around..It's approx 673000 gallons lol. The problem is that all this water breeds alot of mosquitos. I was thinking about getting a dozen cheap feeder goldfish and raising them up a little in a 20 gal rubbermaid container and then putting them in the pond in the late spring. Do you think they would survive the winter? The pond is aerated all year round and is usually a hole in the ice all the time. How about putting a dent in the mosquito population? Any thoughts would be very welcome! I think it sounds possible. Any goldfish you put in there will most likely decimate the mosquito population. I would remind people that each adult common/comet (aka 'feeder') goldfish need a bare minimum of 20 gallons per fish, but it sounds like you have that part covered! :thumbs: I would say that you would probably need more and/or larger temporary containers, to avoid any health/water/stunting problems (I would hesitate to put them in anything less than 10 G per fish, even as a temporary home). 'Feeders' (like all goldfish) will get big fast, but they do make very attractive pond fish, and they will help control any mosquito population. Don't forget to have filters on the temporary containers (for a pond that big with only a dozen goldfish you may not need any extra filtration, as long as there is some sort of air stone/waterfall/fountain to help get oxygen in the water). As for overwintering, I do know that goldfish can be overwintered in some places, surviving well even under a thin layer of ice. However, I don't know for sure how they would stand up to Alberta winters (not having a pond myself). Good luck with your large pond, and any goldfish if you decide to get them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Thanx for the reply. I do have a HOB filter that i would be putting on their container. I may have to cut back on the number of fish i want to get and keep until spring. I actaully just looked at a bunch of pictures that had feeder fish as pond fish and they were quite lovely! I'm really excited to try this. There does get a couple feet of ice on the pond during the winter tho..but we test the depth in the worst of winter and it's usually 8feet or better. There is a windmill driven aerator that goes year round and usually a lot of natural plants that ring the pond, not to mention a few small willow trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JORG Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I wouldn't bother with the rubber maid I would just wait till ice out and get one or two 100 lots of feeder comets and put them in the pond. I don't think a dozen will dent the mosquito population in a pond that size as goldfish are primarly vedgetarian. It would take a long time (if ever ) to get a self sustaining population of goldfish if you only start with 12. You could also think about putting a couple hundred Flathead feeders in there also as they will eat mosquito larva also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 (edited) One of the LFS owners in Westlock has some koi and goldfish over winter in their dugout and it is a foot or two shallower. I would also add some sort of smaller minnow since I suspect the osprey/herons will love the goldfish snack - may need a wild type as I doubt the petstore variety would survive here... I would add some lillies (aka cow lilly/spatterdoc - very common) to the pond for shelter from predators and shade. I would just wait until late spring (or whenever the water gets above 16-17 degrees) and just add the fish. Don't dump the transport water into the pond as that is the best way to introduce ich - which I find tends to fall off the fish when they are in the transport bag/container. If you want to quarantine - use a kiddie pool, or stock tank and just jerry-rig a HOB filter/cansiter filter. A dozen won't help the mosquitoes much - you would need at least 50 to put a dent in the population, but any fish will help. You might need to add a small boat/dock to go enjoy your fish! Edited March 16, 2009 by Crystal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobies et al Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 How is your dugout filled, overflow? Is there any chance of fish escaping into our streams or rivers? Do you have natural predators, such as muskrats or herons? Instead of feeders, how about getting a dozen or so of comets (Sarassa are red and white) that have outgrown peoples tanks. They will populate the pond in short order, and you would have healthier fish to start with. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I'm not actually sure how the dugout is filled, some water comes from overflow from the ditch, but there must be a small spring under it because its pretty much always the same depth. No chance of them escaping, unless they hitchhike from the road lol. We had a muskrat last year but i think my boyfriend is pretty set on shooting him this year cuz he muddies up the water. No herons that i'v seen. Not even the occasional duck. Unfortunatly i don't really any friends with aquariums so i wouldn't be able to get them from some one else. I do want to quarentine them for a bit because after there in the water, there would be no way to treat them. Definatly going to have to get lots of them, but i don't mind if it takes them a couple years to populate themselves into a bigger community. My boyfriend was already thinking about a dock, this is the perfect excuse to encourage him into making one this year -roll- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobies et al Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Pardon my ignorance but - where is Fahler? Is it big enough to have a paper? bulletin board? Good luck with your endeavor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 Pardon my ignorance but - where is Fahler?Is it big enough to have a paper? bulletin board? Good luck with your endeavor! Falher is about half an hour from peace river. And yup it does have a paper. It's called the smokey river express. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 heres a picture of the pond, lol and my boyfriend and his friend who just tipped the canoe lol. you can see just about 3/4 of the pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I'd say get some Pbass for that big ol pond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybrid Posted March 16, 2009 Report Share Posted March 16, 2009 I'd say get some Pbass for that big ol pond UNFORTUNELTY THEY COULDNT HANDLE THE WINTER TEMP.... BUT MAYBE HE COULD CATCH A FEW NICE SIZED WALLEYE OR GOLDEYE FORM THE "NSR" AND PUT THEM IN !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JORG Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'd say get some Pbass for that big ol pond UNFORTUNELTY THEY COULDNT HANDLE THE WINTER TEMP.... BUT MAYBE HE COULD CATCH A FEW NICE SIZED WALLEYE OR GOLDEYE FORM THE "NSR" AND PUT THEM IN !!!! I would put native fish in also but unfortunatly it is against the law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syno321 Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The feeders or fatheads will survive in a pond that size, especially with an open area created by the windmill aerator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slough Shark Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I have heard it is not too difficult to get a permit for native fish for the thing you are trying. Contact your local fish and wildlife if you can, it would be worth it to be able to keep native species in a pond that size. Just about any native minnow or small fish species will eat mosquito larvae for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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