balikiss Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm definitely going to look up getting a permit to bring native species in. I wonder if you can catch them your self and put them in, or if you have to get them from a hatchery/farm? Would be nice to have a variety of fish in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybrid Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm definitely going to look up getting a permit to bring native species in. I wonder if you can catch them your self and put them in, or if you have to get them from a hatchery/farm? Would be nice to have a variety of fish in there. http://www.smokytroutfarm.com/ :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Too bad we live in such a harsh climate, Pbass would be sooo sweet. I'd try some trout or even some pike, those would be sweet too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm definitely going to look up getting a permit to bring native species in. I wonder if you can catch them your self and put them in, or if you have to get them from a hatchery/farm? Would be nice to have a variety of fish in there. Ensure that you say you are going to stock a dugout - I read that wasn't too difficult, just fill out a form somewhere. It is nearly impossible to get a permit for natives in an aquarium (believe me, I tried - even with good friends in Fish & wildlife). They may allow you to stock the pond with natives, but goldfish or koi would be more colorful and visible. The way I see it - Wild fish if you like to fish, as you will likely never see them otherwise. Or goldfish/koi for color. Come closer to late summer/fall I can offer you about 30+ 5-9" comet/common goldfish from my summer pond that won't fit in my aquarium. All colors, golds, creams, whites, red caps, greys, sarassa, etc. Or just announce on the "buy and sell" you are looking for goldfish feeders that grew too big for what people were going to feed them to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The native species is a good idea, but i don't really like the taste of fish and i would really like to be able to see the fish i stock the pond with. Hopefully i'm going to the lfs soon so i can get a bunch of goldies. Would love some fish from people who can't house them any more, but maybe i'll wait for better weather before posting it. I'll remember you're offer for the comets though. How old do common goldfish have to be before they'll spawn? Will i get babies the first year i have them in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CORVETTE Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Ok gold fish winter very well and have spread almost across th eentire USA... The big problem is the are easily seen from the air and get fished out quiet regularly in home ponds. We had a doug out that was 50 ft x 60 ft X 8 ft deep worked well for 2 years then a heiron and to cormerants ladded and ate just about everything (don't shoot protected birds...just a warnning) then that winter was really cold and pond froze solid...lost all the nice gold fish, 3-4 pound rainbows and some perch that were mixed in. I now have a pond in the city and through 25 gold fish and 50 rosey red minnows in every year. the grey colored rosey reds or what ever they are must spawn all summer. i took out 250 last fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Definitely won't be shooting any protected birds. There's really only farm land around where i live..and i haven't seen a heron or any other of those marshy type fish eating birds around here. Geese and ducks don't even land here..Planning on putting duckweed into the pond, and any other hardy plants i can find that will survive in Alberta temperatures. We're going to get the aerator set up better this year so it doesn't freeze off and will hopefully keep an open hole all year round (been thinking about experimenting with using a dome with a breather hole over top of the hole on the ice so the wind doesn't cool it off so bad). I figure i'll harvest some of the fish back out of the pond, and overwinter them in the house just in case it doesn't work out, i'll still have some year old fish to put back in the spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CORVETTE Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 We actually transplanted some reeds in to our pond out in the ditch...lol transplanted good and gave good coverage. you might just have to prune them back every now and then. We also bought some lili pads from the home center and planted them they grew like weeds and came back every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Lilly pads eh?? i thought those died during the harsh winter, but i will definitely be looking for some now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 The native species is a good idea, but i don't really like the taste of fish and i would really like to be able to see the fish i stock the pond with. Hopefully i'm going to the lfs soon so i can get a bunch of goldies. Would love some fish from people who can't house them any more, but maybe i'll wait for better weather before posting it. I'll remember you're offer for the comets though. How old do common goldfish have to be before they'll spawn? Will i get babies the first year i have them in there? Most people say 4 yrs until maturity, but I have had 2 yrs spawn on me. As for native plants, marsh marigold are wonderful early spring bloomers. Cattail and reeds work well, but spread like wildfire (I sink metal troughs beneath the water line, but above the soil, and let mine grow in those - but they self seed too). I like spatterdoc, the lily has a yellow bloom and shades the pond and provides shelter from above (though more tropical lilies may survive as long as they don't freeze solid). Arrowheads are nice. Even perennials like tiger lillies, irises, crocuses, and others will thrive. There are numerous submerged plants - I am partial to northern milfoil and some other submerged blooming weeds. There are various tropicals that you can overwinter in an aquarium/house and put out starts in spring - parrots feather (wonderful floater/marginal), water lettuce, cana lilly, etc. Just take my word for it and don't plant trees that get big - or you get crows, ravens, and various birds of prey that love fish. Shrubs like lilac are fine though. I will give you a shout before I remove the fish to see if you want some. After a 'trial' year or two you could even try koi. sometimes they are even in with feeder goldfish. You could try golden orfe, they are bigger than goldfish, smaller than koi and very hardy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Closer to mid April/May you will find various pond plants in the plant nurserys, and even Rona and Canadian tire. There is an good plant nursery in Spruce Grove with lots of pond plants. I hear Nature's Corner in Edmonton gets some nice pond plants around May. Just keep your eyes open. Go for a walk near a lake/river on a spring day and look at the local plants/flowers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thanx for all the awesome ideas! I'm going to assume that the feeder goldfish that they sell are probably only a few months old then? We do already have some cattails/reeds that grow, and we try and get rid of them cause they muddy the water real bad. floating plants would be my plant of choice. I really like the water lettuce it looks like it would be easy enough to collect in the fall for overwintering. We do already have a lot of crows around because unfortunately there's a small garbage dump a few miles away..but we can get rid of any that want to hang around :shifty: Did some research on those orfe and they look really interesting! Wonder if theres anywhere close by to get a few of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I am planning on getting a few orfe in the spring. Aquarium Illusions in Edmonton says they will order me in anything I want. When I order I can ask if you want to get some too. The small goldfish are probably under 6 months. I get mine from a few places I trust, as most feeder lots seem to have diseases - mainly ich. I always quarantine before adding to my pond, those $30 kiddie pools work great for fish, and later on for kids/dogs. You can ask in the Buy and sell forum for any pretty feeders that are disease free. I would avoid the grey/olive feeders as that is a natural color, and will greatly increase the rate of the goldfish breeding back to the natural grey/olive coloration. I am not sure you can overwinter enough water lettuce to get a good start in spring - unless you had a large water trough/kiddie pool with grow lights in your basement. You can buy "floating Islands" where you drop an anchor in the middle and plant flower/plants on the island. Looks sharp with Parrot's feather reaching out into the water, flowers blooming on island. A few crows aren't bad - as long as they don't learn the art of fish diving. Those herons travel miles to get fish though. A fake heron will usually deter them and some other predatory birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balikiss Posted March 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 I'll have to let you know on the orfe as my budget really isn't allowing for much fish buying right now. Maybe by next summer i'll have a ton of baby goldfish in my pond then lol. I will definitely be getting some colorful ones though. Have to see if we have any troubles with herons and put up some decoys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endugu Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 wow, you could have that pond making you a small fortune I a few short years. I'd throw a few dozen koi in there and in a few years you'll have tonnes of babies to sell all across Western Canada.... and beyond! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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