Fish Pond!

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#1
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#1
We’re finally moving into a place where I have a little square of yard to landscape my way, and that means one thing: FISH POND! Yay!
So I’ve got questions. I’ve done some preliminary research, but want feedback from you lot. Here’s some background:
The pond will likely only be 4 or 5 feet square, could be as deep as 3.5 feet. I’d like to keep a few goldies and lots of plants, and it will have either a waterfall or a fountain feature. It will get a little bit of direct sunlight, but not much. In Vancouver our weather is kind of like Seattle’s – we very occasionally get below freezing in the winter, when temps usually range from about 35-50 degrees F, and in the summer it rarely gets above the low 80s.
My questions so far:
Are UV clarifiers or UV sterilizers necessary? Which is better?
Do I need a heater? Rain sensor? De-icer?
Is the rule of thumb 3-4 sq. ft per fish accurate?
What else do I want to know now rather than later?
Cheers,
Laura
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#3
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#3
Wow! you did it!! I have had some experience with goldfish here in the NW. I have only used the 10 cent variety but will write more to you about my experiences.
 

SlateSpider

SlateSpider

Large Fish
#5
Dec 5, 2011
268
0
0
Walla Walla, Washington
#5
My cousins have a small fish pond. Actually, it started out as a pond for their goose (that crazy thing killed one of my chickens that I raised!!), and eventually they put a few goldfish in there. I don't think that they even feed them or anything. The pond freezes over in the winter, and in the spring, they are just fine! I don't know what the dimensions are, but it is sort of oval-ish with a deep side and a shallower side. The dogs love to play in it in the summer too, and fish just retreat to the bottom of the deep end! :p

That is all the experience I have had with fish ponds, so i'm sorry if I didn't help much!
 

lauraf

lauraf

Superstar Fish
#7
Jan 1, 2010
2,181
0
0
Vancouver, British Columbia
#7
OrangeCones said:
Sounds like a fun plan, laurf! Congrats!

Are you planning on keeping goldfish in the pond year round? If so, as long as its 3ft deep, you do not NEED heater, deicer, etc.

A friend of mine in Florida recommends this site to plan out a pond. She has one she's built 5 or 6 yrs ago now and loves it.

Fish Pond - Everything you need to know about Fish Ponds
Click to expand...
Nice website, thanks for the link OC. Would the fish be happier with a heater in the winter, or should I let them 'hibernate' or whatever one would call it?
What about UV sterilizers?
 

KcMopar

KcMopar

Superstar Fish
#8
May 11, 2011
1,854
1
0
Louisiana
www.americanhotrodsolutions.com
#8
You may need the UV if you have an algae problem, seeing that it may not be in the direct sun for very long you may be ok without the UV. As far as a heater goes you do not need one. If you have an air stone you need to move it to just under the surface in the winter so you do not super cool the water. Keep us posted, I am planning one real soon to. I have done tons of research and planning for the build now I just need the time LOL!!!!
 

T

Thyra

Superstar Fish
#10
Jun 2, 2010
1,891
0
0
Yelm, WA
#10
I do not turn the water running in my pond off unless everything freezes up solid, which hasn't happened very often. The tank is about the size of a bath tub but deeper so the intake for the pump is well below any ice and usually a spot stays open where the water is running. The only time I ever had what I guess was a problem is with the cold snap last Thanksgiving and we were gone. The tank was full and it froze. The water kept pumping on top of the ice. When we came home it had all thawed and the tank was half empty. I thought it had a break someplace and was leaking. I filled it and it stayed full. I then figured out what had happened. by pumping the water on top of the ice it eventually overflowed because it couldn't get back into the tank and before the ice thawed it had pumped half of its water out on to the ground. Those pond pumps seem pretty durable. I have a very little one in the bird bath fountain I built - Harbor Freight pump for a few dollars and I think its been running for at least 5 years. The water in that freezes up if the cold lasts for days and the pump will stall. I unplug it when I get to it and need to give it a good "thump"to get it started. The birds sure like that running water - as cold as it was on Christmas day, we had a little hummingbird come along and take a shower! Never saw a humming bird here in the winter before.
 

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