Pond Questions

[moeldner]

Well, my partner and I have bought a house, and we would both like a nice water feature in the garden at some point in the future.

This has obviously got me thinking about a fish pond in the backyard, but I'm not sure if our weather would allow it.

We go from temperatures overnight in Winter of -11C (12F) and can easily reach 42C+ (92F) in Summer.

Are there any fish that would tolerate these seasonal swings in temperature? We know we could prevent the pond from freezing over - that wont be an issue, but the water temperature will fluctuate a lot. I'm assuming that we would be looking at cold water fish only for this situation.

We don't know how big a set up we want yet, this will depend on a number of factors once we have moved in.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Hmm...How deep and wide is the pond going to be? Can you add a pond heater during the winter? If you add a pond heater during the winter to raise the temp a bit, it would help open up a lot of stocking options as i don't think there are any fish that would really thrive in those temps throughout the entire year.

 

[moeldner]

Hmm...How deep and wide is the pond going to be? Can you add a pond heater during the winter? If you add a pond heater during the winter to raise the temp a bit, it would help open up a lot of stocking options as i don't think there are any fish that would really thrive in those temps throughout the entire year.

Thanks for taking an interest Tokis-Phoenix

I am mainly after this sort of information myself - how deep would I need to make it - will it need a heater, etc.
At the moment I just don't know. It may not ever happen depending on other things we have to pay for. But I can dream for now.

I'm just starting to look into this and want to make sure I get it right if we do decide to go ahead with it.

 

[Phillip.M]

How bout koi's?

 

[moeldner]

Koi'd be OK. Not sure yet how big the pond will be. Would like to know if there are smaller fish as well that could handle these conditions

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

The deeper the pond the better- basically during the winter, most coldwater pond fish will hibernate/go into a semi-dormant state and eat very little, the deeper the pond the more insulated it will be from the cold and the elements and the more likely the fish will easily pull through the winter- so down in places like England where the winters can be quite harsh, most people advise 3-4feet deep for ponds. The extra depth will also offer a lot more protection from predators like cats .
Most people advise comet or common goldfish and koi for colder ponds, goldfish like black moors and shubunkins don't really cope with freezing ponds. But wether you go for comet goldfish or koi karp, a lot of people use special pond heaters now days as it will help encourage the fish to reach their max length and can open up stocking options. Because the temp gets quite hot during the summers where you live, i would go for these options;
a. Pond with or without a heater, koi could cope quite well in those temps if the pond has a lot of depth i.e 3ft+. Comet goldfish are also an option.
b. Pond with heater but 2-3ft deep, koi or goldfish preferring warmer temps.
c. Pond with heater but 3ft or deeper, koi or any type of goldfish.

I'm no expert on koi though, some people don't recommend them as they can bully smaller fish like goldfish out of their food. Koi will demand a lot of gallons though, i think 800gals are usually the minimum although it depends more on the dimensions of the pond than anything else, with goldfish though you can opt for a lot less gallons, particually if the pond is heated.
I'm sure somone will come a long though with more experience on ponds though than me, most of this info is what i have picked up over the last couple of months as i myself are planning on building a large pond this summer .

 

[moeldner]

Thanks again T-P. I still also have to find out if it is legal for me to keep Koi here - I know it is illegal in some states as they are considered pests, and damaging to the natural environment, but I'm not 100% sure ofthe sitruation here.

LFS do sell them however, but I live in a small state (only takes 1/2 to get across it) surrounded by a much larger state (where it is legal to keep koi). Just need to do more research to find this out.

We also have laws about poind depth and fencing - a pond that deep will probably require certified pool fencing around it, and that may limit my options as to where I can put it. Our new house will have a pool, but nowhere around the pool for a pond.

Thanks for the info again though - it will help when it comes to decision time.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Glad to help, good luck with your pond as well as keep us updated if you can . I don't know what sorts of laws they have in australia though now days when it comes to pond/fish keeping though .