Quick Goldfish Question

[Rezatii]

Hey, I'm waiting for my new 90l tank to arrive and planning how to decorate it, and I've started thinking about sand, now I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't be, but is it okay to use sand (Argos Play Sand is what I'm planning on) in my coldwater tank with my goldfish? The tank is gonna hold Fluffy, my comet goldfish.

Because Argos Play sand is fine with tropical fish it shouldn't be a problem with colwater, should it?


Thanks, any knowledge appreciated.

-Rezz

 

[Truck]

it will be fine, but you comet wont...he needs to go in a pond

 

[Rezatii]

I know, I intend to put him in our pond eventually, unfortunately we have an ongoing heron problem -__-

We've tried some ways of getting them to stay away, unfortuantely putting netting / wire over the top is out of the question as we keep ducks too We've lost a lot of outdoors goldfish due to the herons and as Fluffy was a pet first and I've had him for years I'm unwilling to put him in a pond where he could get snapped up within the hour


-Rezz

 

[Truck]

get a plastic heron, no 2 heron will sit together

 

[Curiosity101]

Agreed with truck. It may be suitable in the tank short term (a few months), but long term they really are pond fish...
If you wanted to keep one indoors then I would've suggest a 6ft long tank (prob work out at 500l or more) to allow the fish sufficient room to move and swim.

Edit: oops some slow posting on my part.

 

[Curiosity101]

I've heard of the heron idea, but you have to move it every now and then.

I've also heard of using a motion sensor light, a motion sensor sprinkler and trying to build your fish a 'hideout' for when they see the heron.

 

[Rezatii]

We tried that, with the plastic heron, it didn't work, we also tried plastic snakes... neither were succesful, we lost the few remaining goldfish

 

[Rezatii]

Hmm, I'll suggest the ;oght and sprinkler ideas, though I'm not sure how effective a light would be in the daytime.


Any advice on keeping the heron-pests away is appeciated- we live on quite a large plot of landout in the sticks with 3 ponds, (minimum size one is 10ftx10ft) and we would love to have something other than our ducks and frogs XD

We did see a deer right by the pond the other day, which was sweet, don't know if she had been drinking or not but it was sweet

-Rezz

 

[mixmaster jay]

try things like fake dogs and cats also a catapult is good shoot a stone at a piece of wood to make a loud noise or a handfull of stones it worked for my grandad he didn't hit the heron just shot past it

 

[Rezatii]

My real dog would never shut up if there was a fake dog or cat XD And unfortunately I go to college and my parents are very very rarely home so watching the ponds to throw things / catapult things isn't really practical XD

-Rezz

 

[Curiosity101]

Is it worth stocking the ponds with 'fake' fish for awhile?

Lure the heron back to your ponds, it tries to eat fake fish, it eventually learns your ponds aren't worth visiting...and doesn't come back?
Then leave a few 'fake' fish in as decoys when you do start stocking them again, just incase the heron comes back.

 

[Rezatii]

Hmmm, that might be worth a try, I'll head down to the garden centre at some point, see if they have any fake fish


-Rezz

 

[Curiosity101]

It is purely an idea...not sure if it'd work though cause they wouldn't move like real fish...
But if it did then it might work really well! lol.

 

[Rezatii]

Hmm, well our ponds all have pumps and a 2 have small waterfalls, perhaps that would provide enough water movement to keep the fake-fish moving enough to trick the heron?

-Rezz