Amanda

So as some of you know, I'm planning on puttibng in a pond within the next year in my back yard. I have a few questions:
1. my local Wal-Mart is now stocking Channel cats. Yes I know they can reach 35 lbs. in the wild, but does anyone have any experience with captive bred channel cats? How large did they reach for you? Would they hurt goldies?
2. Local chain stores are also selling koi now. Does anyone have any experience with these cheaper koi? Do they grow as large?
3. If I were to keep fancy goldies i.e. fantails, could they survive the winter? I'm only talking about fantails, not the other fancies.
Thanks!!

MissMTS

Hi Amanda

1. I don't know much about channel cats, but I would say that the captive bread ones would reach the same size as the wild ones. I might be wrong though...

2. All koi grow to be at least 2 feet long. The ones at the LFS that are cheaper are just like the cup bettas vs. show quality bettas.

3. Yes fantail goldfish will do fine in ponds. Don't mix them with comets, koi, or any other non fancy goldies or they will outcompete the fantails for food. I have ryukin and oranda goldfish (similar to the fantails) in my pond, and they are thriving

I hope this helps

Amanda

Thanks Kate. I was wondering b/c the chain stores have 7 in. koi in 5 gal. tanks. I figured that that can't be too good for their growth.
What do you suggest for a pond? Comets & commons, or fantails?

Amanda

Okay, Wikipedia says that a specimen over 10 lbs. is spectacular, and they only average around 2 -4 lbs. in the wild. So does this sound like a fish that could live a pond year round? Would it hurt the goldies if I put 3 comets?

MissMTS

It sounds like they may be a good canidate for an outdoor pond. How big of a pond are you planning on doing? If it is a large pond and you want to try to keep a channel cat, I would suggest doing comets and commons for your goldfish. If you are doing a smaller pond, I would go with fantails, because they swim a lot slower and don't need as much room as the other goldies which are very quick swimmers.

Amanda

Thanks Kate, I'll keep that in mind. Unfortunatly, it looks like my plans are going to be on hold since out furnace needs to be replaced. So unless I get the pond dug & planted this year, maybe I can run a pond without a filter next year.

gremlin

In a pond with a steady supply of food, they would be more likely to grow larger than their wild counterparts.

The Wikipedia article also says they eat small fish such as minnows. As long as your goldfish stay way bigger than the catfish, they will probably be okay. However, I would be concerned that the catfish may try to eat the goldies - especially the slower moving fancy goldfish.

Amanda

Yeah, now I'm thinking that too b/c some of the goldies have wounds on their sides at the store. I'm thinking it may be from the channel cats.
Depending on how big I end up making the pond, I'm either going to go with feeders, because I'll enjoy seeing fish destined to die grow & flourish, ir if it's smaller, some fantails. All will be okay outdoors in a NY winter right?

gremlin

You would need to check the temp requirements and how cold you get. You could also look to see what smaller fish are native to your area - they would do the best. Or look for fish that are native to areas that have the same climate as yours. There are some really pretty native minnows and sunfish out there. I think it would be cool to have a large enough pond that I could stock it with bluegill and crappie. They are some pretty fish!

Amanda

I know some natives are bass & pike. Neither are going in my pond!! lol
It will probably be comets/feeders. But I may seriously consider some fancies. They're not commonly seen in ponds.

gremlin

I was actually thinking of some of the smaller fish such as minnows - there are a variety of dace that are listed as being native to New York waters and are quite colorful...Here is a link to the page on minnows native to New York waters: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7040.html If you scroll down it shows drawings of the fish and describes them.

There are also a couple of the sunfish that may work - the pumpkinseed is one that grows 4-8 inches long and is quite colorful. Or the bluegill, which is also a colorful fish and grows 4-10 inches. Here is a link to the page on sunfish: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7022.html

There are a couple of other small fish that may do well - here is the link to that page: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7011.html

Anyway - It might be kind of interesting to set up a pond with native fishies. You would know they could survive the climate, and some of them are quite pretty. If you stuck with the smaller ones (rather than the larger 'food' fish) you could have quite a nice little ecosystem. The common and comet goldfish would probably do okay with the colder winter temps, but I'm not sure about the fancy goldfish. They are not quite as tolerant of extreme temps as the commons/comets.

Amanda

I'm not sure how I'd actually get ahold of the native fish?
Besides catching them myself, which doesn't seem all too appealing.

gremlin

Contact some local fisheries - some times they will let you have a couple if you tell them you are doing it for a school project. Also, the cooperative extension service will sometimes be able to help you. The best (and cheapest) way would be to catch them yourself. Take an ice chest or something with you, and a net - or make a fish trap for the smaller fish. Here is a link for a small fish trap (suitable for minnows) using a couple of liter sized soda bottles. http://www.instructables.com/id/Soda-Bottle-Fish-Trap/ Here is another link for a fish trap that is the same basic idea, but made out of wire mesh. It has both ends with funnels - http://www.instructables.com/id/fish-trap/

Amanda

I think I'm just going to stick with the comets & maybe try to find some mosquito fish.

alral1988

remember that wikipedia can be edited by users. not all information is factual

Amanda

Well aware.