Magicpenny's Porch Pond

[MomeWrath]

I saw a similar thread from a few days ago but it didn't answer all my questions and I didn't want to hijack it. I'm looking at the same Tuff-Stuff 110 Gallon stock tank, and possibly putting it on my screen porch to keep some goldfish. My biggest worry is the heat in NC. Our screen porch is only 5'x10' and doesn't get a ton of sunlight, but it gets so stinkin hot here I am worried about them in August just cooking in the pot. I think I feel pretty confident about filtration and water movement, and I would only plan on getting about 4 fantails for it. I would also put lots of hornwort and maybe get a water lily. We have a nice garden center nearby that offers pond plants.
I guess my question is...will they get too hot?

 

[abarb]

My pond is fine in summer (up to 70-75 degrees) but it is larger than 110 gallons. It is in direct sunlight too. If you keep it out of the sunlight it should be fine.

 

[MomeWrath]

My pond is fine in summer (up to 70-75 degrees) but it is larger than 110 gallons. It is in direct sunlight too. If you keep it out of the sunlight it should be fine.

Yes our screen porch gets late afternoon sun, filtered through the trees in our backyard. I thought about digging it into the yard, but between the rabbits, frogs, raccoons, etc, etc, I think I definitely want it on the enclosed porch on the concrete.
Thank you!

Of course, if it's outside then the rain will replenish the water...

 

[aussieJJDude]

How hot does it get? Even then, 'insulating' the sizes by used bricks or styrofoam will help reduce rapid temp increases .. and good water movement should help as well!

 

[CleaHelena]

I use anacharis in my 12” deep patio ponds. They get about an hour of morning sun a day. Even when the temps are in the upper 90’s my water temp stays at about 82 f.

I am looking for a link that suggests this plant helps keep the water cool. They definitely help oxygenate. As you can watch the stream of bubbles come of the plants. Flowers look good too.

 

[MomeWrath]

How hot does it get? Even then, 'insulating' the sizes by used bricks or styrofoam will help reduce rapid temp increases .. and good water movement should help as well!

It gets into the 90's and sometimes close too 100*F in July and August here. Someone on my local club advised against it unless I could bury it or keep it in the shade, so I think I'm going to have to let the idea go. Gonna have to find another way to get my goldfish fix. My husband didn't want it in the screen porch and it's too much sunlight outside.

 

[CleaHelena]

Good luck with the goldfish fix! I am in Mid Tennessee. It gets warm here too. Low 100’s some days.

7384A579-C9EA-4BBC-BA09-534719C89EEC

• CleaHelena
• Feb 25, 2019
• 1

Free range bullfrog in one of my patio ponds.

My mid TN patio pond with a bullfrog that decided to spend summer vacation with me. 3’ diameter tub about 12” deep.

 

[MomeWrath]

Good luck with the goldfish fix! I am in Mid Tennessee. It gets warm here too. Low 100’s some days.

7384A579-C9EA-4BBC-BA09-534719C89EEC

• CleaHelena
• Feb 25, 2019
• 1

Free range bullfrog in one of my patio ponds.

My mid TN patio pond with a bullfrog that decided to spend summer vacation with me. 3’ diameter tub about 12” deep.

That looks really cool. I am jealous. The back of my house is the only place I could put such a thing according to my HOA (insert eye rolling emojI here), but it is in full sun from about 1:00 until the sun goes behind the trees at about 4:00 in the summer, and I can't dig it into the ground. Also super frustrated with the whole thing right now and wondering why I thought I could ever have a goldfish pond in the first place and just nevermind me... I hate HOA's.

 

[abarb]

You can have an above ground pond if you can’t dig. If it’s only in sun 3 hours it shouldn’t be too bad. Maybe you can do a water change with colder water or keep some ice cubes it a bag floating in the pond?

 

[CleaHelena]

Lol on the HOA. I have a high fence around my patio so they leave my swimmers alone. Afternoon son would be rough.

How big of a goldfish are you looking for? Of course they do get bigger, but are you looking for a koi or something a kiddo would put in a fishbowl?

There are some people that have made some nice looking patio ponds out there. Do an search. My ponds are more for raising fry and aren’t the sexiest contraptions. I think you’ll be fine with the temps in the shade.

 

[MomeWrath]

I was just thinking of a few fantails...not more than 5-6, and nothing like koi or commons that would outgrow a tank that size. I've done little else besides the search lol. The heat and the hassle of dealing with it (with ice or water changes...) has pretty much put me off the idea completely. If I could put it in the screen porch it would be fine, but I've been vetoed, so no pond for me. :'(

OKOKOKOK Check this out... As I said, I posted the same question on my local aquarium society's facebook page, with mixed results. One person said no way it'll cook, another said they've been running one for three years. Then I looked and saw that they are having a workshop this weekend, and one of the speakers is a man named Dr. Ted Coletti, who *literally* wrote the book on tub ponds. I can't make it to the workshop, but Dr. ColettI responded to me on Facebook and said that I should be able to do a tub pond with no problem providing that I give it ample vegetative filtration and some supplemental mechanical water movement, and don't overstock with fish. I'm assuming due to decreased oxygen in warm water. ANyway I was so grateful that he took the time to answer me directly.... So I bought his book, and wanted to share with you all in case anyone else is interested in learning more or making their tub pond easier!


And sorry about the above....I'm feeling a little bipolar today.

 

[CleaHelena]

OKOKOKOK Check this out... As I said, I posted the same question on my local aquarium society's facebook page, with mixed results. One person said no way it'll cook, another said they've been running one for three years. Then I looked and saw that they are having a workshop this weekend, and one of the speakers is a man named Dr. Ted Coletti, who *literally* wrote the book on tub ponds. I can't make it to the workshop, but Dr. ColettI responded to me on Facebook and said that I should be able to do a tub pond with no problem providing that I give it ample vegetative filtration and some supplemental mechanical water movement, and don't overstock with fish. I'm assuming due to decreased oxygen in warm water. ANyway I was so grateful that he took the time to answer me directly.... So I bought his book, and wanted to share with you all in case anyone else is interested in learning more or making their tub pond easier!


And sorry about the above....I'm feeling a little bipolar today.

Sounds wonderful. I believe you can do this too. Think the biggest challenge is the veto. And then I thought how nice some of the more ‘planter’ like patio ponds are.

I’ve been doing the patio ponds for 7 years without filtration. My climate is just as hot, if not hotter than yours. Full afternoon sun will be a no-no in my eyes. Morning sun gets a thumbs up. I breed Celestial Pearl Danios in the tubs and they aren’t tropical fish. They line cooler water. Like I mentioned earlier my tubs barely break 80 degrees during the peak of the day. I attribute this to evaporation and the oxygenation process from my plants. Remember, my tubs have maybe 12 inches of water and are above ground.

I live my tubs and all they bring to my back porch.

Line = like
Live = love

Hate autocorrect.

 

[abarb]

If you remember I’m also in NC. I also have a filterless pond. It is around 2000 gallons and in the ground. It has a lot of anacharis/elodea. Also water lilies for shade and an unknown grassy plant for fish to hide in. I think the hottest it was last year was around 70-75 degrees.

 

[CleaHelena]

Okay, going to add a little more. My tubs are simplistic to say the least. Gravel is a no-no too, but I do drop about two cups of crushed coral in each on to help stabilize PH. Anacharis is the end-all-be-all of my patio ponds. Best plant ever for what I am doing. I’ve also thrown in water lettuce and hyacinth in some tubs. With this being said, for my guppy strain, I like green water with some salinity.

Just call me the poor man’s aquarist. I like keeping it simple. Impatiens do well in patio ponds too as long as you can float them. Love the flowers and hate the leaves that fall off.

If you remember I’m also in NC. I also have a filterless pond. It is around 2000 gallons and in the ground. It has a lot of anacharis/elodea. Also water lilies for shade and an unknown grassy plant for fish to hide in. I think the hottest it was last year was around 70-75 degrees.

I’m jealous of your pond. Want to breed my guppy strain

 

[goldface]

You're fine. I have my tub in direct sunlight. It gets very warm in the summer. No water movement, except the occasional breeze or wind. Only filtration is plants. Although goldfish don't have labyrinth organs, they are well-adapted to low oxygen environments.

 

[abarb]

I’m jealous of your pond. Want to breed my guppy strain

It freezes in winter though so guppies might die. Usually enough so I can stand on top of it. I just have some common goldfish in there but they are only around 3 inches so far. Maybe I can breed a cold resistant guppy if I add some to my pond and let them breed a lot and see how many survive the winter.

 

[CleaHelena]

It freezes in winter though so guppies might die. Usually enough so I can stand on top of it. I just have some common goldfish in there but they are only around 3 inches so far. Maybe I can breed a cold resistant guppy if I add some to my pond and let them breed a lot and see how many survive the winter.

My strain is fairly cold resistant. Had a female, which I still have, that survived an ice over. They won’t sustain for over a week at below 50. If the temp goes up and down they will be fine. You could scoop them out before winter.

 

[abarb]

My strain is fairly cold resistant. Had a female, which I still have, that survived an ice over. They won’t sustain for over a week at below 50. If the temp goes up and down they will be fine. You could scoop them out before winter.

Usually it’s frozen for 2-3 days. But it is still colder than 50. I think the pond is too big for me to catch them. Many plants for them to hide where I can’t see. Maybe I should private message you about this when you have 50 messages.

 

[MomeWrath]

Sounds wonderful. I believe you can do this too. Think the biggest challenge is the veto. And then I thought how nice some of the more ‘planter’ like patio ponds are.

I’ve been doing the patio ponds for 7 years without filtration. My climate is just as hot, if not hotter than yours. Full afternoon sun will be a no-no in my eyes. Morning sun gets a thumbs up. I breed Celestial Pearl Danios in the tubs and they aren’t tropical fish. They line cooler water. Like I mentioned earlier my tubs barely break 80 degrees during the peak of the day. I attribute this to evaporation and the oxygenation process from my plants. Remember, my tubs have maybe 12 inches of water and are above ground.

I live my tubs and all they bring to my back porch.

The "veto" was just on having it in the screen porch. And even that was more a problem with viewing and access - my screened area is very long and narrow at 4'x12'. Also thinking more, where I was thinking on putting it is the north side of my deck, which is about 20" off the ground, and we will probably have to dig down a bit to get it level, so that might provide some shade for the actual tank if not the surface. (Might also explain why my burning bush shrubs don't grow as well on that side...). I would love it if I can do it with no electricity, since the outlet is around the side of the house from there.
I don't have a lot to lose really. The tub will be the only major expense, and even that is only $75 at Tractor Supply. I have a couple of powerheads I can run a filter from if needed. We have a great garden center nearby...and if I read Dr. Coletti's book and make a solid plan then it will be just the right time of year to start it up.

scarface do you have a picture of your tub pond that I can see?

Okay, going to add a little more. My tubs are simplistic to say the least. Gravel is a no-no too, but I do drop about two cups of crushed coral in each on to help stabilize PH. Anacharis is the end-all-be-all of my patio ponds. Best plant ever for what I am doing. I’ve also thrown in water lettuce and hyacinth in some tubs. With this being said, for my guppy strain, I like green water with some salinity.

Just call me the poor man’s aquarist. I like keeping it simple. Impatiens do well in patio ponds too as long as you can float them. Love the flowers and hate the leaves that fall off.

I am all about simple!!

 

[CleaHelena]

This thread has helped me get excited about getting my tubs out. Next week will have sub zero temps again, but the tubs go out after that spell. Wait a few weeks and let nature take it’s course with the water.

Good thread everyone!

 

[Skavatar]

last July I started with these 20 gallon tubs. the back porch is east facing so then got a few hours of morning sun. it gets quite hot here in Houston during the summer.

in December I combined them into a 50G container.

here's my thread with some pics Patio Pond Upgrade

 

[goldface]

The "veto" was just on having it in the screen porch. And even that was more a problem with viewing and access - my screened area is very long and narrow at 4'x12'. Also thinking more, where I was thinking on putting it is the north side of my deck, which is about 20" off the ground, and we will probably have to dig down a bit to get it level, so that might provide some shade for the actual tank if not the surface. (Might also explain why my burning bush shrubs don't grow as well on that side...). I would love it if I can do it with no electricity, since the outlet is around the side of the house from there.
I don't have a lot to lose really. The tub will be the only major expense, and even that is only $75 at Tractor Supply. I have a couple of powerheads I can run a filter from if needed. We have a great garden center nearby...and if I read Dr. Coletti's book and make a solid plan then it will be just the right time of year to start it up.

scarface do you have a picture of your tub pond that I can see?

Well, it’s not the best photo, and the tub pond is not supposed to look pretty. The pics were taken last summer (right now my goldfish are indoors). As you can see, it gets a lot of shade from the green chilI plants, but the area gets lots of direct sun and the water can feel like bath water at times, but the fish do perfectly fine. Besides lots of aquatic plants like water hyancinth, water sprite, hornwort, and some duckweed, the water is green from single-celled algae which are probably the best nutrient removers out of all the aforementioned plants. I added fresh grass clippings purposely to make green water literally overnight.

FYI, water hyancinths grow like crazy. I have to remove some periodically, so some surface area remains. But the goldfish love having the sense of security. Also, I believe it helps prevent them from jumping out.

 

[MomeWrath]

Got the tank Saturday. Figured I better jump on it since it is chick season here in NC and these are popular brooding tubs... So it begins!!
I actually measured the time that the planned location is in sunlight. In my backyard, with all the leaves off of the trees, the spot (Just to the right of the picture, on the near side of the little bush) is in full sun from about 1PM until just before 4. So three hours of full sun, and then dappled sun until sunset. I don't think that will change too much as the sun swings south, because the deciduous trees in the yard - mostly tulip poplar and sweet gum - will leaf out and provide good shade in the late afternoon. I really do think it will be ok. I took this photo at about 2 and you can see the shadows already headed for the deck. I'm so stoked. Too bad the overnight lows are gonna be in the 20s this week. After that we should be headed for spring for real. NC must have been the inspiration for the thing about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb.

 

[goldface]

Got the tank Saturday. Figured I better jump on it since it is chick season here in NC and these are popular brooding tubs... So it begins!!
I actually measured the time that the planned location is in sunlight. In my backyard, with all the leaves off of the trees, the spot (Just to the right of the picture, on the near side of the little bush) is in full sun from about 1PM until just before 4. So three hours of full sun, and then dappled sun until sunset. I don't think that will change too much as the sun swings south, because the deciduous trees in the yard - mostly tulip poplar and sweet gum - will leaf out and provide good shade in the late afternoon. I really do think it will be ok. I took this photo at about 2 and you can see the shadows already headed for the deck. I'm so stoked. Too bad the overnight lows are gonna be in the 20s this week. After that we should be headed for spring for real. NC must have been the inspiration for the thing about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb.
View attachment 534173

Sounds perfect. 3 hrs. of direct sun is nothing. I personally think the biggest obstacle is time in that it will take a good month or so for the pond to really establish itself as an outdoor minI biotope, i.e. plant growth, algae, good bacteria (even without a filter), microorganisms, etc.

 

[MomeWrath]

Sounds perfect. 3 hrs. of direct sun is nothing. I personally think the biggest obstacle is time in that it will take a good month or so for the pond to really establish itself as an outdoor minI biotope.

I'm hoping to get it set and filled next weekend, and get some kind of vegetation set in by the end of March. By mid April it should be warm enough at night that I bet some life will start to show up, and we will be out of the freeze danger for sure by then. I'm not expecting anything immediate to be amazing, and I will be happy if it takes all summer to get it settled and growing. I am lucky to have a really good privately owned nursery nearby that has all kinds of pond stuff, so if I show up on Mother's Day looking for viviparous water lilies, they will have them in stock

 

[CleaHelena]

Got the tank Saturday. Figured I better jump on it since it is chick season here in NC and these are popular brooding tubs... So it begins!!
I actually measured the time that the planned location is in sunlight. In my backyard, with all the leaves off of the trees, the spot (Just to the right of the picture, on the near side of the little bush) is in full sun from about 1PM until just before 4. So three hours of full sun, and then dappled sun until sunset. I don't think that will change too much as the sun swings south, because the deciduous trees in the yard - mostly tulip poplar and sweet gum - will leaf out and provide good shade in the late afternoon. I really do think it will be ok. I took this photo at about 2 and you can see the shadows already headed for the deck. I'm so stoked. Too bad the overnight lows are gonna be in the 20s this week. After that we should be headed for spring for real. NC must have been the inspiration for the thing about March coming in like a lion and out like a lamb.
View attachment 534173

I am excited for you. Such fun. Here in TN we have another day of cold tomorrow, and will put the tadpoles out after that. My tubs are ready too!!

You’ll get live critters in your tub a week after putting water in. I drilled holes near the tops of my tubs to let rainwater pour out and keep the water level consistent.
Godspeed!

We want pictures every step of the way! Just sayin’.

 

[MomeWrath]

We want pictures every step of the way! Just sayin’.

You're gonna be sick of seeing it I'm going to post so many pictures lol...

 

[CleaHelena]

You're gonna be sick of seeing it I'm going to post so many pictures lol...

Bring it!

Sharing some of my excitement. Going to drop leopard frog tadpoles in a tub tomorrow. Have about 30 and please don’t ask how I obtained them in the middle of winter ;-)

HI MagicPenney, thought about you this morning. I dropped my tadpoles in a tub earlier today. Decided to go ahead and get another tub started. Weather is perfect here in Mid TN to get the water started and let it do it’s thing.

 

[MomeWrath]

HI MagicPenney, thought about you this morning. I dropped my tadpoles in a tub earlier today. Decided to go ahead and get another tub started. Weather is perfect here in Mid TN to get the water started and let it do it’s thing.

I wish I could be doing that today. It would have been a good one here too! I was hoping to do it this Saturday, but it is supposed to rain again tomorrow, and the ground is already so saturated here I don't know if my hubs is gonna want to dig the spot out to level for our tank. The corner where we going to put it is kind of built up and it's going to take some labor. Then we are getting more thunderstorms and rain Sunday! Might be another week. Right now it is just teasing me...upside down on the deck still. I don't think it's ever going to stop raining.

 

[MomeWrath]

Got the tub set yesterday. Right now it's just a big water bucket, but I'm hoping to pick up some plants this week and get things moving. I WANT FISH lol.

 

[Skavatar]

did you teflon that drain plug? i've read some reviews on these stock tanks that they sometimes leak.

 

[MomeWrath]

did you teflon that drain plug? i've read some reviews on these stock tanks that they sometimes leak.

I read the same thing, and in all honesty I was so excited to get it filled up I just threw the hose in there and cranked it up. It leaked a little at first but my hubs is the king of tools and he tightened it to where it actually doesn't leak. Even before he tightened it it was only a drop every five seconds or so. I kept an eye on it (a nice way of saying I stared at the water) for the afternoon and didn't see any more drips. Hopefully I'll be one of the lucky ones. If not, there's nothing but water in it so no great loss if we have to drain and refill.

 

[MomeWrath]

I got a solar powered fountain off of (the other site that isn't Amazon) but it was funny bc it came in an Amazon Prime box. $5 off and free shipping. It's cute. I just wanted something to move the water a bit. Going to go home tonight and throw some hornwort stems in there. I'm already mesmerized by the movement of the water. Little bugs zooming by for a drink...

 

[Skavatar]

a lot of sellers do that. they sell their stuff through Amazon.

 

[MomeWrath]

Headed for another cool spell next week...down into the low 30's overnight. I wanted to get plants this weekend but I guess the garden center can deal with the cold snap and I'll go after it warms up more. The empty tank is driving me bonkers lol.
I've been looking all over, and I can't find anything saying when I can add fish. Obviously cycle etc. but I'm talking temperature-wise. I know they have to be acclimated but even if I took an hour that seems like a lot to go from a 75F degree store tank to a 55F degree tank. Anyone know what temps the stores usually keep their goldfish at? I did read somewhere to not make a change of more than 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Skavatar]

plants should be ok. I had my water lettuce, hornwort and waterhyssop outside all winter, including a few nights of freezing temps.

 

[Smalltownfishfriend]

Reading this is getting me very excited to get my pond looking nice again! I left my gold fish out all winter with a deicer and no filter. I counted 8 babies this morning, from summer, they are getting big! But it was so cold last week.. now this week is warm again! The water is very sludgy and algae covered everything. I am dying to get my hands in it and scrub everything off and add plants..... But... This is what it looked like the other week..

 

[MomeWrath]

Reading this is getting me very excited to get my pond looking nice again! I left my gold fish out all winter with a deicer and no filter. I counted 8 babies this morning, from summer, they are getting big! But it was so cold last week.. now this week is warm again! The water is very sludgy and algae covered everything. I am dying to get my hands in it and scrub everything off and add plants..... But... This is what it looked like the other week..View attachment 537678

Thank you for sharing that. That is really reassuring that they truly will be okay. I've been waffling back and forth on putting a filter in the tank, but I really, really really don't want to have an extension cord laying out there where my wonderful sweet dutiful visually impaired husband or his over-zealous son can mow it in half.
I'm so scared I'm going to put the fish in too early, not have enough plants, not the right plants, get another cold snap etc. etc. etc. I haven't made any progress at all since my last update. I'm just not sure what to do next. And now...it's pollen season...yay. I want to get plants this weekend, but I'm not sure if it's too early. We still are getting into the low 40s overnight. I've been keeping an eye on the water temp and even when we hit freezing this week it only went down to 48 in the tank overnight, so that was encouraging, but I am really scared to take goldfish out of a nice 72 degree tank at Petsmart and plop them into a 50 degree pond. What do I need to do?

EDIT: I did make a little progress - I got a rock and tethered the fountain so it doesn't motor itself to the side and pump all the water out onto the flowerbed!

 

[CleaHelena]

You have to take the leap of faith. We hit 31 last night so my CPDs are waiting to go outside. If I see a ten day forecast of above 40, the breeding season starts.

My tadpoles have been iced over a few times and are still doing great. My neighbors won’t be happy with frogs all over the neighborhood, but that is half the fun.

 

[MomeWrath]

...and now they said on the news this morning that we are in for another damaging frost Saturday night. Ugh. So no plants still, which means no fish.

 

[CleaHelena]

This is such a wonky time of year. Goldfish should be pretty resilient. Your tub has good size, whereas mine have at most 10” of water.

I think the trick is to give them time in the water before stressful temps will occur. I’ve had tropical guppies survive an ice over; not all, but some.

I really believe once you look at a ten day forecast and do not see any lows below 40 degrees farenheit that you will be good to start. Need some bright yellow gups to keep the insects at bay? Anyway, you will have fun with this I am sure.

My cat litter buckets which were, and still will be used for breeding CPD’s managed to find swimmers all on their own. I was letting the water season outside. You know, good bacteria and insect larvae. Well, I have more treefrog tadpoles as of today.

 

[MomeWrath]

This is such a wonky time of year. Goldfish should be pretty resilient. Your tub has good size, whereas mine have at most 10” of water.

I think the trick is to give them time in the water before stressful temps will occur. I’ve had tropical guppies survive an ice over; not all, but some.

I really believe once you look at a ten day forecast and do not see any lows below 40 degrees farenheit that you will be good to start. Need some bright yellow gups to keep the insects at bay? Anyway, you will have fun with this I am sure.

My cat litter buckets which were, and still will be used for breeding CPD’s managed to find swimmers all on their own. I was letting the water season outside. You know, good bacteria and insect larvae. Well, I have more treefrog tadpoles as of today.

I keep waiting for that to happen to me! No tadpoles yet, but I also havent' heard a lot of frog activity in my area. Come April my neighborhood is overrun with brown toads so I'm sure I'll get some soon lol. This weekend I bought some water wisteria at Petsmart and tossed that in. Been on the hunt for banana plants but no luck. We did go to the garden center and the expert there said three more weeks before they bring in their aquatics, so I at least have something of a timeline... So it's still watch and wait for me.

 

[MomeWrath]

OK well we're off to a... start. Got my cheapo plants eBay anchored down. I have Water Wisteria, Bacopa Caroliniana, Golden Creeping Jenny, Carolina Fanwort, Mermaid Weed, and a banana plant. These are all aquarium cultivars that also happen to be North American natives. I still want a lily, but there are several species in there that can emerge and flower.

The goldfish population is higher than I intended. I am a bad parent and I crumpled under the blue stare of my daughter. The selection at Petsmart for $0.16 comets was actually pretty impressive, and there were too many pretty ones!! We have six. Bought five, one died, daughter gave me tears and I replaced with two more, fully expecting to lose one or two more, which we haven't. So we have two red and white, a white with a red-colored eye, one gold, one gold and black, and we even managed to find a calico - it has black spots on its sides and fins. All have tails that are equal to or exceed the body length.

Pretty sure this will be an exercise in what not to do, that everyone will refer to in posterity. When they do get too big, the large 1+/- acre pond at my sister's house is full of goldfish.

The fish have gained noticeable size in the few days we've had them. I have not fed them, but they have been busily grazing on the pine pollen that has collected on the surface of the water and around the edges, random tree stuff, bugs, and nibbling at the plants. I didn't know/think they would eat the pollen but there are little yellow poops in the tank and the fish are growing so who am I to judge their choices? The coolest part has been seeing the reds and oranges absolutely pop with sunshine and natural diet. We had heavy rains all night last night, which filled the tub up enough to drain out the holes we drilled at the end away from the house, so that is good. (pic is from Sunday)
Sorry I know I always write novels. My job is kind of boring. This is where I entertain myself.

 

[Smalltownfishfriend]

OK well we're off to a... start. Got my cheapo plants eBay anchored down. I have Water Wisteria, Bacopa Caroliniana, Golden Creeping Jenny, Carolina Fanwort, Mermaid Weed, and a banana plant. These are all aquarium cultivars that also happen to be North American natives. I still want a lily, but there are several species in there that can emerge and flower.

The goldfish population is higher than I intended. I am a bad parent and I crumpled under the blue stare of my daughter. The selection at Petsmart for $0.16 comets was actually pretty impressive, and there were too many pretty ones!! We have six. Bought five, one died, daughter gave me tears and I replaced with two more, fully expecting to lose one or two more, which we haven't. So we have two red and white, a white with a red-colored eye, one gold, one gold and black, and we even managed to find a calico - it has black spots on its sides and fins. All have tails that are equal to or exceed the body length.

Pretty sure this will be an exercise in what not to do, that everyone will refer to in posterity. When they do get too big, the large 1+/- acre pond at my sister's house is full of goldfish.

The fish have gained noticeable size in the few days we've had them. I have not fed them, but they have been busily grazing on the pine pollen that has collected on the surface of the water and around the edges, random tree stuff, bugs, and nibbling at the plants. I didn't know/think they would eat the pollen but there are little yellow poops in the tank and the fish are growing so who am I to judge their choices? The coolest part has been seeing the reds and oranges absolutely pop with sunshine and natural diet. We had heavy rains all night last night, which filled the tub up enough to drain out the holes we drilled at the end away from the house, so that is good. (pic is from Sunday)
Sorry I know I always write novels. My job is kind of boring. This is where I entertain myself.
View attachment 545345

Lovely!! I spring cleaned my pond yesterday, now I need to hit up a greenhouse to stock up on plants again! It will take a long time until the fish outgrow your tub, I have 4 commons in my pond, they are almost 4 years old and only 4 or 5 inches long. If you don't feed them much and let them just nibble on plants and insects and such they will not grow as fast!!

 

[CleaHelena]

OK well we're off to a... start. Got my cheapo plants eBay anchored down. I have Water Wisteria, Bacopa Caroliniana, Golden Creeping Jenny, Carolina Fanwort, Mermaid Weed, and a banana plant. These are all aquarium cultivars that also happen to be North American natives. I still want a lily, but there are several species in there that can emerge and flower.

The goldfish population is higher than I intended. I am a bad parent and I crumpled under the blue stare of my daughter. The selection at Petsmart for $0.16 comets was actually pretty impressive, and there were too many pretty ones!! We have six. Bought five, one died, daughter gave me tears and I replaced with two more, fully expecting to lose one or two more, which we haven't. So we have two red and white, a white with a red-colored eye, one gold, one gold and black, and we even managed to find a calico - it has black spots on its sides and fins. All have tails that are equal to or exceed the body length.

Pretty sure this will be an exercise in what not to do, that everyone will refer to in posterity. When they do get too big, the large 1+/- acre pond at my sister's house is full of goldfish.

The fish have gained noticeable size in the few days we've had them. I have not fed them, but they have been busily grazing on the pine pollen that has collected on the surface of the water and around the edges, random tree stuff, bugs, and nibbling at the plants. I didn't know/think they would eat the pollen but there are little yellow poops in the tank and the fish are growing so who am I to judge their choices? The coolest part has been seeing the reds and oranges absolutely pop with sunshine and natural diet. We had heavy rains all night last night, which filled the tub up enough to drain out the holes we drilled at the end away from the house, so that is good. (pic is from Sunday)
Sorry I know I always write novels. My job is kind of boring. This is where I entertain myself.
View attachment 545345

Pine pollen? You have this thing in the bag. You know things a newbie wouldn’t. Good for you.

Sorry about your loss. Coming fresh from the pet store, I am not too surprised. I personally believe high and low temps are good for our little swimmers. Love your pond/tub!! I sold my breeding stock of Celestial Pearl Danios and Emerald Rasboras. My tubs will raise the tadpoles and some guppies this year. For the time being, I am backing off.

Quick suggestion, Get one or two bullfrog tadpoles if you can. They’ll hang around and come back every year.

 

[abarb]

Is pine pollen good for goldfish? I have a lot of it in my pond because I have pine trees in my backyard.

 

[CleaHelena]

Is pine pollen good for goldfish? I have a lot of it in my pond because I have pine trees in my backyard.

Yes.

 

[MomeWrath]

Is pine pollen good for goldfish? I have a lot of it in my pond because I have pine trees in my backyard.

Yeah I wasn't sure either, but they seem to love it. It took a day for one of them to try it and then they were like little cattle at a trough!!

CleaHelena the loss didn't surprise me...that one was kind of circling the drain when we brought him home - too skinny, but it had such a pretty pattern I wanted to try. My poor daughter nursed it all morning the next day trying to get it to eat and keeping it safe. She was heartbroken.

 

[CleaHelena]

Yeah I wasn't sure either, but they seem to love it. It took a day for one of them to try it and then they were like little cattle at a trough!!

CleaHelena the loss didn't surprise me...that one was kind of circling the drain when we brought him home - too skinny, but it had such a pretty pattern I wanted to try. My poor daughter nursed it all morning the next day trying to get it to eat and keeping it safe. She was heartbroken.

Hey, if you are sticking with goldfish you may want to think about some salinity as long as the plants will be okay with it.

On a side note about pollen. It can be used to make bread. I think a lot of people would be surprised by it’s nutritional value. A lot of magic happens in outdoor ponds and tubs. Pollen is one of them.

7384A579-C9EA-4BBC-BA09-534719C89EEC

• CleaHelena
• Feb 25, 2019
• 1

Free range bullfrog in one of my patio ponds.

One of my patio tubs from last year.

 

[MomeWrath]

The pollen has turned my $0.16 goldfish into $0.30 goldfish in a matter of days! Here are photos of the day we got them 3/29/19 and last night 4/9/19. All they have eaten is pollen and whatever they've found in the tub...