# Outdoor fish question... please help!



## thesilverbeast (May 9, 2008)

My parents just got a holiday house that has a water feature/pond that is around 1m by 50cm, maybe a bit bigger, it has around 7 or so goldfish in it that are a nice healthy large size with some plants for cover and stuff and also theres at least 3 aquatic snails visible which means there could be heaps under all the plants, who knows (We've only seen the house twice for about 5 minutes each time so havent had a chance to really look properly) 

Now, because its a holiday house we might be up there *once a week at best* so is there any way i can set this up for my parents to be a self sustaining pond so that they don't need to be fed or fed minimally? We don't mind if we're down there, but i don't know how often we will be! 

Theres goldfish food tins there now which kinda indicates its not self sustaining but i don't know if the previous owners used it as a holiday house too and just fed them food as a bonus? 

I don't know much about caring for fish, Its in Rye, Victoria if that helps with climate stuff. 

Can anyone offer advice with these fish? 

Thanks forum <3




p.s Im not buying an animal without knowing how to care for it, i researched for years for my lizard and snake before getting them but we had our final (and only) inspection today and found out they left the fish, we get the keys on monday so they will be foodless from then on so i gotta get it sorted pretty quickly.


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## The Devil (May 10, 2008)

Just feed them when you can and don't worry about them. You mention the pond having plants ect, the fish will eat them and the algae. 
Given you are in Victoria (poor bugger) and the nights are getting down to near zero (poor poor bugger) with the days not much better. Oh my, did they forecast 26C here today?????.

Anyway you will find that in the cold weather goldfish eat very little. Over winter my outdoor goldfish are lucky to get fed once a week. ( the ice forming on the surface could be a problem unless you are into ice skating)


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## solar 17 (May 10, 2008)

*Goldfish Feeding*

HEY DEVIL...He's right beside Port Phillip Bay so add one degree to those temps....cheers solar 17 [baden] PS...if you think l am having a go ...you are right ...l grew up in Dromana...


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## thesilverbeast (May 10, 2008)

lmao!


thanks for that! 


can anyone else add to that?


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## thesilverbeast (May 11, 2008)

bump!


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## wiz-fiz (May 11, 2008)

if your'e going up there 1nc a week then maybe you could feed them more than whet you would normally. Or you could slowly make there food less plentyful so they get used to not having much food.


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## thesilverbeast (May 11, 2008)

get used to not having much food? 


you mean in the way the starving dogs and cats on those RSPCA shows have had to get used to less food? 


do you own or have any experience in fish in outoor setups? (im not criticizing but i want to know where this info is coming from before i do any of it)


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## Pixxie (May 11, 2008)

In the dry season, wild fish can and do survive for months without any food. Your fish will be fine being fed only on the weekends.


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## imalizard (May 11, 2008)

You could get an auto feeder. Ive only used them once before when i was breeding fish. I dont know how they would go outdoors as I have only used them indoors.


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## Toastie (May 11, 2008)

yea if theres live plants in there goldfish eat them and other creepy crawlies that may enter the water, or you can buy "holiday feeder" things its like a solid ball that slowly dissolves letting out food for them i think they last for like 2 weeks... can't really remember. i don't think its necessary they should be fine


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## Cheyne_Jones (May 11, 2008)

Your goldfish will be fine, i have had many species of fish in ponds, some i never feed... There are so many little animals that will be living off the algae and plants that your goldfish should have plenty of food. If your worried just feed sparingly while your are there, the last thing you want to do is pollute the water by over feeding...


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## abbott75 (May 11, 2008)

They will be fine being fed once a week. Especially in the cold season. Don't worry


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## thesilverbeast (May 11, 2008)

cheers thanks for that people, what about in the warmer months? 

i understand their metabolism slows in winter so that should be all good im fairly confident about the winter months but is it the same deal with summer? 

I would probably put in a holiday feeder thing if i know i wont get back up for a few weeks but other then that feeding should be alright in winter.


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## Cheyne_Jones (May 11, 2008)

In my opinion all that those holiday feeders do is put nutrients into the water that you really dont want, they are great at fouling the water. If the pond has been up and running for a while it will have its own little eco-system going with many creatures other than your goldies so you shouldnt have to feed that often even in summer...


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## imalizard (May 11, 2008)

Cheyne_Jones said:


> In my opinion all that those holiday feeders do is put nutrients into the water that you really dont want, they are great at fouling the water. If the pond has been up and running for a while it will have its own little eco-system going with many creatures other than your goldies so you shouldnt have to feed that often even in summer...


 
I dont mean those blocks, i mean this little device and you fill it up with fish food and you set how much food gets put out at a time.


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## Cheyne_Jones (May 11, 2008)

oh ok, nothing wrong with them, great idea to use one if it will put your mind at rest...


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## vinnie56 (May 11, 2008)

my outdoor fish are a mix of koi and rosie barbs get feed once every 2 weeks they breed and survive fine


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## mcloughlin2 (May 11, 2008)

Goldfish can survive on being fed once a week if kept outdoors with a ready supply of plants and water critters. For winter they do slow right down so feeding is only neccessary once or twice a week. In summer however you may need to look into an automatic feeder as it would be cruel and potentially very problomatic if you do not feed them enough. They will eventually starve as their metabolism will be very fast.


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## Ridgeback (May 11, 2008)

Sounds crude but you can hang a netting onion bag over the pond. Drop a steak into the bag. Flies come to visit and lay eggs. Maggots hatch and whilst wandering over the steak, some will fall, creating a constant flow of food. Your problem will be regulating the flow so you don't end up with a pile of rotting maggots in the pond. And you need to make sure the fish will eat them. The other option, catch the fish and drop them in to your nearest pet shop. They will usually take stock if they have a tank for them. You may even get a box of crickets in return!


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## thesilverbeast (May 11, 2008)

lol i don't think my parents would want the rotting meat at their brand new beach house  


but yeah, i really want these fish... i just am triple checking the care for them, so if it seems like i dont want them then thats not the case, i know a fair bit from google and im just hoping to hear the same things over and over to make sure they are right.


thanks for all your help so far... with breeding, whats involved with that? does anything need to be done? if they do, when do they breed and what do i do with young when born? will parents eat ect... 


thanks


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## mcloughlin2 (May 12, 2008)

thesilverbeast said:


> lol i don't think my parents would want the rotting meat at their brand new beach house
> 
> 
> but yeah, i really want these fish... i just am triple checking the care for them, so if it seems like i dont want them then thats not the case, i know a fair bit from google and im just hoping to hear the same things over and over to make sure they are right.
> ...


 
Breeding goldfish is relatively easy. Males can be distinguished from females due the presence of small white lumps on their gills and pectoral fins. Females when view from above also have a rounded stomach, where as the males are slim. Condition them for breeding in early spring. Feed them lots of food. Observe the fish for a few mintutes a week to see if you notice any fish that are obviously fatter then normal. If this is seen then catch out the slim fish and check for the small white dots on their gills. If you can see these evident the fish are in condition for breeding. Feed them up for a few more weeks and look for signs of the fat fish being chased. This is the time i move the fish i want to breed into a 'breeding' tank. To actually get them to breed place them in a 3ft tank with no filter and lots of either plants or mops. Do not feed them in this tank, it will dirty the water. If you want a way to almost guarantee you will get a spawn place an aquarium heater in the tank and set it to 22C. Leave them overnight. They usually spawn in the early morning. If nothing happens, raise the temp to 24C and leave for another day. If you still not get any results remove the fish and place back in the pond and feed them up for another week and try again.

Parents will eat the eggs as they lay them. Thats why lots of plants are needed. You need to remove the parents as soon as they stop breeding and place a small sponge filter in the tank to keep the filter clean. Raising the fry can be a little tricky. Feed them with either infusia or baby brine shrimp. Do not use eggs yoke. It is a very messy food and will dirty the tank beyond belief if not eaten. Once the fry are big enough switch them over to crushed flake. You will need to cull the goldfish are various intervals to remove the ones with genetic defaults. This can be done at say 2 months and 4 months or just as you see them appear. 

I hope this makes sense to you. Goldfish breeding is fun, but their is very little money to be made at the end of the day. Unless you have numerous ponds that are capable of growing thousands of fish up at a time. If you really want to breed them i suggest taking the pond to your place, and buying a smaller water feature for your holiday house. It will be alot easier that way. 

Goodluck,

Sam.


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## thesilverbeast (May 12, 2008)

cheers man, If i know i will be down there more than twice a week in spring i might give it a go, im guessing i will leave it for a year or so just so i can get some more experience in caring for them.


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## slim6y (May 12, 2008)

I haven't actually read this thread much (sorry) so I am unsure of any of the realistic suggestions...

But has putting small breeder fish (such as guppies) in a thought? Suprisingly enough if it's smaller than a gold fishes mouth it's gold fish food. As guppies are live breeders they can be a good go.

They'll eat mosquito larvae to.

Over winter most fish slow down considerably and in fact outdoor ones may stop eating full stop. Algae stops growing, and even bacteria slow down or stop (especially in cold to very cold climates). 

Things all come back to life again in spring. So if there's breeder fish in there they'll come back to life and the larger fish will have a continually supply.

Even in the tropics fish slow to almost stop over winter. My barra would survive on one feed a month. Then as soon as the weather warmed up they were scoffing food back left right and centre.

Go to the local creek and use a bait catcher to catch a handful of local fish - of course these are the ones that will most likely survive the conditions in your area. 

Hope this wasn't off topic or already answered


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## aqua (May 12, 2008)

In the summer you'll find the plant growth and insect lava increases heaps so they'll have more to eat. Also, if you've seen snails it's fair to say they are not ravenous just yet. There is also bound to be things like dragonfly and mosquito lava, water boatman etc that are not readily visible. 

In summer I let the duck weed cover a larger proportion of the surface to reduce overall algae growth and keep the water cooler. I've just introduced some freshwater shrimp to my pond as I heard they also like algae.


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## Ristof (May 12, 2008)

Your fish will be fine in the pond with only being fed once a week.
I have got a large pond with about 15 goldish and the two turts in and I don't really feed them. Maybe once a month.
Your pond should freeze over if there is water movement from a pump.
I added white clouds in my pond which I got for 80c each from petstock, the turtles loved them. I put about 40 in there, there numbers went to about 5 - 10 quickly but then I noticed a few fry swimming around. The littles guys are still don't fine - fully grown now but to get them to breed I did nothing except put them in the water.
Gold fish are hardy as long as the water quility is o.k.
Another thing you could do is get some duck weed or other type of pond weed, you don't need much because it does spread quickly and before you know it you will be removing it because there is too much but the fish will feed of it.


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## gillsy (May 12, 2008)

This is an established pond.

Don’t feed an extra, don’t use the holiday blocks they just pollute the water.

They will be fine, in an established pond there is already an ecosystem already set up.

Container water bugs, possibly tadpoles, mozzie larvae.

Feed once/twice a day when your there, don’t stress any other time. 

Don’t use the meat idea, it will attract dogs, cats and possibly foxes.

Plus after a few days, the meat will be so dry there wont be any point.

If your worried, just grab some of those soft leaf water plans from the pet shop and you may need to replace them every few weeks.


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## Spikie wanna cricket (May 12, 2008)

on the net somewhere i found a automactic fish feeder you just time it for when u want them fed couldnt be easier


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## gillsy (May 12, 2008)

Don't worry about feeding them, those auto feeders are crap. 

Plus they're outdoor in an established pond, don't worry about them.


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## thesilverbeast (May 12, 2008)

thanks for the info people! 


I think il ljust drop in some food whenever i'm down there every week if they need it.


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## Dragoness (May 14, 2008)

Yep, agree with everyone. The fish in our pond get pretty much zero care. THey get fed whenever we think about it (about once a week usually) I was terrified for the poor things (4 goldfish) when my husband put them in and thought they'd be eaten by birds instantly. Here we are 5 months later and all 4 are getting bigger and are doing just fine (even when our new dog thought the pond was a great place to lay down) As long as there is plants, you'll have algae and no doubt misquito lavae as well.

Cheers


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## Ristof (May 14, 2008)

good luck with it
they should be fine


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