Contents |
FishThe fish eat mosquito larva and other insects in your water garden. They are fun to watch as they dart about silently in the murky depths (even a tub has murky depths). Fish have the remarkable ability to grow only to the size which can be accommodated by the container. Their growth appears to be regulated by the concentration of waste products in the water so that if you filter the water you can have many more, much larger fish in the same pond. But, filters need cleaning and if they stop working the fish often die. We find it is much simpler and easier to restrain ourselves on fish and set up a naturally balanced tub or pond which needs no maintenance most of the time. If you begin with few small ( one inch) fish then each individual fish can grow to a moderate size. Not much more than one small gold fish to each 100 gallons of water is a good number to start with. Calculating the number of gallons in your water garden. Gold fish come in many colors and types. 'Comets' or 'Shubunkins' (comets with longer tails) make rugged pond fish. We personally like the brightly colored or largely white ones because they show up better in the water. It is best to start with healthy fish. When you buy fish make sure they look lively and swim normally. We have found it best to introduce the fish all at once because a new disease may be added with a new fish which will invariably wipe out your favorite fish.
Introducing your fish into your new water gardenFill the tub or pond at least 24 hours before adding fish. This gives the water time to adjust to ambient temperature and it will allow any chlorine in chlorinated water to dissipate into the air. You do not need anti-chlorine chemicals unless you are very impatient. It is a good idea to plant your tub before adding the fish. It gives them a place to shelter and shades them. Your fish will probably arrive at their new home in plastic bag. They can only last about an hour in this bag so immediately float the sealed bag on the surface of the water and leave it for 10 minutes. This equalizes the temperature in the bag with the temperature in the pond. Sudden changes in temperature are an unnecessary shock to the fish. To gently acclimatize the fish to their new water, open the bag and add a small amount of pond water. Gradually add more pond water until the fish can swim out. Feed your fish sparingly. If you feed them too much, the food will just rot in the water and also they will become fat and lazy. We recommend a few gold fish flakes each day so that the fish become tame. Our fish recognize us and they hide from strangers.
| ||||
Contents |
