article: Pond Goldfish

Pond Goldfish

There are numerous types of goldfish; some of these varieties can be raised in the water garden while others must be kept in an aquarium or a more stable controlled environment. Goldfish that cannot be kept in the water garden are most often the tropical an subtropical types of goldfish. One thing to be aware of when you are going to keep goldfish in your water garden is the other fish that are kept in the water garden as well. Some fish will eat the goldfish such as the terrapins, just as some birds will eat the small goldfish as well. The birds that often prey on the goldfish are the heron and kingfishers.

What is often found, in the varieties that are in the water garden, is that attacks by birds or other fish can cause harm to the fish that are more delicate. The delicate fish who have the fluid filled sacs below their eyes are most at danger. If you only have goldfish in your water garden, you have already eliminated the problem of other fish attacks. Rocks on the sides of the water garden, cement in the bottom of the water garden, and even statues or plants in the middle of the water garden can sometimes cause damage to the delicate fish, but you can help control this problem with salves and medications for treatment.

You might think that all of your lighter colored goldfish has disappeared, but if you have a very light colored ‘background’ that makes up your water garden, the fish are going to be less visible. The same is true with your darker colored water gardens, the black or darker colored goldfish may seem to blend into the materials that were used to make up the pond. Using lighter colored goldfish in the darker colored ponds will help you see your fish more often.

When choosing fish for your water garden, you may want to stay away from some of the fancy goldfish. Some varieties of the fancy goldfish have round bodies. The more rounded bodies of the fish are capable of getting some of the more problematic medical problems. Unless you have a lot of time to work with your fish and medicate your fish you might like to stay away from some of the rounded type goldfish so you are not faced with some of these medical emergencies.

If you live in an area where the weather patterns change, you can leave the goldfish in the water garden during the coldest months when the pond freezes over as long as your pond is deep enough where some of the water will not freeze, and if you are keeping some of the more hardy types of goldfish in the water garden. The fancy fish and the tropical goldfish are two types that will not be able to survive the coldest of winters.

If you have a water garden that was created by nature, you might find that you have wild type fish in this pond. You can add goldfish to this water garden if the water is not over crowded and if you know that the other fish are not going to eat the goldfish. Using the more ‘hardy’ types of goldfish that are known to survive the coldest winters will be your best choices in adding fish to the wild water garden.