Category: Garden Ponds

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Ponds Mosquito Control

Does A Goldfish Pond Cause More Mosquitoes In Your Backyard?

The fact is many people believe that a goldfish pond increases mosquitoes by having a water garden in the backyard but it does not. The only way that mosquitoes will reproduce and increase its population is if there is still water in your yard. You see mosquitoes prefer to breed in still water. By having a well circulated pond with a proper size pump will help prevent mosquitoes from laying the eggs on the water.

Also if people are going to have a fish pond they are going to have fish in which they eat mosquito larvae. Goldfish, Shubunkins, Koi and other types of pond fish actually help control and cut down on the mosquito population.

Goldfish Pond - Beautiful Backyard Water Garden

If you have buckets or containers laying around your yard or birdbaths with water, it is suggested that you empty the standing water right away or refill it daily. If not you better invest into some mosquito repellent.

Pond Mosquitoes - Learn How To Prevent Them

So everyone can put the pond myth away! Ponds don’t actually increase the mosquito population as long as it’s built right. It’s the standing water, puddles and water laying around which is the culprit in which mosquitoes lay their eggs. So if your looking at building a garden pond, don’t let the thought of mosquitoes stop you. The fact of the matter is that a goldfish pond can actually help control mosquitoes plus you’ll have a lifetime of enjoyment from your new water garden. Want to control mosquitoes even more, buy some mosquito fish!

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds Pond Plants Water Lilies

Do Goldfish Eat Pond Plants and Water Lilies Like Koi Fish?

Goldfish do eat many things but they don’t really eat pond plants and water lilies like koi fish do. Goldfish may pick at pond plants and water lilies a little but they will not disturb them like koi.

You see koi fish are scavengers and they have barbels also known as whiskers under their mouth in which they used to search for food. It’s in the search for food that koi fish disturb plants in ponds. They may pick and eat water plants but not so much.

Goldfish Swimming in Pond by Water Lilies

Koi Fish and Goldfish In Pond By Beautiful Hardy Water Lilies

I know goldfish don’t grow nearly as big as koi fish do and this may be a factor. I know I’ve had many koi and goldfish and koi don’t really bother my water lilies at all. The worst they’ve done is uproot a hardy water lily in the past but that’s my fault as I didn’t put large rocks around it to prevent it from happening. As far as goldfish are concerned you don’t have to worry about them eating your pond plants and water lilies. Keep your goldfish well fed and you’ll have no worries of them eating your water plants.

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Garden Ponds Pond Filtration

How To Filter Your Goldfish Pond Naturally With Water Plants?

Did you know that you can filter your goldfish pond naturally with water plants? Many people often wonder how they are going to filter their garden pond, what type of pond filtration system to buy but they forget about how well water plants can actually filter your pond. You don’t need this expensive pond filter in order to keep your water quality perfect. Think of mother nature, rivers, streams, the ocean, you have a perfect ecosystem.Pond filtration can be accomplished by using water plants and I am going to show you how.

When you decide to filter your goldfish pond naturally you will first need some water plants that will feed on the fish waste created by your goldfish. I’m not saying forget about using a pond filter if you have one but when used in combination you will have the best results and perfect water quality that’s healthy and safe for your pond fish. In order to filter your pond naturally you will need to buy some good floating water plants that are ideal for filtering. The best type of floating plant are water hyacinths and water lettuce. These two types of floating plants work amazing for pond filtration.

Water Plants Make An Excellent Pond Filter For Your Goldfish PondThe best thing you can do if you have a waterfall is to pump your water up to the top and this is where you will place the water hyacinths and water lettuce. The water being pumped up with your pond pump will be continually fertilizing these water plants and will keep your water chemistry in check. The long dangling roots created by these water plants will pick up and debris and help keep your water clean. You can see how these water plants will filter your goldfish pond naturally.

Water Plants Are Excellent For Natural Pond Filtration

What I’ve just described above is called a vegetable filter. I highly recommend that you think strongly of adding water plants to your fish pond. The benefits that water plants can bring to your water garden is definitely worth doing. Use pond plants and a good pond filter to have maximum results. Filter your pond naturally next year and you will see how well it works!

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Feeding Goldfish Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care

Laguna Floating Feeding Station For Garden Pond Fish

Laguna Floating Feeding Station is a great addition to your garden pond when it comes time to feed your fish. I love this pond product as it gathers up your fish in one spot. This floating feeding station has many benefits:

1. Gathers pond fish in one spot come feeding time.
2. Allows for easy viewing for signs of disease or parasites.
3. Prevents floating fish food from clogging pond filter.
4. Prevents fish food from getting trapped in rocks and decaying.
5. Helps prevent over feeding and wasted food.
5. Helps determine how much to feed fish.

Laguna Floating Feeding Station For Outdoor Garden Pond FishAs I’ve mentioned before this pond product sells for about $4.50 on Amazon and is well worth it. It’s neat to see all your pond fish feed from one spot with this Laguna Floating Feeding Station. It’s quite a feeding frenzy which enable some great photos of your pond fish.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Feeding Goldfish Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care

How To Prevent Floating Fish Food From Clogging Pond Filter?

Are you feeding your pond fish floating food or are you feeding your pond filter and clogging it up? Lots of people have asked me ” How Do I Feed My Pond Fish and Not The Filter“. What happens when people feed their pond fish floating food it never stays in just one spot and floats all over the pond. All of a sudden you have fish food stuck in between rocks where fish can’t get at or it goes right into your pond filter and eventually clogging it up.

What you probably noticed before from having a pond or aquarium is that fish food will quickly decay and fungus will appear all over the food which can be bad for your fish. What you don’t want to do is leave any uneaten food in your pond as it will quickly foul your water quality. The good news is that there is a product on the market that will stop clogging up your pond filter with fish food once and for all.

What you can do to prevent floating fish food from clogging your pond filter is to buy the Laguna Floating Feeding Station that allows all the food to stay in one spot. This allows you the perfect time to gather up all your fish in one spot and see if there are any goldfish, koi or other pond fish that are sick or possibly injured. By using the Laguna Floating Feeding Station it prevents fish food from getting trapped in rocks, in your pond filter and helps you determine how much to feed fish. It will also save you money on wasting fish food only having to scoop up what they don’t eat and throw it out. Now all your fish food will stay in one spot with the Laguna Floating Feeding Station.

I’ve been using the Laguna Floating Feeding Station for years now as it truly prevents fish food from clogging pond filter. It’s a great tool for me as it gathers all my fish in spot so that I can inspect the fish for any signs of diseases or parasites. I like the fact that it stops fish food from getting trapped in rocks which can lead to poor water quality, algae blooms and disease. If you haven’t bought one yet you should consider buying the Laguna Floating Feeding Station as it can help your pond in so many ways. I love it and I’m sure you will too!

If you think this will help you can go to Amazon and buy the Laguna Floating Feeding Station. It’s not expensive at all, about $4.50. Just go to above link in Category Home, Garden & Pets and then type Laguna Floating Feeding Station and you’ll see it.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Aquarium Care Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care

Why Are My Goldfish Gasping or Gulping For Air At Top of Pond or Aquarium?

Are your goldfish gasping or gulping for air at the surface of the water in your pond or aquarium? If so your goldfish could be suffering from lack of oxygen or a variety of different reasons. What you need to do is find out why your goldfish are gasping for air. Ask yourself, do your goldfish look sick, are they scratching themselves, is your pond or aquarium water too warm, have they recently been sick. Your the goldfish doctor and it’s your job to find the answer as to why your goldfish are gasping for air.

Goldfish most commonly are seen gasping for air at the surface of the water when there is a lack of oxygen in your pond, aquarium or goldfish bowl. When the water is to warm there is less oxygen available. What you need to do is perform a 25% water change immediately so that you can increase the oxygen available by aerating your pond or aquarium. For ponds a good technique is to turn your garden hose on spraying water directly in to the pond adding oxygen to the water.

Another reason why goldfish are seen gasping or gulping for air is due to damaged gills caused by either parasites or not using water conditioner when doing water changes. When you don’t use water conditioner the chlorine causes damage to the gills making it harder for goldfish to process oxygen from the water. It is very important to use water conditioner each and every time you do maintenance on your pond or aquarium.

Another good suggestion for you to do is test your water quality right away. Your water chemistry could be off the scale causing your goldfish to start gulping for air. If your ammonia spikes it can burn the gills of the fish much like chlorine will if you don’t use water conditioner. When you see fish gasping for air test your water quality immediately.

To help avoid fish mortalities due to lack of oxygen goldfish owners should add air pump to their aquarium or pond. This will help provide more oxygen for your pond or aquarium fish. To stop goldfish from gasping or gulping for air at the surface of the water it is recommended you follow all the above advice. Lack of oxygen can kill your goldfish or cause them to start gasping or gulping for air.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To

How To Take Care of Goldfish In A Garden Pond?

Many home owners often dream of having a garden pond but are often unsure on how to take care of goldfish. Taking care of goldfish in a garden pond is easy! With a little bit of research, you’ll be a pond expert in no time. A lot of people who have fish ponds in their backyards often have had an aquarium in their life sometime before. The fact is that taking care of goldfish in a pond is so much easier and I’m going to show you how.

Now that your garden pond is in place you will need to add your goldfish to your newly built pond. You can either buy goldfish online or as most of you do is go down to your local pet store to buy your new pet. Taking care of goldfish starts right here at the pet shop. Taking Care of Goldfish In A Garden PondRemember you want to buy healthy goldfish and don’t want to bring home some other guests as well. Never buy goldfish from a tank that has dead fish, cloudy or if you see fish scratching themselves on the aquarium gravel. These are signs that something is wrong. Take your time, look around and ask questions at the pet store if you have any. They should be able to answer all your fish, pond and aquarium questions.

Now that you’ve just bought your new goldfish you will need to introduce them to your pond. What you do now is float the bag in the water for about 10 – 15 minutes so that the water can customize. Once the time is up what you will then do is make sure you add a couple of cups of pond water into the bag so that the water chemistry can mix together. Every little thing you do minimizes the stress on the goldfish. Now that you’ve done that and waited a few minutes now you can release your goldfish into the pond. In order to do this you will need a fish net. Never introduce the water from the pet store into your garden pond as it could contain parasites. Always use a fish net to catch the goldfish and then place them in the fish pond.

Introducing Goldfish To A Garden Pond

Your goldfish should be swimming around in the new pond and looking quite happy. Don’t worry if the goldfish goes right to the bottom of the pond and you don’t see them for a few days as this is common. Remember this pond is new to him and it could take a few days for your goldfish to get use to its new environment. After a day or two you should see your goldfish quite regularly. Sometimes you can even feed your goldfish right after placing them in your new garden pond.

Goldfish Feeding In Garden Pond

What you should feed goldfish all depends on the time of year and the temperature of the water. Remember goldfish hibernate come winter and when this happens their digestive system begins to slow down too. In early spring and fall goldfish should be fed a lighter food such as a wheat germ based fish food. This is light and easy for them to digest. This should be fed to goldfish down to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. It is very important to know what the temperature of your pond is to be able to provide the best possible care for your goldfish. In the summer months you are able to feed goldfish a higher protein diet as they are more active and require better nutrition.

Your probably wondering about now is how much food do I feed goldfish in a pond. The answer is quite simple, only feed your goldfish what they can eat within 2 minutes. When the goldfish are feeding you should start to see them get sluggish or uninterested in the food. Always discard what they cannot consume within 2 minutes or this can foul your water. You can feed your goldfish in the pond once a day in cooler weather and in the summer months you can feed them a couple of times a day. Remember don’t worry if you ever miss feeding your goldfish as there is literally tons of food in the pond for them. They can feed on all the live insects, mosquito larvae and more. Your goldfish will never starve in a pond.

Pond Netting Helps Keep Goldfish Safe From Predators

For maintenance for your garden pond you should clean your pond filter from time to time. Whenever you notice that the water volume from your pond pump has slowed down it’s time to clean your filter. You should also test your water quality once a week to make sure all is well.

Attraction Red Hardy Water Lilies

If you have water lilies in your goldfish pond you will have to discard any decaying lily pads as they appear. What you want to do is try and stop as much leaves and debris from going to the bottom of the pond. If there is to much organic matter such as fish waste, leaves and debris this can cause a perfect breeding ground for parasites and fish diseases to occur. Try and eliminate as much as you can. What many pond owners do come fall is place a pond net over their ponds to stop leaves from going into the water. This pond net also stops pond predators from getting access to your goldfish in your pond. Depending on where you live wildlife is bound to come near your pond sooner or later whether its herons, raccoons, kingfishers or eagles they will come to your pond looking for a snack. Look for other great ways at protecting pond fish from predators.

Garden Pond With Waterfall

You’ve just read about how to take care of goldfish in a garden pond and I’m sure you will have more pond questions as they arise. Throughout the years you will learn more about ponds and have other questions. I urge you all to ask any garden pond questions here so you will be able to take care of your goldfish and know what to do when problems occur. Enjoy your new garden pond and I wish you all best of luck taking care of your new goldfish.

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Diseases Goldfish Parasites

Do Goldfish Float To The Top Of Fish Tank When They Die?

When goldfish die in your aquarium they do indeed float to the top of the water. Do goldfish float to the top right away? No. You’ll usually find a goldfish that has died lying at the bottom of your fish tank. If you leave goldfish that died in your fish tank for a long period of time they will float to the top due to the body decomposing producing gas internally.

Dead Goldfish Float To Top of The Water In AquariumsWhenever you notice a dead goldfish in your aquarium remove them right away. If you don’t this can cause poor water quality and your other goldfish could get sick with fish diseases and parasites. Remove any dead goldfish in your aquarium right away to keep your fish tank healthy and disease free.

Test Your Water Quality In Aquariums Often - Water Test Kits Will Save Your Fish Life

****If you ever find any dead goldfish in your aquarium investigate and find out why they died. These are your warning signs that something is wrong. If you don’t react and have other goldfish in your tank they could be in danger of dying. Test your water quality in your aquarium right away to prevent any other deaths from occurring. One dead goldfish could mean more. ****

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To Pond Predator Protection

How To Protect Goldfish and Pond Fish From Herons?

Knowing how to protect goldfish, koi and other pond fish from herons will save you a lot of frustration and anger. Today two great blue herons decided to take a little walk into my pond and ate my goldfish for a snack or two.

It’s unsure how many goldfish or other pond fish these herons ate but let me tell you they are smart.

Pond predators are pond owners worst nightmare and this was mine today. Now I am going to have to fix up the pond protection I currently have from herons and other pond predators and raise the pond netting.

Heron - Pond Fish PredatorWhat these great blue herons did was walked right on top of the pond netting and sank the net in the water. This created like a fish net that easily caught the goldfish, koi and other types of fish I currently have in the pond. If it didn’t catch them the herons still had a chance to eat the goldfish and injure larger ones that couldn’t fit through the holes of the pond netting. As soon as I noticed at my front window I banged on it and it scared off the herons.

I went outside to notice at least one fish fatality which was a big koi. The koi was on top of the pond netting. I have a very large pond so I have two pond nets to protect the fish. The first one sank into the water and the koi fish swam on top of the netting and the heron poked a hole in him killing the fish. It was one of my favourite large koi that I had in my pond. I am quite disappointed and have fixed my pond so that this type of situation won’t happen again.

Pond Netting Protection From Predators

What people can do to protect goldfish and pond fish from herons is raise your pond netting so its not flush or within 6 inches above the water. I know many people don’t like to take away from the look and beauty of their pond with netting but if you don’t sooner or later a heron will stop by your place. What I did was cut up some 2 x 4’s and made them 24 inches long and pounded them in the ground with a mallet. Then I hooked up my pond netting on top and made it nice and tight. Herons won’t land on it and even if they did it won’t sink it into the water. Now I can be rest assured this won’t happen again.

If your looking for ways to protect goldfish, koi and other pond fish from herons and plan on using pond netting make sure to raise it. If not you might experience the same situation as me.

To learn more about protecting pond fish from predators like the great blue heron visit the following link:

Sincerely,

Jamie Boyle
The Goldfish Guy
“Helping Goldfish Owners With Advice, Fish Care and Fish Medication Treatments for Goldfish Diseases, Illnesses and Parasites”

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care How To

How To Feed Your Goldfish While Gone On Vacation?

It’s vacation time and your wondering on how to feed your goldfish while your gone away, what do you do. Well you have several options that you can do to ensure your goldfish are properly cared for and they are fed while gone away on your vacation trip. You will also need to make sure water quality and equipment is within its proper range and they are working effectively. Feeding goldfish while gone away on vacation is the least of your worries and I’m going to tell you why.

How To Feed Your Goldfish While on Vacation:

1. Have a family member or friend feed your goldfish while you are gone away.

Family Vacation - Don't Forget To Feed Your Goldfish At Home!

Goldfish Tip #1 – Make sure you show them how much to feed them and how often. Also explain to them do not clean the tank. I’ve heard horror stories where people come back from vacation to find all their goldfish or tropical fish dead in the aquarium because they cleaned the entire tank with dish detergent or bleach and placed fish back in. Remember educate your goldfish care givers…..

Boy Feeding Goldfish In Pond

2. Buy a slow release vacation fish food block at your local pet store. A good one to buy is Top Fin Slow Release Vacation Feeding Blocks.

Top Fin Slow Release Vacation Feeding Blocks For Goldfish and Other Types of Fish

This is one of the easiest ways for people to feed their goldfish while gone away on that family vacation of yours. Buy one of these slow release fish food tablets and voila!

3. Buy an automatic fish feeder for your goldfish.

Automatic Fish Feeder For Goldfish and Other Types of Fish

This way works good too. Automatic fish feeders will pour out a small amount of fish food which is programmed for every so many hours. Here’s another option for you.

Remember these tips and how to feed your goldfish while gone on vacation works for both aquariums and goldfish ponds. If you have someone you can trust get them to come over to your home and feed your goldfish for you. If your only gone for a day or two, don’t worry about your goldfish, they’ll be just fine. Pet stores only feed their goldfish every second day to help reduce maintenance and they are just fine there. If you happen to be going away longer then a day or two then seek someone that can feed your goldfish for you or buy goldfish vacation food blocks while your away on your trip. This will slowly release fish food to your goldfish every day for up to 10 days. Goldfish vacation food is the perfect solution for while your away on vacation.