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Feeding Fish Feeding Goldfish Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care

Check Pond Water Temperature When Feeding Goldfish In Fall

It’s September now and are you checking the water temperature of the pond when feeding your goldfish? You need to start checking the temperature as you should be now feeding your pond fish a wheat germ based food as it’s easy to digest. You need to stop feeding your goldfish a high protein food like you did in the summer. If you don’t this could lead to goldfish health problems, diseases or illnesses.

Once you start noticing colder nights and the leaves changing colours you know that the pond water temperature is changing. I know that last few nights here have been colder so I went to check the water temperature in our ponds today and it’s 62 degrees fahrenheit or 16.67 degrees Celsius. We even have a risk of frost tonight that will lower the water temperature in the pond.

You should stop feeding your goldfish when the water hits 55 degrees. When you see your goldfish slowing down or not as active as normal, you know they are getting ready for hibernation. You must pay attention to the water temperature as what you do could impact the health of your goldfish.

Have you checked your water temperature in your goldfish pond yet? If not please do! Feeding goldfish in the fall is different then summer.

Sincerely,

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

Categories
Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Ponds

Goldfish Pond Made With Hypertufa Mixture On The Side Walls of Pond

Do you know what hypertufa is? Don’t worry many people don’t but check out this goldfish pond we created in my parents backyard. We built this pond simply using wood but two summers ago we were experimenting quite a bit with hypertufa and decided to spice up their pond. This unique mixture of perlite, peat and cement gives the sides of the pond that aged look. Moss grows well on it and adds some cool character to any landscape.

What’s nice about using hypertufa is that there are so many things people can do with it. We decided to use the hypertufa mixture on my parents goldfish pond but we’ve done pillars, stepping stones, walkways, flower planters, fountains and more.

Goldfish Pond Made Using Some Hypertufa - Created A Nice Finish

Maybe you can get some ideas on what you could use hypertufa with around your water garden. I thought I’d share this with my readers here so they may get some ideas from it. I know I like working with hypertufa and love the results I got from adding this mixture to the above ground pond as seen above. Start off small and build some stepping stones leading to your pond that would look great in your yard!

Goldfish Pond Made With Hypertufa
If you want to learn more about hypertufa you can visit our blog at www.HypertufaGardening.com

Hope you enjoy the site and the photos above of the goldfish pond made with hypertufa. You wouldn’t be able to see the pond in the backyard today with the blizzard we just got dumping between 40-50cm of snow in Moncton. Hopefully spring will be around the corner so we can all enjoy our ponds once again and that winter soon comes to an end.

Sincerely,

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

Categories
Algae Control Garden Ponds Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To

How To Prevent and Control Algae Blooms In Goldfish Ponds? Get Rid Of Algae!

Does your goldfish pond suffer from green water? If so then you need to read this article and learn how to prevent and control algae blooms. Green water in ponds can be frustrating but there are simple things that can be done to help control algae from occurring.

In spring and summer different things need to be done such as maintenance, using the proper equipment and using the right pond supplies.
Here are some simple things that can help you prevent, control and get rid of algae or green water:

Water Lilies, Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinths will help control and prevent algae blooms!

1. Clean your goldfish pond and remove any dead or decaying leaves from trees, water lilies etc.. If you don’t this helps feed algae and causes algae blooms.

2. In spring add in a bag of barley which works well towards algae control. If your looking to have crystal clear water in your goldfish pond then you need to buy some barley. I use this every year and it works amazing!

3. Add water plants! By adding water plants such as water lilies, water hyacinths, water lettuce etc.. will help shade your pond preventing sunlight from entering your pond therefore slowing the growth. Pond Plants also feed on the same nutrients as algae therefore starving it.

4. Use a UV Sterilizer to control algae. A UV sterilizer basically zaps algae cells with its ultraviolet light and prevents it from growing.

5. Stop over feeding your pond fish! By feeding your fish too much food it can contribute to algae growth. The more fish waste there is equals more natural fertilizer in the water, therefore more algae. Feed your goldfish less and they will search and eat algae in the pond and help control algae.

6. The last thing you can do to eliminate or get rid of algae is through the use of algaecides. This is one method of algae control that I will never recommend. It’s an option but I don’t recommend using it. The above methods of preventing and controlling algae work just fine. Algaecides are too risky in my books!

I hope that these above methods helps you to prevent and control algae in your pond. This will help you get that crystal clear pond water you’ve always been looking for! Stop algae once and for all and enjoy the water garden you’ve always dreamed of.

Sincerely,

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

Categories
Garden Ponds Goldfish Ponds How To Mosquito Control

How To Prevent and Control Mosquitoes in Goldfish Ponds and Backyard Ponds?

If your looking at building a goldfish pond in your backyard you should know how to prevent and control mosquitoes. Many people are not aware but controlling mosquitoes starts right from the building process of your new water garden and planning where you want your water plants, what type of aquatic plants and what type of fish.

There are many ways you can control and prevent mosquitoes in a goldfish pond and here are just a few examples:

Pond Mosquitoes - Learn How To Prevent Them

1. Have good water circulation in your fish pond using the proper size pond pump. Did you know that a pond should circulate 1 time every hour? Stagnant water is where mosquitoes are bound to lay their eggs.

2. Potted plants flush with the water level are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Your goldfish are not able to eat the mosquito larvae inside the potted water plant and it’s still stagnant water perfect for breeding mosquitoes.

3. Have enough goldfish in your pond that you are able to accommodate. The more fish you have in your pond the more mosquito larvae they can consume.

4. Buy mosquito dunks! You can place them in your pond, they are safe for fish and plants and help controls the mosquito population. It releases a mosquito larvicide that mosquito larvae eat and kills them. Works for 30 days! Kills mosquito larvae in ponds, birdbaths and standing water.

5. Stop feeding your goldfish in your pond! Did you know there is enough food in your pond that you don’t really need to feed your goldfish. The hungrier they are the more mosquito larvae they’ll search for an eat.

6. Want the perfect fish pond with no mosquitoes? Buy some mosquito fish! Mosquito fish will eat mosquito larvae in the pond as well as eat mosquitoes flying in the air by shooting water at them. The mosquitoes will land on the water surface and the mosquito fish will eat them.

I hope these above suggestions gives you some insight on how to control and prevent mosquitoes in your goldfish pond so that you can enjoy your water garden for years to come.

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Categories
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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Categories
Breeding Goldfish Goldfish Goldfish Care How To

How Often Do Goldfish Lay Eggs, Breed or Spawn?

If your wondering on how often do goldfish breed, lay eggs or spawn it all depends on the water temperature. Water temperature? Yes the water temperature is what determines whether or not the goldfish are ready to breed or spawn along with the age of this fish of course. First off the goldfish needs to be sexually mature or old enough to breed and the eggs within the female goldfish need to be mature as well.

Your pretty much safe to say that goldfish will breed between 2-3 times a year and maybe more depending on where you live. You see in a warmer climate like Florida it may be possible to have more goldfish spawnings then someone living within Canada who only have a short summer. The temperature of the water is what controls the goldfish breeding process. Every day that goes by that the water temperature is above 15 degrees celsius counts towards your 1000 degrees celsius schedule. For example every days that the water temperature is over 15 degrees celsius counts until you reach 1000 degrees celsius days. I will explain more below.

How Often Do Goldfish Spawn, Breed and Lay Eggs?

Lets say that you have 10 straight days the water temperature in your fish pond or aquarium is 20 degrees celsius then this would equal 200 degrees celsius ( 10 x 20 = 200) that means if it stayed like that for 50 straight days at 20 degrees celsius water temperature then that would equal the 1000 degree days that goldfish need to go through in order to be ready to breed. After 1000 degree days the eggs within the female goldfish are mature enough and the chances of a golfish spawning is any day now.

If you keep track of the daily water temperature daily will be your best way at determining how soon or often your goldfish will be breeding or laying eggs. Remember the male goldfish needs to be sexually mature enough too. If your interested in breeding goldfish then it’s best to learn as much as you can. Throughout my blog you will find more information on breeding goldfish . You’ll learn all about how goldfish spawn come breeding time through the links below.

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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Categories
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”

Categories
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”

Categories
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”

Categories
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”