Tag: Water Gardens and Ponds

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Garden Ponds Goldfish Ponds How To Pond Volume Calculator

How To Calculate Water Volume In Goldfish Pond? Pond Volume Calculator

You should know how to calculate your pond water volume for your water garden. You should know how much water is in your pond not just for the purpose of knowing how big of a pond pump you should buy but you should know in case your goldfish in your pond ever get sick. Sooner or later it’s inevitable that you will come across goldfish diseases and parasites that you will need to treat with fish medication.
Here’s how you figure out your pond volume simply by taking three measurements:

Always Know How To Calculate Pond Water Volume For Water Treatments or For Treating Goldfish Diseases

Length x Width x Average Depth x 7.49 US Gallons

1 foot x 1 foot x 1 foot = 1 cubic foot

1 cubic foot of water is equal to 7.49 US Gallons

To give you an example of calculating the pond water volume of my pond I’ll show you.

65 feet (length) x 22 feet (width) x 4 feet (average depth) = 5720 cubic feet
5720 cubic feet x 7.49 US Gallons = 42,842.8 gallons

The pond in the photo below is one of my parents, I’ll calculate their pond water volume as I forget now how much water their water garden holds.

10 feet (length) x 15 feet (width) x 3 feet (average depth) x 7.49 US Gallons =
3370.5 Gallons

Koi Fish & Goldfish Pond - My Parents Water Garden
You should always know how to calculate your pond water volume for your goldfish or koi pond. Sometimes you will need to treat your pond for diseases or to do water treatments. I hope that your goldfish stay healthy and live free of fish diseases but in case they get sick now you have your own pond water volume calculator formula here for you.

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 Goldfish Goldfish Care How To Testing Water Quality

How Often Should Water Quality Tests Be Done In Aquariums or Fish Ponds?

Water quality tests in aquariums or fish ponds should be done as much as necessary. Goldfish and other types of fish require clean water to live a long healthy life and you are the only one that can provide that for your pet fish. There are several factors that will influence how often you should be testing your water quality in fish tanks and garden ponds.

1. Do you have a newly set up aquarium or fish pond?
2. Is this an established fish tank or pond?
3. Is your pond or aquarium overstocked with fish?
4. Has any fish recently died in your fish tank that would cause concern?
5. Do you notice a smell to the water or your aquarium or pond is cloudy?

Goldfish Need Clean Water For Healthy Living - Water Quality Tests Need To Be Done RegularlyIf your aquarium or garden pond has just been set up it will take some time for it to cycle. Your aquarium or pond needs time for the beneficial bacteria to develop and grow to be able to break down fish waste. This is known as the nitrogen cycle. During the cycling process is when ammonia an nitrite levels will rise that can stress and even kill your fish. It’s very important that you test the water quality daily for fish tanks and ponds that have been newly set up. Do water quality tests for not just ammonia and nitrite but pH and nitrate too.

Pond Water Quality Tests Are Required For Fish Ponds
Remember just because the water quality is clear doesn’t mean it’s safe for your fish. Water quality tests need to be apart of your regular maintenance schedule. If you have an established aquarium, water quality tests should be done at least once a week unless you notice fish showing signs of stress, you’ve recently has some fish die, the water smells or has become cloudy. If you notice any of these above you need to test your water quality immediately. Fish tanks should never be overstocked, if you do you will need to test the water quality more frequently, do more water changes and maintenance.

For fish ponds you should test your water quality every 1-2 weeks. The reason for this is that you have a bigger volume of water, you have more space for your fish to live and grow and you have pond plants such as water lilies and marginals that will help filter your pond. This will help keep your water quality perfect and safe for your fish. If however you overstock your garden pond with fish, you don’t have an adequate filter system and you have no pond plants or water lilies, you will need to test your water quality more frequently. Water plants are excellent for pond filtration and pond owners should aim to have their pond 70% full of pond plants to have crystal clear water and to prevent algae blooms.

Attraction Red Hardy Water Lilies Perfect For Pond Filtration - Available at Country Koi Fish Farm
When taking care of fish in aquariums or garden ponds water quality tests should be done frequently. Water quality can turn poor quickly if you have an aquarium filter malfunction or if any fish has recently died. Another point to mention is that goldfish are a very dirty fish and create a lot of fish waste. Keep up to date with water changes, water quality checks and maintenance that will help keep your goldfish and other types of fish healthy and disease free.

****Never Overstock Your Aquarium or Garden Pond With 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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Aquarium Care Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds How To Water Treatments

How To Lower Nitrite Levels In Goldfish Aquariums and Garden Ponds?

You should really only notice nitrite levels being high in new aquariums or small garden ponds that have newly been set up. As I’ve mentioned before in other blog posts is that it takes time for the nitrogen cycle to start working. It can take up to 4 weeks to properly cycle a new fish tank.

If you are experiencing high levels of nitrite in your goldfish aquarium or pond what you will need to do is make sure your goldfish are not showing any signs of stress. You really need to carefully observe your goldfish or any other types of fish you have in your aquarium. High levels of nitrite is extremely deadly! Nitrite can and will poison your fish and kill them quick.

Large Oranda Goldfish in Aquarium

If you do notice your goldfish are showing signs of stress you will need to lower your nitrite levels in your aquarium or garden pond. What you can do is perform a 25 – 30% water change immediately. This will reduce and dilute the presence of nitrite in your fish tank. After you do this I would also add aquarium salt to your aquarium right away. Aquarium salt will neutralize the toxicity of nitrite making it not harmful for your goldfish. Simply add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per every gallon of water. Lots of aquarium owners fail to realize is that aquarium salt helps fish in many ways and helps heal fish. All aquarium and pond owners should have on hand some aquarium or pond salt as you never know when you might need it.

Aquarium or Pond Salt Will Neutralize The Toxicity of Nitrite
If however your goldfish are not showing signs of stress and this is a newly set up aquarium or pond, just leave it! It will take some time for it to cycle and develop all the beneficial bacteria. Once the tank is cycled and there is an abundance of beneficial bacteria it will break down the nitrite forming nitrate which is relatively harmless to fish. During this time that your aquarium is being cycled make sure you regularly test your water quality for nitrite and record the readings. Recording the readings will show you if the nitrite is lowering. Always observe your fish and be ready to do an immediate water change if your goldfish are showing any signs of stress. High nitrite levels need to be taken very serious as it can quickly kill all your fish if you fail to act promptly.

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 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”

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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”

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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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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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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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Breeding Goldfish Goldfish Goldfish Care Goldfish Ponds

How To Protect Baby Goldfish Fry From Aquarium Filter and Pond Predators?

In order to have many baby goldfish fry from your breeding you will need to know how to protect your baby fish from not only pond predators but from your aquarium filter intake as well.

Baby goldfish can be killed or injured from a variety of different ways. As soon as your goldfish breed and lay their eggs on the spawning mops or water plants they become prey to many different insects. These insects include the water boatman, water beetle and more. If insects weren’t enough to worry about if you don’t treat the water to protect the fish eggs some will quickly be overtaken by fungus. As you can see lots can go wrong even before they get a chance to hatch and develop into goldfish.

Some other things you will need to do to protect your baby goldfish is to make sure you remove the goldfish that have spawned from your breeding tank set up. If you don’t they will quickly eat up all the goldfish eggs. Another thing you need to do is protect the newly hatched baby goldfish from getting sucked up in the filter. For this you can simply use an old or new filter sponge and simply make a little cut into it and slide the filter pipe inside. This will prevent your baby goldfish from getting sucked up into the aquarium filter. Something I do as well using the Hagen AquaClear Power filter system is turn it to low. Remember these baby goldfish are very small and too strong of water current can damage, injure or stress them out and die. Yes they do need exercise but too much where they can become exhausted can be harmful as well. This method using a simple filter sponge works great at protecting baby goldfish fry from aquarium filter intake.

I’ve seen some other methods that people have tried too when they were breeding goldfish that seems to work as well. What they did was used a pop bottle, poked holes in it and slid the filter pipe inside and then wrapped it with pantyhose. If you do try this method make sure you place plenty of holes as this will evenly distribute the amount of suction from each hole. This will work too! One note to remember is to be careful and make sure it is a tight fit on the top of the pop bottle where the filter pipe goes inside. If not small baby goldfish can get through and get sucked up by the filter. If it’s not a tight fit you can simply cut up small pieces of filter sponge and jam it in and around the filter pipe preventing any chance of danger when raising baby goldfish.

As you can see there are many dangers to goldfish even before they hatch and then when they do they have much bigger pond predators to worry about too. For many pond owners they often learn the hard way and end up losing all of the goldfish, koi or other types of fish in their pond from predators. For more information on how to protect goldfish from pond predators you can visit the links below. As for now when breeding goldfish make sure to protect your baby goldfish not only from pond predators but your aquarium filter as well.

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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