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Summer Tubbing & Outdoor Ponds - Species to Consider?


Nicohorse318
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On 4/27/2022 at 11:06 AM, Patrick_G said:

 

My absolute first choice would be to get some goldfish. Sarasa Comets, Shubunkins and commons would be able to live year round and it’ll be like having a mini koi pond. 

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Argh, you're killing me with that picture. My fancy comet love runs deep. 

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I live in upstate NY, right on the lake Ontario shoreline and did my first pond this past year. 

My set up is a lot like yours, but much smaller. I have a pre-formed 50 gallon bottom tub, a nine gallon bog filter, then a one gallon weir at the top.

I turned off the pump for the winter and used a tetra pond de-icer to keep the water from freezing. It is only rated at 40 degrees F though, so the water was still pretty cold...

 

I stocked it with golden white clouds minnows. I wasn't sure how well they'd do, but they just didn't survive, they thrived. There are far more this spring then when I shut it down late last fall.

Here is what it looked like after the winter. Disregard the dumb thumbnail, it's what I do.

 

 

And here is after a little bit of work getting it cleaned up. You can actually see a few of the goldens toward the end.

 

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On 4/27/2022 at 10:41 AM, Rikostan said:

stocked it with golden white clouds minnows. I wasn't sure how well they'd do, but they just didn't survive, they thrived. There are far more this spring then when I shut it down late last fall.

That’s amazing. I wonder if there was a warmer area around the heater or if they’re actually able to breed in 40ish degree water? 

On 4/27/2022 at 10:30 AM, PineSong said:

Argh, you're killing me with that picture. My fancy comet love runs deep. 

Kohaku Koi are my favorite freshwater fish, but these are a close second. 😁 

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On 4/27/2022 at 10:46 AM, clovenpine said:

I have 24kt gold guppies in my mini patio pond and I can tell you they look INCREDIBLE in the sunlight. I'm in Florida so I don't have the temperature problems to worry about. I wonder if a couple of 100w heaters in your pond might help mitigate temperature swings? They certainly wouldn't maintain 78 degrees all year, but they might help avoid big temp swings in the spring and fall.

@clovenpine SO EXCITING! They must be like little golden nuggets swimming around.

I am eagerly awaiting my guppies - I ordered them on 04/17 from CoastGem (online), my first experience ordering fish online...and I have not yet received them. Grrrrr!😑 Obsessively checking my email for a shipping confirmation, and my home security cameras for any unexpected deliveries.

Thankfully it's warming up here in NY/Long Island, but I still don't want them sitting in a box any longer than they have to, if they arrive while I'm at work. My fiancé already knows to be on standby to go home and at least bring them inside!

On 4/27/2022 at 1:41 PM, Rikostan said:

I live in upstate NY, right on the lake Ontario shoreline and did my first pond this past year. 

My set up is a lot like yours, but much smaller. I have a pre-formed 50 gallon bottom tub, a nine gallon bog filter, then a one gallon weir at the top.

I turned off the pump for the winter and used a tetra pond de-icer to keep the water from freezing. It is only rated at 40 degrees F though, so the water was still pretty cold...

 

I stocked it with golden white clouds minnows. I wasn't sure how well they'd do, but they just didn't survive, they thrived. There are far more this spring then when I shut it down late last fall.

Here is what it looked like after the winter. Disregard the dumb thumbnail, it's what I do.

 

 

And here is after a little bit of work getting it cleaned up. You can actually see a few of the goldens toward the end.

 

Great videos, @Rikostan, thanks for sharing! I am definitely sold on White Clouds at this point, especially after hearing so many different success stories. 

I am waiting on my 24k Gold guppies to arrive, which was my original intention to add to this pond along with some of my Red Wag Platys, but if that doesn't work out I will certainly be investing in some Golden White Clouds!

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On 5/3/2022 at 3:19 PM, Nicohorse318 said:

@clovenpine SO EXCITING! They must be like little golden nuggets swimming around.

I am eagerly awaiting my guppies - I ordered them on 04/17 from CoastGem (online), my first experience ordering fish online...and I have not yet received them. Grrrrr!😑 Obsessively checking my email for a shipping confirmation, and my home security cameras for any unexpected deliveries.

Thankfully it's warming up here in NY/Long Island, but I still don't want them sitting in a box any longer than they have to, if they arrive while I'm at work. My fiancé already knows to be on standby to go home and at least bring them inside!

Update on the Guppies - finally got the shipping confirmation yesterday evening! Hooray!! I guess the universe heard me typing about these guppies yesterday LOL...They should be here Friday. I will update this post that is turning into a journal once I get them settled in their QT tank. 🐟😄

Glad it's starting to get a bit warmer here. Not by much, but at least the evenings are starting to stay in the high 40s/low50s.

We are that much closer to summertime!

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