Goldfish Ponds: The Fantasy And Reality

One day, once I have made more money from my writing than Stephen King, I will purchase a small farm which will have a very small animal refuge for unwanted pets. On my small farm, I will have The Goldfish Pond of goldfish ponds. Each of the goldfish in this most special of goldfish ponds will be homeless, orphaned goldfish who once destined to see Ralph the Great Porcelain Bowl God but now saved by me.

Life In The Real World

Actually, in the real world, you don't have to make Stephen King's agent jealous in order to have goldfish ponds. You do need a bit of space, though, since goldfish need between one and two gallons of water per fish in order to be healthy and happy. If you've ever kept goldfish successfully in aquariums (not bowls), then you already have the elementary education needed for keeping goldfish in goldfish ponds happy and healthy.

And, unlike keeping fish in a tank, you don’t need a tank and water. However, you do still need a pump and a filter system of some kind, or the water gets nasty pretty fast. You might consider getting snails or adopting a Plecostomus that has outgrown his tank to help filter out the dead organic material.

Your goal is to keep your fish in goldfish ponds healthy and relaxed. Stressed fish mean dead fish. Fish can become stressed in goldfish ponds for the same reasons they get stressed out in tanks:

Poor water conditions
Overcrowding
Being transported
Addition of new fish
Not enough oxygen in the water
Disease

Making Friends in the Hobby

You are not alone in going through the misadventures of keeping up your goldfish pond. There are literally hundreds of clubs, magazines and individual hobbyists on the World Wide Web and in the real world. You could even try attending a fish show in order to meet others who are interested in this hobby.

Another place to get good advice is from pet shop employees you buy products from. There is usually someone who specializes in the fish section who is willing to help. And of course, their job is also to keep the fish in the store healthy, too. Sick fish mean major losses for the shop in money and reputation. So it is in a store's best interest to have knowledgeable employees on staff.

As with any hobby, there is a learning curve when it comes to keeping goldfish in an outdoor pond. But the time spent learning is well worth it to have a beautiful and healthy environment for your goldfish.