Outdoor Pond

[Troy F]

I have a backyard pond with a few goldfish. How much flow do they like? Are there any other critters that you can put in there to keep the pond a little cleaner? Will frogs and goldfish co-exsist?

Thanks for any help.

[Aquattro]

Troy, they'll co-exist as long as one isn't big enough to eat the other. Also, frogs tend to wander off after a while. My daughter has a large turtle in her pond, who hasn't eaten the goldfish for years.

[TRS]

I put a few snails and crayfish into my outdoor ponds. The snails are a real help with the algae, but I try to have ~70% of the surface covered with vegetation by mid-summer. This helps block out much of the sun and keep the water temperature more stable. The water plants also consume some of the excess nutrients required for algae development. Trapdoor snails (livebearing) are great for cleaning the bottom and sides. Melanthe snails (egg layers) mostly float and consume algae. I have two Apple snails that I overwinter along with my goldfish and Koi. They go into the ponds too, but you have to watch. They mostly eat detritus, but they love to eat lilies and other plants too. I also keep a couple of crayfish in the one pond to help out. They reproduce like rabbits in my pond, but some have witnessed them crawl away if they do not like their home. Because they can nip goldfish and create sores, they can be more harm than good.

HTH

[Troy F]

Thanks for the responses. Is there any good reading on small ponds. I'd like to get some information. I know feeder goldfish aren't hard to keep but I'd like to give them as good care as possible. Does anyone want to comment on the flow question? I'd guess the pond is ~100gal. I have a Aquaclear 5000 (approx 1000gph) in there a long with a tiny little mag pump that runs a tiny waterfall.

[StirCrazy]

troy, there is a website for just ponds and such, some one on the board here gave it to me but I don't have the address anymore.. if I can remember it I will tell you.

Steve