Puting Feeder Fish In A Pond

[TheeMon]

ok well backstory a bit, my friends got this little 6 yr old sweetheart and i promised to put goldfish in her pond(10x30ft) well i figured 100 would do it(so imma get her like 300) there 8$ for 100... but uhh whats the chances of them laying eggs n #### and keepinging a goldfish population in this pond? i relize there are some things in the pond thatll eat um, and i know goldfish can survive in ponds in the winter(next winter) if the ponds deeper then 3 ft. so i figured outa 300, 200 would live till next year, would they then produce offspring? if im wrong in any way plz correct me...

 

[black angel]

I take it theres no other fish in the pond and is it filtered?
You have to remember as well that little feeder fish grow into big fish and can get to a foot in length. I would start by adding small amounts at a time say 30 to begin with and then a month or so later 30 more but i wouldnt put in any more than that for the first year.

Do your winters get really cold? Its not a good idea to put fish into a pond in winter if theres a chance it will freeze. Its best to wait until mid spring.

 

[TheeMon]

i live in ohio btw, and i guess you missed the point... its a pond, theres all kindsa #### in there frogs snakes turtles fish muck everything... im also not worried about the gold fish freezing as its like 8ft deep and as long as a pond is deeper then 3 ft the fish will live in it fine threw the winter( i know from experiance)

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

Black angel thought you were referring to a "garden pond", which are usually small manmade ponds, relatively isolated from other, natural aquatic habitats, If the pond you are referring to is a natural pond then you should not be introducing non-native species into the habitat

 

[Synirr]

If the pond you are referring to is a natural pond then you should not be introducing non-native species into the habitat

Exactly. This is one of the ways invasive species are introduced to a habitat and wreak havoc. You have two options: obtain a native fish species to add to the pond, or get a permit to stock some trisomic (infertile) grass carp. Depending on where you live you may need a permit to stock the pond with any fish. This site is for Idaho's fish and game department, but it's about the same process everywhere:
http/fishandgame.idaho.gov/fish/ponds/

You'll need to check with your local fish and wildlife department to see what the regulations where you live are.

 

[TheeMon]

honostly what kind of havoc could goldfish create? + dude even if it does mess with the balance of things oh well, were talking a small pond in my dudes yard not a river or worse... im not worried about the consequences im worried about the fish


oh on a total side note in the ohio river theres millions of goldfish along the streams that flow into the river, fishermen buy the feeder fish as bait and then let um loose when there done (dont need to be commented on stay on topic plz, n answer my questions)



edit: ok i read that site, the pond has no inlet/outlet its 110% on his property and im only adding goldfish for a pretty little girl, 300 goldfish to a pond will just add color, and something for her to catch with a net so can yall tell me if theyll breed n whatnot?

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

All kinds of havoc, just because ignorant fishermen let their bait loose in the river does not mean that its ok to do so, any non-native species introduced into a habitat will cause a change in the entire ecosystem via the food web, just because you yourself do not feel the effects as you look into the river does not mean that negative consequences aren't occuring, Governments around the world, state, local, and national, spend a lot of money trying to contain the damage that is done by the indtroduction of non native species, a quick look at recent news will point to just a few examples of this problem, for instance the establishmant of a burmese python population(non-native) in the florida everglades which is competing with other animals as well as endangered alligators and crocs, another example would be the problem with african clawed frogs that are introduced into lakes and rivers which decimate native populations, which is why they are now outlawed in california, Also, the ohio river is no longer representative of its natural state before the introduction of non-native species and other habitat destroying results of human tampering, so many changes have already occured in the river due to the introduction of non-native species

For more information, a quick google search for consequences of the establishment of species in non-native habitats will get you links to a lot of good sites, heres one with some interesting and quick facts



epa government site

 

[TheeMon]

dude i understand the consequences of changing the balance of the ecosystem world wide, dude i get it... but a pond in my dudes yard is different then the whole freakin world...



wow sometimes you guys totally miss the point of ####

 

[MegTheFish]

Is it a natural pond or man made? (sorry if I missed that)
If its a pond that isn't connected to anything (like a lake for instance) then what would be the problem?

 

[ccg]

TheeMon, I am not sure how you should go about stocking a pond as I have not done a large pond myself....

Anyhow, yes, there is a chance that the fish you put into it will breed. And if this is a pond on your buddies land I wouldnt worry to much about the above posts... I realize my post didnt' help you at all, just saying putting a few gold fish in your dudes pond is not going to be a big deal.

 

[Ben]

300 is a bit much, start off with 20, then add more after 3/4 months and keep doing that till you reach the 300, the bioload would be massive, i hope your friend has the proper equipment to take care of them.

and btw, just because we are concerned for the eco system and your posts arnt exactly clear doesn't mean you have to be pissed off at us.

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

but a pond in my dudes yard is different then the whole freakin world

Exactly why we are in the situation we are in right now, because people everywhere are saying, "if I just do it in this one instance, nothing will happen,"

What exactly is the point your trying to get at? I think its this: despite the fact that it is not good to disrupt the natural habitat, (no matter if it is connected to another or not) you feel that you should be the exception because it is one instance in one pond and it couldn't possibly be significant

I understand that you told this kid you would do this for her, and that is a nice thing, but all of us must realize that we can not always do the things we want, even "just one time" Too much natural habitat has been destroyed, to keep making "exceptions" is just adding to that, I live in illinois, one of the most developed states in the entire US, I know first hand what can occur when humans continue to disrupt the ecosystem for frivilous reasons, There is currently less than 13% of illinois land that is still inhabbited by the same species of plant and animal as it was before europeans settled here, I'm sure ohio is in a similar situation, to not put goldfish in the pond would be the right thing to do, to preserve the natural ecosystem that humans can not live without

The best thing to do would be to stock the pond with species native to the area and explain to the girl that it was the best thing to do

 

[trisha1972]

The pond may in fact be on his property, but anything you add to a pond effects the whole system. Fish have and do pick up fish and drop them in other "natural" habitats.

Why not help her dad put in a small goldfish pond (the 3 ft deep type) next Spring?

 

[spAcE mOnkEy]

OK, if the pond is on the guys property and not connected to any streams or anything, theres nothing wrong with adding goldfish. But you should add a few at a time so the pond doesnt suddenly get like alot of fish bioload at once. I like the more natural looking ponds but if you want to add goldfish you can. One problem with the goldfish is that they are bright orange and will stand out to predators. They probably could be eaten by snapping turtles and stuff.

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

OK, if the pond is on the guys property and not connected to any streams or anything, theres nothing wrong with adding goldfish.

Because someone "owns" their property, that does not mean the property is no longer part of nature and therefore it is ok to do what you please with it, the concept that we are trying to explain is that an introduction of non-native species effects every other species for hundreds of miles(and eventually over the whole planet) some more than others, the introduction of non-native fish into the pond will even effect land animals hundreds of miles away

For example, (Note* just a quick example) the introduction of goldfish into the pond could transfer diseases and parasites that are not currently in that pond, the parasites/diseases effect other aquatic animals and amphibians living in the pond, the populations of the pond are decimated, meaning the food source of some land based animals is depleted, land animals in the are feeding from the pond must move to a new area where they must compete for a food source with an preexisting native population, that native population is destroyed because the invading population is a better food gather/ hunter/ killer, that native population that dissapeared was the food source for other animals, for example, birds, those birds don't have a food source and die off, then there is no longer a population of birds migrating to a certain area at a certain time of the year where their main food source would have been a certain bushland animal, that bushland animal population, now having no predator, would then grow larger, and need to feed more, and would eat too much of their food source, say for example the animal in question eats seeds, say they eat the seeds and through their feces spread the seeds where that plant reproduces, but since the population of these animals is increasing, they must move to new territories for room, and thereby spreading the seeds of the plant into non-native areas, where it thrives and outcompetes the native pants, and so on and so on

the possibilites are endless, and that is why we should not be putting non-native species in habitats, even just one