POND FISH

If anyone has a garden pond and needs pond fish, I have an abundance of comets crossed with fantails (pretty medium sized fish that are gold, white, and gold/white). Also, a question for pond folks: how do you keep your fish population down? I always have a hard time finding a place for these little guys every year.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Wilson, RLA, ASLA on March 25, 2011 at 2:37pm

I have about 15 to 20 comets also that began with four. I know it sounds cruel, but I don't feed them. That's an overstatement, but during winter, I cease all feeding because their metabolism slows so drastically that they don't need any food. Then only begin feeding again once the air temperature reaches a consistent 60 to 70 degrees during daytime hours, every day. I'll begin feeding only once every three days, or so, and build to daily after a month, but only once per day. And even then, only enough mini pellets to fill the hollow created by my four fingers when I bend the fingers 45 degrees.

Your pond is an ecosystem, and your fish should only reproduce within the bounds created by the carrying capacity of your pond plus the amount of energy inputs (food). When you're not feeding them, they're eating algae forming on the river cobble bottom and boulder sides. If you tried not feeding them at all, you'd find that the population would drop off to match the level of available algaeenergy in your ecosystem.

Good Luck!