hobbygodz Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I'll send you some Rod..........surely this will get us in some trouble ya reckon? (not exactly robbing banks is it) -Brad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2009 HA! seen soo many female paradise fish and a huge tank of Endler's! All those rules, legislations e.t.c make my head hurt. MelbBill, hmmm..... i do 50% water changes on every third day, i don't have a nitrate test kit because i have no money. The temp..... i don't even have a thermometer, but it feels pretty low when i get home from HS, but then again it is in the shade then..... but it is in almost full sun at other times when i'm not home. I'm guessing 22C is the max. But my fishes are still a poop factory! i hardly feed them any fish food but a lot falls in, e.g lizards (about the only thing my piggy fish won't eat, but that doesn't mean she hasn't tried). But something that concerns me is that they have not grown for a while, are they stunting? I had an idea the other day... will a snail or two eat their waste, or just make more? Do you have a success story with GFs in similar conditions? Thanks peeps and fishy criminals ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Japelino I spoke to a couple of serious goldfish fanatics here in Melbourne. Two ordinary goldfish will survive quite well in 38 litres of water - of course they would like more (wouldnt everyone) but they will be happy enough in 38 litres of water. No, snails in the tank will not help clean up the tank. The maximum temperature (22C) seems to be well within comfortable limits for goldfish. Doing 50% water change every third day - generated quite a bit of discussion but basically if that is what you are comfortable in doing, go for it. Perhaps 20% water change twice a week will be OK but the goldfish will love your 50% water change. The only criticism was their diet. Hopefully they aere getting some greens in their diet (elodea, peas, zucchini, etc whatever). The more you watch them the slower they will seem to grow and anyway as they get older their growth rate will reduce. Regarding the ongoing discussion with your parents in relation to the 200 litre pond. Are there any tasks at home that you could offer to do? (washing up dinner dishes, room kept tidy etc etc etc). You could offer to do one of these tasks...and just happen to mention the goldfish pond... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 MelbBill, My fishes do get a few shelled peas now and then but are not really fond of them so i will try some zucchini tonight and hope they like it more. I cannot believe i even thought of a snail, it would be sucked out of its shell in a matter of seconds! I have some algae i leave on the sides of the pond and it is quite hard for them to eat it off so every second night i scrape off a little and add it too their fish food, is doing this OK? they really like eating it. About their growth rate, i'm guessing they are about 1.5 years old so if they stop growing will it cause them harm? (sorry if im going on about this growing thing i'm really worried about stunting) I don't think there is any chance of convincing my parents but i will try again. If i fail (99.99% chance), should i keep them and go along with the ususal routine, or should i try and give them away? What would you do in my situation? Thankyou so much, Japelno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Japelino You seem to be doing everything possible (actually more than necessary) to give the two goldfish a healthy environment and lifestyle. In all your posts you have never mentioned the water being milky, the fish not eating, scales raised/protruding on the fish or cotton wool growths on the fish.The first one is a definite sign of adverse water conditions and the latter three are fish being under stress. This does not seem at all to be happening with your fish which strongly indicates that they are healthy. I cannot really recommend what to do in your situation. Every one of us is different. There is no reason for the sake of your fish that you should give them away - scraping algae off glass to feed them is devotion. I believe you are devoted to them and would say KEEP THEM. I believe your parents are supportive to a degree. I recall you posted saying that the bowl capsized and your put the fish back in water and added conditioner. That shows some level of caring for the fish. Be assured if I thought your fish were being mistreated you would definitely see the other side of me (which a nasty side). I believe you are doing everything possible for your fish and they have a viable environment. Goldfish are much more hardy than we give them credit for. Even the tosakin goldfish is hardy, provided you ensure it doesnt have water too deep (over 12 inches) that it might drown in (yes a hopeless swimmer) Good luck with your fish Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbygodz Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 Japelno, I fully agree with MelbBill regards your caring for your fish. Keep them . Do ensure that you never get slack on the water changes because they are of paramount importance with your goldies in a tank of this size. Try to vary their diet a bit too - you would soon get tired of weetbix for every meal wouldn't you? My 2 cents worth is to cease stressing and feel good in the knowledge that you are looking after your little friends as best you can. Talk to them , even though you don't talk in fish language - it's' not silly, it's good for you, that's what pets are for. I always say that if pets don't make you feel good you shouldn't have them. Your pet/s absolutely depend on you to look after them. B.T.W.ensure that you are using a conditioner that removes both chlorine and chloramine. I use "prime" -it works. Cheers, Brad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hi peeps, MelbBill, my two fishes haven't had any illnesses other than ammonia burn but since the last intance of this (about 6-7 months ago) i have increased the frequency of their water changes and i think so far so good. Yes, my parents are supportive to a degree, they wouldn't have let them get all crispy in the air and when it rains while i am at HS they cover the 'pond' with a tarp tied to 2 trees. I know they would never knowingly hurt them, they just don't know much about my fishes needs. I hope i don't see your nasty side!! I never knew Tosakins could drown, it is amazing how man have crippled goldfish to this extent! Brad, I promise i won't get slack on their water changes ever! I sure do talk to them (probably more than i should, once my neighbour was on the other side of the fence and heard me telling them how gorgeous they are, he gave me the weirdest look!), they are so friendly! When i clean the 'pond' out they swim around my hands (probably looking for food as i hand feed them), when they were small one in particular used to weave in and out through my fingers! it was so cute! now they attempt to suck my fingers off and play under my hands. I'm working on varying their diet, they get a lot of insects (mosquitos, christmas beetles and they leave only the wings, little moths, spiders and lots of ants) but i do think like MelbBill that they need more greens. My water conditioner brand is Vitapet (eew) but it does say it removes chlorine and chloramine and i have never had any problems with it. So, if my fishes don't show any signs of ill health, i think ill keep them! Thankyou both so much, it is such a great feeling knowing that there are experienced fishkeepers ready to help! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted December 6, 2009 Report Share Posted December 6, 2009 Japelino All the best with your fish. You are doing everything possible for their good health. Yes you will find that hobbyists on these forums are more than happy to chat and give advice on fish keeping. Different hobbyists may suggest different things, each of which works slightly better for them. You need to filter all advice and decide which works best for you and your fish. Happy fish keeping for many years to come and stay in contact on these forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Thanks MelbBill I really cannot thank everyone who has helped me enough. Thanks a million, Japelno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 :) OMG! At last! my parents finally said yes to a pond! Its 150l, round, black and soo much larger! Im so happy! So im going to put in lots of oxygenators and i already have a marginal and a banana lily and ill try to get some duckweed and try to protect it from my fish. Japelno! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbygodz Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Excellent news... Enjoy! -Brad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Congratualtions on your enlarged pond. Your fish will really love it. Just based on my own experience, your banana lilly is likely to have a very short life. Maybe a couple of hours after your fish discover it exists. But then again they might leave it alone and concentrate on the duckweek. Again congratulations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I hope my fishes love it, i mean they've got to, its such an improvement on what they have. Im so excited! Hehe, my banana lily has just managed to survive a year and three months. At one stage, it had no leaves at all and pieces of it were scattered everywhere. Only a few weeks ago it began to show that it was actually alive by sending out about a dozen new leaves in about a week. The only reason it has leaves is because my testosterone filled male fish was chasing my roe filled female around like mad so they were occupied, but she can hold her own as she is bigger and has a much larger mouth and when shes had enough, she will ram him in the side! Ah, fish love. Last time i managed to find some duckweed i put it in, came back half an hour later and it was gone! Um, does anyone know how often i should do a clean/water changes e.t.c. ??? Thanks, Japelno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 For a 150 litre tank, I would change in the vicinity of 15-30 litres a week. And remember to add conditioning salts JUST for the amount of water that you do change not for the entire 150 litres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlc33 Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Hi Japelno, I'm so pleased that mum and dad finally came round. You had a lot of us on your side. You seem to be very dedicated to your little friends and I am sure mum and dad are aware of that, hence their decision. Good luck, Tracey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Thanks MelbBill, i think i will start off doing 20l and modify that slowly until i find the right balance. Thanks everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2010 HI everyone. just wanting to know if anyone would have an idea of roughly how long this pond will be suitable for my fish. still in the process of digging, and hoping ill never have to do it again! thanks, Japelno Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 THE POND IS FINISHED, matured and ive found some things i dont like the look of. was all set to put the fish in until i found these jelly-like worms, clear, but you can see some veins or something?? They are attatched to the cord of my pump, maybe eating the algae off, and when i (eew) pulled one off the pump it was anchored to it with a string. When i looked closer the strings were all over the cord, like spider web. Then i noticed some white insects walking on the water and i thought maybe these could be their larvae??? And finally i noticed a few tiny beetles running across my rocks on the bottom. I managed to catch one as it went up for air (im assuming) and it looks brown and light brown mottled and runs as fast on land and then it flew away. More disturbing i found one of the jelly worms sucking my banana lily (i was wondering why its leaves were turning yellow and slimy for a few days now). I have no plants in the pond aside from the lily and my rocks came from under ground as i was digging (dont worry i soaked and thoroughly washed them). I live nowhere near any bodies of water so how is this happening????? Is it safe to put my fish in? i cant find any info on it. PLEASE hELP ME MY FISH ARE ROASTING IN THE OLD POND ABOVE GROUND WITHOUT A PUMP!!! thanks, japelno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Sounds like you possibly have a hydra infestation by your description of the beasties. They are the curse of any fish-keeper. You will find on the internet that there are multiple suggested cures for the beasts ranging from the simple to the complex. They are generally considered harmless to anything more than newly hatched fish. They seem to come and go. Your goldfish will not eat them (unless you are very lucky) and they will most likely not affect your goldfish. I would not say the same about the various insects you find in the pond. They are likely to disappear as the goldfish find them BTW you can find a picture of hydra at http://naturalaquariums.com/inverts/hydra.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 They sound to me like the jelly casings of midge (bloodworm) eggs. http://bugguide.net/images/raw/5QT01QHSUQZ...KVQHSVQCKXK.jpg http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=...zCIyC7QP8_sT-Dw http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=...zCIyC7QP8_sT-Dw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billphil Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 Lilli but where could the bloodworms have come from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 24, 2010 Report Share Posted January 24, 2010 the midges lay the eggs. The bloodworms are the larva. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbies Betta Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 you can usually find them if you leave a bucket of water outside for awhile and let it go green and all. if you sift through the much on the bottom you usually find them. I used to do this to feed my fish before :applaud: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 Thanks so much peeps, very helpful links. My fishys love bloodworms, they used to be in the old pond. I ended up putting the fish in the pond anyway as the water in the other one was just getting too hot. As soon as they were in they were visibly happier, cruising around and searching for food and ..... THEY SPAWNED!!! They spawned on the third day of being in their new home. Soo sad because i have no room to keep even one (i doubt any would survive as i have nil experience with fry), but in a few years time i hopefully might have enough room to keep a few. Strangely they are not picking at the plants now in there (milfoil, ambulia, val, banana lily, fringe lily) and are not even eating the eggs, so now i will feel even worse if the eggs hatch and then the fry get eaten! There must be at least 150 in there, so maybe they're tired of eating their children!? Spawning means they're happy, right? Both fish were ravenous and swimming around in search of food but my female is acting a bit agitated and about once every few minutes she will sort of shake a tiny bit? i don't know what this means but i will do some research. She was acting normal until they spawned, i hope she's just really tired, my male is fine. Thanks guys, Japelno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbies Betta Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 they will most likely eat the fry, which is a good thing cause then you don't need to worry about raising the fry That's pretty much what our Gold fish always do, and you end up with the odd 1 or 5 survivors that eat the small insects and left over food. hope your fish do much better in this pond :applaud: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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