I bought the smaller of the feeeder size goldfish available plus I made the guy pick out the smaller ones instead of just whatever they scooped up in the net.

Even if I really goofed and its too cold or something and they all die, I would loose a whooping $3.00.

Then I think its too shady in the above ground for underwater plants and I know its no use putting them in the shallow one (racoons) so I thought I would try some plastic Parrot Feather that they make for Aquariums. Bought that at PetCo too. The back of the package said make realisic displays and easy matenience but let me tell you no matter how much I look at it, it looks like a plastic plant to me. Maybe the realism comes if your water turns pea soup green and you can't tell what you have in there. I just thought the fish would like it.

Now to hope the racoons don't decide to fish it out of the pond.

You can try to make the pond systems better so your fish and pond thrive. Do you have any form of filtration in your set-up? Do you have test kits for your water?

In the meantime, I did buy the extra dozen feeder goldfish instead of sticking to my usual dozen Rosey Red minnows so I do have more than usual. That is why I bought Goldfish that are barely bigger than the Rosey Reds. Although the Goldfish have the potental to grow large, the Rosey Reds barely get bigger than they are now. However, I have found that the racoons here soon solve any population problem as they love to help themselves to dinner. Those ponds are too small and shallow to stop them. They don't notice anything really small however.

The small 35 gallon in ground I only did last fall (3 feet round by 12 inches deep). I had hoped it might attract frogs as my above ground never has. It is also the local watering spot for the backyard birds here that love it.

The above ground 35 gallon patio pond I have had for years. The first year I go it I tried setting it up with plants on the plant shelves and underwater oxigenators plus 3 small but nice pond goldfish. It didn't last a week as the racoons had fish dinner, pulled out the underwater plants and tossed them and overturned the pots on plant shelves.

I quickly switched to feeder fish and no plants and its been that way ever since. By adding fresh water the feeder fish have enough oxigen for the summer. And I do not get upset if they die or the racoons eat them nor do I feel guilty.

When I started my garden redo in 2001, I had a typical suburban landscape. I changed it by adding lots of backyard songbird attracting fruiting shrubs, flowers that attract both butterflies and hummingbirds and made it very attractive to wildlife. I have been working on my yard ever since. Racoons come here at night and there is nothing I can do about it. Those two ponds were put in for any of the animals that come here to use so they will never be watergardens. Too small, plus on the shady side of the house anyway and in the woodey section of the yard (all created by me thru the years).

However I had a pond years ago were I could have fish and plants and have missed it for all these years. That is why I bought the stocktank. In my old pond at the old house, the racoons did not get the fish because the pond was much bigger and deeper with straght sides than those small ones I have now. The stocktank is wide enough and deep enough that the fish can keep away from any racoon paws and I intend to put my plants towards the middle of the stocktank pond instead of at the edges.

I really would like to add some Rosey Red Minnows to the Stocktack permantly when I get it set up. I am just concerned about parasites because I intend to get some "real" pond fish, maybe Shubunkins.

Amanda

Speaking of racoons, I know they visted the above ground pond last night as the plastic plant has been relocated from one side of the pond that it was yesterday to the other side were I saw it this morning.

In the above ground 35 gallon the racoons moved the plastic plant around afew times until they finially tore it apart completely. I took it out of the pond and threw it away. It wasn't a very good idea anyway.

I have not added any fish to that pond but there is certainly no overload left. Even though the feeder goldfish were really SMALL, they must not have been small enough. Only one left as the others slowely dissapeared. I suspect them to have been racoon dinner. Of the rosey red minnows, they have dwindled in number also. The ones showing color are almost gone. However, I did put some of the dark "rosey reds" in there that were mixed when I bought them that were black, no color. They all seem to be still there. All this leads me to believe that the fish dissapear as the result of becomming racoon dinner.

The water is quite clear as I can see all the way to the bottom. Pond in heavy shade with no plants and no filtration. I do partial water changes about weekly by putting the hose on bottom and letting floating gunk spill over.

Yipee! Lol! .....NOT!

That pond I had put in as a water source for the backyard birds here and water for the wildlife which comes around here which includes racoons. In the summer (as my windows are open at night) I can often hear them when they come around and actually go in that pond. (Plant shelves bad idea although they are built in).