Can I put fish in my new fish pond right away

4/4/2016

Adding fish to a new pond

When adding fish to a new pond or after a cleanout or complete water change. Make sure to add a double dose of Aquascape Pond Detoxifier when first filling the pond to neutralize chlorine and chloramine, reduce fish stress, and detoxify heavy metals.
Start with a few fish and build the population slowly. It is best to start with gold fish because they are heartier and cheeper. The gold fish will season the pond in about 2 or 3 week you should be good to add Koi or other fish.

Fish that are shipped or mail ordered

During the shipment fish are under extreme stress. It is very important to follow these instructions closely.

Unpack the fish from the transport box and float the bag in the pond for approximately 20 minutes. During this time the temperature in the bag will adjust to your pond’s current water temperature.

Avoid floating pond fish in direct sunlight; cover the plastic bag with an old towel, cloth, or something that will shade the bag without sinking it.

If the pond fish are purchased locally and not transported for a long period of time, you can help acclimatize the fish after floating by opening the bag and adding approximately 20% pond water by volume.
We also recommend adding Aquascape Pond Detoxifier to the water contained in the bag as well as to the pond itself. Pond Detoxifier will neutralize any ammonia produced by the fish during transport, regenerate damage to the mucus membrane caused by netting, and reduce stress during acclimatization. Be careful not to leave the fish in the open bag for too long as available oxygen will quickly be consumed. If you have an air pump you can also drop a small air stone into the open bag to ensure proper oxygenation.
After approximately 30 minutes, your fish are ready to be introduced to their new home. Scoop the fish out of the bag using a soft mesh net and release them into your pond. Discard the remaining water.
Never just dump the fish from the bag into the water. This will cause extreme stress and can even cause death if the difference in water temperature and chemistry is extreme.
The fish will probably head for the bottom of the pond and stay there until they become familiar with their new surroundings. Don't be alarmed as this is quite normal. Fish should be fed on the 2nd or 3rd day after introduction. We recommend you feed your fish with Aquascape branded fish food.

Contact Gordon's Pond Utopia

What kind of fish can I put in my pond?

Who doesn’t love koi in their pond? They’re beautiful and friendly, providing glimmers of color as they weave their way beneath the lily pads. Certainly they deserve their rightful place in a tranquil water garden. But what about other options? An array of pond fish is just waiting to call your pond their home.

Goldfish

Exotic Goldfish

Goldfish are perfect for your pond … resilient and able to handle all different kinds of water. For the newbie pond owner, goldfish are a great choice for getting started with fish-keeping. Several varieties of goldfish are available, from comets (plain orange and white) to the exotics like ranchus and bubble-eyes.

Shubunkins

The shubunkins is a type of single-tailed, long-bodied goldfish that originated in China. There are two different types of shubunkins. One has a long tail fin, with broad tail fin lobes that are rounded on the end. The other one looks more like a common goldfish, with a short tail fin. Bred mainly for their coloring, shubunkins often have a red, black, and sky blue coloring … sort of like a calico.
The most valuable of the shubunkins are mostly blue with strong accents of white and red, and the overall pattern sparingly flecked with black. In fact, when blessed with a white, black, and orange pattern, some may resemble baby koi but are far from it. They are different in size and markings. Most notably, they lack barbells (whiskers of sorts) that are found on koi. Shubunkins are hardy fish that can survive sweltering summers and severe winters, and can grow up to 14 inches in a minimum 180-gallon pond.

Orfes

There are also some fish, which you may have never heard of, that would make great pond fish. Orfes, for example, call many a backyard pond home. In its native habitat, the Danube River, the golden orfe is a dark silvery color, but received its golden color when bred in Europe. The bright orange color is very attractive, especially since they characteristically swim near the surface of most ponds with the rest of their group. This is helpful because their presence near the top of the pond can also encourage koi and other goldfish to visit the surface of the water as well.
One thing to keep in mind is that golden orfe grow extremely fast. A 2 to 3-inch golden orfe can quickly reach sizes of 2 to 2 ½ feet! While golden orfe feed mostly on insect larvae, worms, and fallen insects, they are derived from the predatory side (in its original silver color) and could pose a risk to the rest of the aquatic life, although it is unlikely. Orfe are highly sensitive to fish medications of most kinds, and extreme care must be taken.

Included in this showy category are lionheads, telescopes, black moors, orandas, ranchus, and ryukins. The single most distinguishing characteristic of this group as a whole, are their round, bulbous abdomens.
With this exotic group, extra caution should be taken if they are going to be placed outdoors, especially over the winter. Because they’re not as hardy as some of the other goldfish, they may become ill if left outdoors in the winter. This is especially true of the adults of these varieties.
The reason for this overwintering weakness is thought to be related to the compacted, contorted abdomen of these fish. Their abdomens serve as a delicate balancing act of downward ballast, intestine, and fat versus the buoyant structure of the airbladder. The hardship of winter almost always degrades this equilibrium, resulting in the fish flipping over and eventually dying. This is easy to overcome by bringing these finned friends indoors to join you just in time for the holidays!

Sarassas

Sarassas are very similar to shubunkins in that they both have a similar body shape, however, they do not quite reach the same size as their larger shubunkins counterparts. The sarassa features a white base color and brilliant red highlights. It is believed that they came from a cross between the red cap oranda and the comet goldfish, and are sometimes referred to as the poor man’s koi.
Amazingly, the brilliant red of the true sarassa is a lifelong proposition and the fish are very enjoyable. Uncontrolled breeding of the sarassa will yield more and more brown fish until the pond population has returned to unselected comet and brown goldfish ancestry.

Catfish

Catfish are another popular fish seen in the water garden. They are commonly sold as scavengers to help clean up the pond, but they really don’t do that much of it. Caution should be taken with these fish because they can become quite large in a short period of time. When they become large, they can cause trouble because they may start eating whatever they can fit in their mouth … including other fish!
Learning about Fish
Getting to know the background of the pond fish you plan to keep as pets is vital to their survival and your sanity. By knowing their defining characteristics, you will have a thorough understanding of how the fish will interact in your pond with other fish, plants, and aquatic life.

Other Fish to Consider:

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