Bathtub in garden has fish in it... what to do?

[Rlj]

Hi, I'm staying in a house where there's a bathtub in the garden with a couple of goldfish in it. It's quite dirty, but clear, not too murky or cloudy. The property manager was talking about cleaning it out and other residents were discussing feeding the fish, but since it seems to be self-sustaining at the moment, I was hesitant about doing things that might cause upheaval to the ecosystem?

Everything I search online reverts to setting up a bathtub pond, and it's hard to extrapolate whether to disturb an existing setup. I think they could use some more plants, but I'm not sure on whether it'd be fine/detrimental to clean it out or feed them?

So I thought I'd try find somewhere to get some feedback from people who know about this sort of thing! Sorry if this isn't the usual kind of subject!

 

[brokensword]

Hi, I'm staying in a house where there's a bathtub in the garden with a couple of goldfish in it. It's quite dirty, but clear, not too murky or cloudy. The property manager was talking about cleaning it out and other residents were discussing feeding the fish, but since it seems to be self-sustaining at the moment, I was hesitant about doing things that might cause upheaval to the ecosystem?

Everything I search online reverts to setting up a bathtub pond, and it's hard to extrapolate whether to disturb an existing setup. I think they could use some more plants, but I'm not sure on whether it'd be fine/detrimental to clean it out or feed them?

So I thought I'd try find somewhere to get some feedback from people who know about this sort of thing! Sorry if this isn't the usual kind of subject!
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this is the thing; what is your goal for this 'tub' pond? If it's working and the fish are healthy, no doubt you need do nothing. If you're trying to make their environment better, that's a different question as it has levels of 'better'. Most with a pond of any sort want the fish to be healthy (check; you got that) and if they sit/stand/idly wander by, want to actually SEE the fish. If you can do this now, again, no problem. If it's the algae growing on the sides, again, no problem as this is a crucial part of why you HAVE clear water and can see the fish. Plus, the fish will nibble on anything growing on the surfaces underwater.

Sooooo, lots of typing, huh? Because I'm not sure how to direct you without a goal in mind. More plants won't hurt, though do leave some surface open for air exchange. I'd probably add a couple plants and watch to make sure they don't replicate and cover the entire surface. Too, if you now start feeding, you will undoubtedly create more bioload on the system and could upset the obvious equilbrium you already have.

Anyway, maybe I helped; if you want differnt/more; just clarify and lots of friendly folks here would love to spend your moneyhelp you with your vision!

 

[Rlj]

Basically, I was worried people would try to help them and actually upset their balanced environment, but for all I know you can scrub a bathtub pond down weekly and it's fine, so I was looking for experienced advice!

I guess I just wanted to check that they're probably healthy as they are (maybe how to tell?) and whether cleaning would be a bad idea.

I think the property manager might have an aesthetic concern (ie might have wanted to clean it because she thought it looked dirty) so I can explain to her that the algae is fish food

And I think the others were just concerned the fish were neglected and starving or something! So yeah, I guess my goal was just clarifying that they're not dying slow deaths from oxygen deprivation (one of the other tenants was quite concerned about this since there's no pump) so I can reassure everyone that they're healthy as is.

Thanks heaps!!

 

[j.w]

@Rlj

 

[Rlj]

Update: apparently there are mosquitoes breeding in the water, it's there anything recommended to do to help with this? (Add more fish?)

Would cleaning it out alleviate the issue or will they just lay more eggs in the clean water? How do you keep stagnant water free from mosquitoes?

 

[Dimelius]

Update: apparently there are mosquitoes breeding in the water, it's there anything recommended to do to help with this? (Add more fish?)

Would cleaning it out alleviate the issue or will they just lay more eggs in the clean water? How do you keep stagnant water free from mosquitoes?

put in a pump(mosquitos don't lay eggs into running water) or add fishes that eat more larvaes...but 2nd is bad for the balance of the tube...

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

You could add a small air pump give them some bubbles to play in. That will move the surface of the water to discourage the mosquitos.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[brokensword]

Update: apparently there are mosquitoes breeding in the water, it's there anything recommended to do to help with this? (Add more fish?)

Would cleaning it out alleviate the issue or will they just lay more eggs in the clean water? How do you keep stagnant water free from mosquitoes?

yeppa; as Dime says--mosquitoes don't lay eggs in moving water. And realize, your fish are also probably eating what IS in there, but you could indeed create some water movement and be just fine re mosquitoes.

 

[j.w]

Yum, yum, skeeter stew! Fish will continue to eat them but their tummies can only handle so much at a time. I think over time they will eradicate them all. I'd also add some movement to the water to hurry things up a bit. I have also taken a small aquarium net and dipped it into my smaller pond and scooped a lot out as there is not fish in that one. I should put in some tiny little fish in there that maybe could not be spotted by the big bad heron devils!

 

[TheFishGuy]

Welcome! I agree with others, start with water movement. You could even have a bit of fun with it and do a small fountain if you were interested. You can also scrape any leaves out, and do small water changes if you would like to improve the aesthetics of the pond, just make sure not to do anything drastic that would upset the ecosystem.

 

[clark kent]

A TINY drop of mineral oil (just enough to produce a visible film on the water surface) about once a week or after rains will kill the mosquito larvae.

 

[j.w]

A TINY drop of mineral oil (just enough to produce a visible film on the water surface) about once a week or after rains will kill the mosquito larvae.

Really? Never heard of that one

 

[Dimelius]

A TINY drop of mineral oil (just enough to produce a visible film on the water surface) about once a week or after rains will kill the mosquito larvae.

and dont harms the fishes? i'm a bit skeptical...

 

[Mmathis]

@clark kent Not saying I’m right…..but wouldn’t putting a layer of oil on the pond water be harmful to the fish? It seems like that would compromise gas exchange at the surface.