Goldies gotta go

[mrsclem]

Well, I have decided to get rid of the goldfish we have had for 18 years and just go with koi and a few shubunks. I bought a dozen small butterfly koi this year but with 2 seperate problems we lost all but one. Luckily we had a successful spawn this year and now have 3-4 dozen new koi! I'm going to pick thru and find the best looking ones and sell or give away the others.
I purchased a 550 gallon swimming pool today to hold the fish we will be selling.

Question 1- Can I just use treated tap water in the pool to hold the fish? I will be setting up a skippy filter and am planning on transfering some media from my other bio filter.
Question 2- How long can I keep these guys in a setup like this? I want to get rid of them but not kill them.
Still not sure how I'm going to catch them all. The pond is 10x13x3. I got some plastic fencing 10'x3' and am going to try to corral them. Any ideas appreciated-

 

[DrDave]

Sounds like you are on top of it. Put a circulation pump in the 550 and if it takes longer than a couple weeks, you will have to start filtering and changing the water.

 

[koikeepr]

it's very important to transfer that old media where all your biologic bacteria and goodies reside.

To catch the fish, the best thing to do is drain the pond as low as you can. If you don't have the capacity to do that, I've used a twin-sized bed sheet used like a sieve net. Just get two people to hold each end and herd your fish into a small area. Then a 3rd person can then use a small net to catch them while they are cornered.

 

[DrDave]

Great Idea! Bed sheet, See how new ideas are revealed when great minds think together.

 

[mrsclem]

Don't think I want to use my 600 thread count sheets to catch fish! Got some plastic fencing in a roll and will make a corral to catch them. So far things are not working out as planned. The kids pool won't work as we are on a slope and I can't get it to fill before one side collapses. Out comes the rototiller to make a level area to set it up. I'm planning a yard sale of gold fish in a couple of weeks.

 

[DrCase]

Thats a good idea for a cheep big net...

 

[DrDave]

I bet you can get cheap sheets at a thrift store. Painters throw cloths that are clean should work just fine.

 

[koikeepr]

don't use plastic netting! agh! This does severe harm to the delicate scales on goldfish as well as their gills. No No no! Any fabric like a bedsheet will work, ask friends or family if they have an old sheet. You're gonna wash it anyway.... and yes, you can go to the dollar stores and get a really cheap bed sheet.

 

[mrsclem]

koikeepr- wasn't planning on using the plastic to actually net the fish. I'm going to make a ring and drop it over them when they come for food so I have a smaller area to catch them from. I'm aware of the problems with plastic netting as I used Birdx netting this year over my pond and when one end of it diped into the water I had a small koi get stuck in it. I have had goldfish get stuck in milk crates!

 

[koikeepr]

right! plastic netting is a no no. Even if you go to the fabric store/wal-mart and buy the cheapest fabric by the yard you can find. Sometimes, there's a 50 cent by the yard fabric. Always good to have it on hand. The meshier the fabric the better--like gauze for example.

 

[mrsclem]

Well here it is 6 weeks later and they are finally all placed in new homes.:biggrin: I ended up building a PVC frame shaped like an L and covering it with net from the fabric store. We dumped down about 75% of the pond and then slid the frame down the pond till the fish had a 2foot section. There was no escape! (except for a couple of small fry that went under the net:banghead3:.) We transfered them to kiddie pools but with the warm weather we ended up having to put them back in the pond. The PVC playpen covered with netting made a nice holding tank. One fish yard sale and a post on Craigslist and 4 dozen goldies have been rehomed. Spring will bring another roundup as we have 3 -4 dozen koi babies to sort thru as their colors and patterns develope.

 

[DrDave]

mrsclem
Great job! Can you post some photos of your L frame?

 

[D&RW]

Boy, I'm fixing to have to transfer my fish to holding tanks during our expansion and I'm way dreading it. I'm actually a bit afraid of hurting them. One source I read said you should use a "wet" sock net so as not to hurt the Koi's backbone or scales. Seems a wet net is an open-ended, solid fabric sock. I guess you slide it over the fish, grasp the open end so the water doesn't run out and then place it in your transfer tank where you just let go of the open end.

Does this sound right?

 

[koikeepr]

you will see that unless the koi is very large (18"+) it is very, very, very hard to capture them in a sock net.

 

[koiguy1969]

i take my fish inside for the winter to the basement pond and fill the basement pond with a pump from the outdoor pond..as the water level goes down so does their ability to elude capture. i use a 4' round net i made, but dont lift it out of the water i leave it partially submerged and coax them into a storage tub carry them right down and drop them in 1 or 2 at a time. same water- same temp= less stress.