how to prepare my pond for goldfish?

[brookealexander]

Hi everyone,
I’m really excited to get some goldfish into my pond. I wanted to know the best and safest way to dechlorinate the water so it’s okay for fish!
Thanking you!

 

[addy1]

Wait a few days with some water movement and aeration, the chlorine dissipates. Or add some dechlor

 

[Mmathis]

If your pond has been sitting for several days, without fish, the chlorine will dissipate on its own, especially if you have some water movement. Otherwise, there are products that you can add to the water to eliminate chlorine. HOWEVER, you might want to test your source water (wherever your water comes from: city water, well, etc.) to see if there is any trace of ammonia present. Some cities add “chloramine” to their water. Basically, this will test as ammonia, and will not dissipate like chlorine will. So...if you add a de-chlorinator, check the label to see if it takes care of chlorine AND chloramines.

I hope this makes sense. I haven’t had my coffee yet.

 

[EricV]

Even the standard dechlor "works" on chloramine. It breaks it apart and neutralizes the chlorine part. It won't bind up the ammonia, so you are left with a few PPM of ammonia.

About Chloramine

Chloramine is a chemical used to disinfect water; however, it can be toxic to fish. Learn more about chloramine from this Fritz Aquatics guide.

fritzaquatics.com

How long has your pond been up and running?

 

[WaterGardener]

Use Prime for dechlorinating the water. You should learn about the nitrogen cycle and doing a fishless cycle. That way, the fish won't be exposed to ammonia and nitrite poisoning as your pond cycles.

You also should have liquid testing kits so you can keep up with the water parameters. Tests to have on hand are for ammonia, nitirte, nitrate and KH. Be sure to get the liquid tests, not the inaccurate strips.

 

[brookealexander]

Hi guys, thank you so much
The ponds been up and running for about 4 days now with the filter, water plants etc. I’ve just bought some de-chlorinator too!
Let me know if you have any other tips, I really appreciate it!

 

[EricV]

How large is your pond? And do you have an ammonia test?

You need to establish a nitrogen cycle for your fish so that they are not poisoned by ammonia. If your pond is big enough you can SLOWLY add small fish and they will be OK. If you have a small pond, that's more difficult to do safely.

If you dechlorinate and do an ammonia test and find ammonia (from chloramines) that can start your nitrogen cycle at a low level.

 

[brookealexander]

How large is your pond? And do you have an ammonia test?

You need to establish a nitrogen cycle for your fish so that they are not poisoned by ammonia. If your pond is big enough you can SLOWLY add small fish and they will be OK. If you have a small pond, that's more difficult to do safely.

If you dechlorinate and do an ammonia test and find ammonia (from chloramines) that can start your nitrogen cycle at a low level.

Hey Eric!
My pond is 150 litres, I haven’t picked up an ammonia test yet. Thanks!

 

[EricV]

With a pond that size, you'll need to be careful and start with one or possibly two small goldfish. A 3 or 4 is probably all you should have. Make sure you have good aeration and filtration.

 

[Mmathis]

With a pond that size, you'll need to be careful and start with one or possibly two small goldfish. A 3 or 4 is probably all you should have. Make sure you have good aeration and filtration.

Ooo, just caught that! 150 liters is under 50 gallons.