My goldfish pond

[j.w]

@CometKeith if you really think that you have too many and they may suffer for it then I think it may be time to let some go so your heart won't hurt if something bad happens. Find someone special who will love them as much as you do or get the shovel out and start digging another pond or making that one bigger

 

[Tula]

Keith, Are any of your fish spawning....either the koi or gold fish?

 

[CometKeith]

@CometKeith if you really think that you have too many and they may suffer for it then I think it may be time to let some go so your heart won't hurt if something bad happens. Find someone special who will love them as much as you do or get the shovel out and start digging another pond or making that one bigger

Hi JW. This pond is my last stand. There will be no more larger ponds at this property since I went as large as I could. I have actually downsized it twice already. One time when we built up the area behind the pond so we could plant between the pond and the garage, and the other time when I built my bog and took away 20% of the pond for the bog. Obviously my Koi are going to keep growing so I will need to allow for that, but I’m not sure removing the goldfish will really make up for that. If I could find a good home I would give away a few for sure. I don’t need 20 or 30 similar looking orange goldfish! My biggest fear is I’ll either give one to someone looking for live food for their lizard or the goldfish will sufferer a quick death by goldfish bowl. I can do a biomass calculation but I’m guessing my largest Koi is about the same weight as all the goldfish added up together! I guess I’m going to just need to be aware and may need to beef up my filters at some point!
I just did the math so I had to add this. One 22 inch Koi of average thickness weighs about 6.5 lbs. That’s the same weight as 50 goldfish at an average of 6” each!

 

[CometKeith]

Keith, Are any of your fish spawning....either the koi or gold fish?

Hi Tula. Yes the goldfish have been spawning. Not huge amounts of chasing but enough to notice. The other day most of my Koi were munching away by some rocks at the far corner of my pond. I know the food I throw in never goes that far and then I realized a goldfish must have dropped her eggs there!

 

[j.w]

Hey @CometKeith They have a koi club in Lisle,Illinois if you are interested in finding homes for fish. They might even know someone who would want either koi or goldfish. https://mpks.org/

 

[mrsclem]

Any vacant lots nearby you could use?

 

[CometKeith]

Hey @CometKeith They have a koi club in Lisle,Illinois if you are interested in finding homes for fish. They might even know someone who would want either koi or goldfish. https://mpks.org/

Hi Thanks JW. I go on their pond tour every year. The Lisle address is the mailing address of one of the members. The club extends over the entire Chicago area. It is a good idea… now how to catch them!

 

[CometKeith]

Any vacant lots nearby you could use?

Haha. Yes I could get a vacant lot nearby for a pond for my goldfish. I’m guessing the cheapest lot would be about $400,000 for a 25 x 125 ft lot if I were lucky. Then add the cost to do demolition and landscape so half a million would be reasonable. Should I start a go fund me page?

 

[SarahT]

Hey @CometKeith They have a koi club in Lisle,Illinois if you are interested in finding homes for fish. They might even know someone who would want either koi or goldfish. https://mpks.org/

That's the Midwest Pond and Koi Society and they cover the entire Chicagoland area and into NW Indiana and S Wisconsin. They are a great group of people, good knowledge and a good network to have. I was a member when I lived there and I think they'd be a good source of rehoming expertise.
If you haven't ever gone on their "pond tour", I highly recommend it. It's usually over 2 weekends in mid-July, each of the 4 days is a different area of Chicago (to cut down on driving) where club members open their ponds for people to visit. Buy a map ($20 I think) and self-drive around looking at ponds. What better way to spend 1 - 4 weekend days than looking at ponds and talking ponds?
End of "plug".

 

[CometKeith]

That's the Midwest Pond and Koi Society and they cover the entire Chicagoland area and into NW Indiana and S Wisconsin. They are a great group of people, good knowledge and a good network to have. I was a member when I lived there and I think they'd be a good source of rehoming expertise.
If you haven't ever gone on their "pond tour", I highly recommend it. It's usually over 2 weekends in mid-July, each of the 4 days is a different area of Chicago (to cut down on driving) where club members open their ponds for people to visit. Buy a map ($20 I think) and self-drive around looking at ponds. What better way to spend 1 - 4 weekend days than looking at ponds and talking ponds?
End of "plug".

Hey Sarah. I have been going on their yearly pond tour for almost 15 years and really enjoy it. I actually collect their pond tour books as well. Last year we brought some friends on the tour with us and they liked it. Agreed they are an excellent group. I’ve never been to any of their events other than the pond tours, but I’m planning on working a lot less from here on out so that might be something fun to do. Thanks for your suggestion!

 

[CometKeith]

Any vacant lots nearby you could use?

I wish I could find a lot.. it’s just so unaffordable where we live.

 

[CometKeith]

We had a big storm roll through this evening with heavy winds and tornado sirens blaring. It was so intense we took refuge in a safe place in our building. There were 87 mph winds at O’Hare airport. Fortunately it turned out not so bad by us. I took this shot after everything had passed!

 

[YShahar]

We had a big storm roll through this evening with heavy winds and tornado sirens blaring. It was so intense we took refuge in a safe place in our building. There were 87 mph winds at O’Hare airport. Fortunately it turned out not so bad by us. I took this shot after everything had passed!

Looks great! I'm glad you got through the storm OK (and that no goldfish ended up gone with the wind)!

 

[j.w]

@CometKeith glad you are all ok and I saw this on the news!

 

[Tula]

Keith we had some pretty big storms too, here in Cincinnati. Some of my friends still have no power and the heat and humidity is oppressive. Hubby wants to look into a whole house generator.