Pond and fish in rented house. Help needed.

[tlesp]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could help out.

My parents have a pond in their rented accommodation. The pond has one large goldfish or koi in it (I'm not sure which species it is) The pond is about 15ft by 6ft, 3ft deep. Its full of plants.

The landlord basically moved out and left his fish there, he doesn't seem too interested in it, its basically an abandoned pet.

Anyway, my parents are moving out in the next couple of months, in the meantime I'd like to make the fish as comfortable as possible. The filter/fountain isn't working.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[dieselplower]

The best bang for your buck would be an aerator. One fish would likely be fine in there. Have you tried tinkering with the pump and filter at all? Seem like decent stuff, or junk?

 

[addy1]

Agree with above, get an aerator, run it until your family moves out.

 

[Tula]

That's a shame as it's lovely pond. Agree with above comments.

 

[j.w]

tlesp and what a nice pond.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Same here. One fish in this size pond should survive easily. The pond is large enough to provide adequate filtration and Oxygen for this solitary fish without water movement.

 

[tlesp]

Thank you all, for your replies. Yes it is a lovely pond, and its a shame the original owners don't seem interested in it. It used to have three fish in it, two of them disappeared.

The fish doesn't have the whole pond to swim in, as the stems of the water lilys take up much of the pond. There is also quite a bit of the green plant, which you can see in the top left of the picture I've uploaded. I'm thinking that the amount of space for the fish isn't the biggest issue right now, he seems to be sleeping in hibernation most of the time. Also, the plants might provide cover from predators. The lilys seem to be turning brown, should I remove the leaves?

I visited the pond shop yesterday, they told me that there wouldn't be much point in installing a filter anyway, as the bacteria wouldn't thrive. He also suggested just aeration. He also said that too much vegetation could drain the water of oxygen at night.

An aeration pump costs £100 though, and its unlikely that the agent/owner would re compensate me for this.

Given the fact that the fish is not eating and hardly moving, would the pond provide adequate filtration and oxygen without water movement for this one fish?

Thank you all.

 

[tlesp]

A better view of the pond vegetation. The fish spends most of his time hiding out in this part of the pond. Apart from the water lilys, theres a fair amount of it in there.

 

[Guy]

I think the best action would be try and find it a new home

 

[morewater]

Nice pond, too bad no one seems inclined to look after it. Failing the aerator, or the relocation of the abandoned, lonely bugger........

Sweet and Sour Carp
Ingredients
1 carp, 2-3 pounds
(cleaned and cut into 1"-2" strips)
½ cup cornflour
½ cup evaporated milk
1 egg
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
sweet and sour sauce

Directions
Add about 2" deep of cooking oil to a deep style frying pan and pre-heat to a high temperature of 375°F.
In a small bowl, combine the evaporated milk and egg, whisk together well. In a seperate bowl, add the cornflour and season with salt and pepper.
Dip the strips of carp into the milk mixture, then remove them while shaking off excess liquid. Generously coat the strips in the cornflour. Remove them and shake off the excess flour. Carefully add the coated strips into the heated oil without overcrowding the pan, and being sure they are fully submerged in the oil. Cook for for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side untile golden brown and done. Remove them and place on a paper towel to drain. Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

LOL

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Given the fact that the fish is not eating and hardly moving, would the pond provide adequate filtration and oxygen without water movement for this one fish?

Simply put....Yes!

I think the best action would be try and find it a new home

This is the overall best course of action.

 

[morewater]

An aerator shouldn't cost you that much.

You can buy an aquarium aerator quite cheaply. Just stick the aerator motor in a weatherproof Rubbermaid container to keep it out of the elements.

 

[j.w]

Don't feed the fish now. You never should feed them at all in winter. Wait till Spring to feed when temps are consistently over 55f or whatever that is in C. Fish don't digest food well in cold weather and it could rot inside them and kill them. Sounds like this fish might really be better in a new home. You can just enjoy the flower blooms instead. Whatever predator got the other fish will be back again. If it's a Great Blue Heron they are very proficient at getting every last fish outta your pond. I think it sounds like this pond is not something you want to take on full force to make sure it is up and running the way it should be so again like others have suggested re-homing would be best.

 

[tlesp]

I think the best action would be try and find it a new home

Simply put....Yes!


This is the overall best course of action.

Took a sample of the water down to the a pond shop today, he assured me that the quality of the water is healthy. He said that for this season, the fish will be fine and should receive adequate oxygen from the plants. When it gets warmer though, it will need a filter to ensure the health of the fish.

I would like to see the fish in a new home as the owner doesn't seem to care. I actually wouldn't mind getting into looking after the pond, but don't live in the area.

I'll make sure the fish is ok one way or another.

 

[Dave 54]

An aerator shouldn't cost you that much.

You can buy an aquarium aerator quite cheaply. Just stick the aerator motor in a weatherproof Rubbermaid container to keep it out of the elements.

I dont think that an aquarium areatore would be man enough to pump the air to the depth needed morewater. it would be better to remember this is a pond and as such needs a pond aearater .
Fantastic pond looks very well matured .
Do you know what filter he had on the pond, is it still in place if so it may be an idea in the spring to clean the filter out have a look at the pump and see if you can get it working again .
Best of luck

Dave