Well I guess it shouldn't really have surprised me, but it did. The other day I was feeding my fish and lo and behold, there were several little ones swimming around. (They are various sizes, which confuses me a little.) I started out with a 5-6" comet who was part of my aquarium cycling a few years ago, also his tank-mate who unfortunately got sick during the cycling and lost all his/her color and appears to be blind. I didn't have the heart to euthanize him/her, so put it in the pond last year and figured I'd let nature take it's course over the winter, and it not only survived, but seems to be flourishing. (There was also a 3rd orange and white one who unfortunately died in the skimmer box last summer.) About 6 weeks ago I purchased 3 smaller shubunkins and placed them in the pond. I did observe the largest goldfish chasing all of the shubunkins, I but wasn't sure if it was a territorial thing or a mating thing. I've had a bit of an algae problem this summer so so my water hasn't exactly been crystal clear. That's why I was so surprised to see those babies! They range in size from 1-2". I was going to try to net some of the smallest babies and place them in my aquarium for a while but hey swim too fast! Although I love seeing the new additions, I am concerned about my small pond being able to sustain all these lives! I'm guessing I need to do something to increase my filtration and/or aeration but don't know where to start, nor do I have a lot of money to spend on it right now. This is my current setup: pond surface area 5'x6', depth approximately 30" at the deepest point. Skimmer box with filter material in basket, Anjon 1,200 gph pump. Small waterfall with bio balls but currently no filter material. I have just purchased a UV clarifier but don't have it running yet because I need to get another pump for it. I also have a "spitter" that I plan to run off the same pump for the clarifier by using a control valve splitter. I have 2 water lilies, a lot of water hyacinth, and some border plants (grasses, iris, even stuck some hostas in on the shallow edges.) Any advice would be very appreciated!
