Kirsten,

You described your fish [whatever it is] as "4" across" -- did you mean
it's 4" long, or is it really 4" wide?

Frankly, IMHO, if it's 4" wide, it can survive a while on whatever it's been
eating in the past!

I'd advise two things:

1. Go easy on the fish food
2. Don't net the fish if all you want to do is measure it -- both of
you will probably be better off without that particular stress!

BTW, "quarantine" is pretty much the same thing, no matter what species
you're discussing (humans, dogs, cats, fish, computer viruses) -- the idea
is to protect the greater community/entity from the disease that some
individuals may have.

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC

"k conover" wrote in message
...
Bern, he looks to be no more than 4" across--I don't see any whiskers, but
I
may net him for a second to get a better look at him...could a goldfish
have
lived in this pond for 4 years plus?
Kirsten
"Bern Muller" wrote in message
...

"k conover" wrote in message
...
Hi, I recently bought a 1923 bungalow in Atlanta, and I inherited a
small
pond (about 4 feet across, maybe 2-3 feet deep) with one fish.

Congratulations! You will find ponding to be very rewarding, and can be
done
with as little or as much time investment as you want.

I would like to know about how big your fish is, in inches long. If you
get
another one, and I suggest waiting until you figure out how you will be
managing the pond, it should be roughly matched in size to the original.