"Carl Beyer" wrote in
message
...
Ifound a 1.5" chubunkin baby in one of my fountains (long
story). It
has been living by itself in a small container since its
hatch.

I am planning on introducing it to my (small 400 gallon)
pond that is
overstocked with 8 goldfish (4 to 6") and a 18" koi and
12" koi.

Is it big enough to go in to that pond without becoming
lunch? It seems
healthy and fast, but I have yet to see it eat any fish
food offered to
it. Any other concerns?

Any plants they can hide in? (Probably not, with koi.) I'd
also be concerned about competing for food, especially if
there are no plants or algae for grazing, and the larger
fish will get the live food (bugs, larvae). Maybe you can
get the baby used to commercial food first.

I have a baby goldfish and a baby shubunkin (about 2" each)
that I thought were minnows. (The minnows were in with
goldfish until I moved them into their own tank.) I tend
not to feed the minnows - they do all right on their own.*
Once I recognized the baby goldfish I started feeding them
presoaked TetraPond Variety Sticks. They got used to that
and will now eat it every day. They're growing like weeds.

Gail
Southcentral TX
*Oh, ok, I confess, I sometimes feed the minnows too, just
because I like to watch them.