"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
"Reel Mckoi" wrote in message
...

"Sam" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yeah, I thought goldfish might be more high maintenance.

## A half dozen rosy reds may be a better choice. Even those need some
extra food to thrive.

I have Rosy reds in two of my "ponds", both
unfiltered but with lots of plants. They seem to
do fine. I do feed them on occasion but no more
than a few times per week. I use regular goldfish/
koi food and also give them whole wheat bread.

## I believe the size of the pond is what matters the most where the
question of feeding comes in. A huge pond with only a few small fish - the
fish would probably not need to be fed. But most of us have either a small
pond, or we have a good fish load in our bigger ponds. This means feeding
as you said, at least a few times a week. If there's turbulence in a pond
mosquitoes wouldn't be interested in laying their eggs there. And as for
feeding on their larvae; I believe the fish would eat the egg-raft before
they ever got to hatch.

## You may bypass fish altogether. You wouldn't need a filter to mess
with. Just to partial water changes or top-offs. It would be the least
work.

As I noted above, my minnow ponds have no filter
other than a bunch of plants. I live in southcentral
TX and find shade is critical, especially during the
afternoons. It helps keep down the algae.

## It also keeps the water from overheating. It's pretty darn sunny and hot
here in middle TN as well. Even with my small breeding pools I get algae
with half of the pool covered. The plants do fine nonetheless.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
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