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#1
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Where did the goldfish come from?
Hi, I'm new here so be kind ;o)
OK, so I built a pond last May and now a year later it is flourishing. I put in 3 goldfish thinking they would help keep the algae down until the pond established. We also went fishing and caught half a dozen stickleback adults and a couple of young. So in the meantime 2 of the goldfish have gone AWOL(presumed eaten ;o) and we've had hundreds of stickleback fry. The one goldfish left is very happily plump and makes sure anyone else knows who's boss. Over the last few weeks I've been thinking I'm going nuttier than usual because I've seen a largeish black fish gliding just under the surface but every time I call anyone it's gone. My hubby thought I was seeing things and I should go to spec savers. Finally though today he saw it. Not only that but also a gold and black goldfish. So now we have 3 goldfish, 1 from last year and 2 others from nowhere. We have no idea where they came from apart from the obvious but since she's been the only goldfish in there for almost a year it's either immaculate conception fishy style or the stork brought them. ;o) Just wondering if anyone else has had fish show up from nowhere. Oh yeah. It looks like we have goldfish fry in the shallows. Thought they were more sticklebacks but there are no males to be seen. Cheers Pam |
#2
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Where did the goldfish come from?
"PamS" wrote in message
... Hi, I'm new here so be kind ;o) OK, so I built a pond last May and now a year later it is flourishing. I put in 3 goldfish thinking they would help keep the algae down until the pond established. We also went fishing and caught half a dozen stickleback adults and a couple of young. So in the meantime 2 of the goldfish have gone AWOL(presumed eaten ;o) and we've had hundreds of stickleback fry. The one goldfish left is very happily plump and makes sure anyone else knows who's boss. Over the last few weeks I've been thinking I'm going nuttier than usual because I've seen a largeish black fish gliding just under the surface but every time I call anyone it's gone. My hubby thought I was seeing things and I should go to spec savers. Finally though today he saw it. Not only that but also a gold and black goldfish. So now we have 3 goldfish, 1 from last year and 2 others from nowhere. We have no idea where they came from apart from the obvious but since she's been the only goldfish in there for almost a year it's either immaculate conception fishy style or the stork brought them. ;o) Just wondering if anyone else has had fish show up from nowhere. Oh yeah. It looks like we have goldfish fry in the shallows. Thought they were more sticklebacks but there are no males to be seen. Cheers Pam -- PamS Welcome! People here are pretty friendly and helpful. Your original goldfish might have produced dark bronze babies - the original color of goldfish. They look black except under the right lighting conditions. I have a bunch of them, mostly bothering my big goldie, and I get more "black" goldfish as well as gold goldfish. The genetics escape me... You might also have imported some goldfish eggs on plants, if you've added any plants. I brought some plants from one of my ponds into the house to use in a new aquarium (yeah, bad idea, but it worked out), and goldie eggs survived despite my dipping the plants in a clorox solution first. I ended up with three goldfish fry in my new 55 g aquarium! Once they were large enough I put them into one of the ponds. Gail |
#3
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Where did the goldfish come from?
Gail is probably right on target. Goldies can reproduce at quite a
young age. Your first ones may have had some fries, especially if there were not a lot of other fish around to gobble up the eggs or fry. The new fry argue that you have two breeding goldies in your pond. If I had to vote, I would vote for your original and one of the black mystery fish. We have had two black/bronze fish for three years. One of them finally began to change color this year. The dark color of your surprise adults suggests that they are young as well. Perhaps survivors from the first batch from last year's three goldfish. Once there are a good number of adults, they will limit the number of survivors from spawns. Have fun with the mobs of fish. Jim |
#4
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Where did the goldfish come from?
The first goldfish may have produced some fry that have now grown to a
noticeable size. The greatest mystery is when some fish just appear like magic. The explanation then is that someone got fed up of their fish and emptied the tank in a convenient pond. Steve |
#5
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Where did the goldfish come from?
Gail Futoran wrote:
"PamS" wrote in message ... OK, so I built a pond last May and now a year later it is flourishing. I put in 3 goldfish thinking they would help keep the algae down until the pond established. Not really :-) So in the meantime 2 of the goldfish have gone AWOL(presumed eaten ;o) and we've had hundreds of stickleback fry. Finally though today he saw it. Not only that but also a gold and black goldfish. So now we have 3 goldfish, 1 from last year and 2 others from nowhere. Your original goldfish might have produced dark bronze babies - the original color of goldfish. They look black except under the right lighting conditions. I have a bunch of them, mostly bothering my big goldie, and I get more "black" goldfish as well as gold goldfish. The genetics escape me... Also, how young were the original goldfish? If they were still fry, it's even possible these _are_ your originals. Much more likely though, that they're newer. The one that is black & gold will probably become all gold shortly (the gold color comes in in patches as they grow). The other one is maybe a genuine throwback. -- derek |
#6
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Where did the goldfish come from?
"PamS" wrote in message
... Hi, I'm new here so be kind ;o) OK, so I built a pond last May and now a year later it is flourishing. I put in 3 goldfish thinking they would help keep the algae down until the pond established. We also went fishing and caught half a dozen stickleback adults and a couple of young. So in the meantime 2 of the goldfish have gone AWOL(presumed eaten ;o) and we've had hundreds of stickleback fry. The one goldfish left is very happily plump and makes sure anyone else knows who's boss. Over the last few weeks I've been thinking I'm going nuttier than usual because I've seen a largeish black fish gliding just under the surface but every time I call anyone it's gone. My hubby thought I was seeing things and I should go to spec savers. Finally though today he saw it. Not only that but also a gold and black goldfish. So now we have 3 goldfish, 1 from last year and 2 others from nowhere. We have no idea where they came from apart from the obvious but since she's been the only goldfish in there for almost a year it's either immaculate conception fishy style or the stork brought them. ;o) Just wondering if anyone else has had fish show up from nowhere. Oh yeah. It looks like we have goldfish fry in the shallows. Thought they were more sticklebacks but there are no males to be seen. Cheers Pam ====================I've had sunfish magically appear in one of my smaller ponds. The eggs ha d to have been carried on the feet or feathers of a water bird. -- RM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. Zone 6. Middle TN USA ~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö |
#7
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Where did the goldfish come from?
OR "PamS" wrote in message the stork brought them. May not a stork, but a heron/kingfisher has been known to drop a fish.... but they usually take more than they give. ;-) 500,000:1 Most likely what others have said about eggs laid before the others passed on, and then those babies grew up and made more babies. ~ jan ;-) ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
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