Can any of you lovely people tell me why you can have a larger ratio of fish to water in an aquarium than in a pond. I believe the rule for goldfish in a pond is 1 fish per 20gals? Yet you can keep more in a tank? I have a very small pond (60 gal) and four gold fish and two shubunkins (all very happy and healthy) but I guess thats my limit?

Regards, Julie. Isle of Wight

juliepacker wrote:
Can any of you lovely people tell me why you can have a larger ratio of
fish to water in an aquarium than in a pond. I believe the rule for
goldfish in a pond is 1 fish per 20gals? Yet you can keep more in a
tank? I have a very small pond (60 gal) and four gold fish and two
shubunkins (all very happy and healthy) but I guess thats my limit?

Regards, Julie. Isle of Wight
--
juliepacker
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk


Hi Julie,
My answer would be that filtration is much higher in an
aquarium. That plus the fact that an aquarium is contained,
a pond is open to more dirt, leaves, and other visitors
which all contribute to the waste which occurs. Fish also
grow larger in a pond than in an aquarium.


--
Bonnie
NJ

As far as ponds go water to fish ratio is based on quality of life and also
usually based on the full sized fish. A 2" koi is fine in 10 gallons of
water and has plenty of space to move around. An 18" koi on the other hand
cant move much in 10 gallons of water though it can survive. With my
fluidizer I can keep 12" of fish in 1 gallon of water. You'll notice with
ponds that they say 1,000 gallons for the first koi and 100 gallons for each
additional. That 1000 gallons is for movement of all kois and the 100
gallons is to dilute their waste so that you don't have to change your
filter as much.

In aquariums the gallons per fish is based on inch of fish per gallon
opposed to the pond which is number of fish per gallon.

Understand something though, most information you hear on pond life and
aquarium life is not scientific and is not proven - it is just myths passed
on from one person to another. This fish per gallon rule is not proven,
there's nothing scientific about it. How do we know that a koi is happy and
ok in 1,000 gallons of water. We don't. Some day someone made it up and
people just stuck with it because no-one else had ever given any figures.

Sam

"juliepacker" wrote in message
s.com...
Can any of you lovely people tell me why you can have a larger ratio of
fish to water in an aquarium than in a pond. I believe the rule for
goldfish in a pond is 1 fish per 20gals? Yet you can keep more in a
tank? I have a very small pond (60 gal) and four gold fish and two
shubunkins (all very happy and healthy) but I guess thats my limit?

Regards, Julie. Isle of Wight
--
juliepacker
------------------------------------------------------------------------
posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk

water changes.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

not really. the recommendation is 10 gallons per fish unless they are very big
bodied, then 15-20.
actually, it is based on how fast the nitrates run up over 20 ppm. typically people
change water once per week to lower nitrates. get more fish in that 20 gallon and
water changes increase per week to keep nitrates down. It is also based on how big
the typical GF is going to get in the tank. Small fish in big tank grows fast with
more water, in small tank doesnt thrive and grow. Ingrid

In aquariums the gallons per fish is based on inch of fish per gallon
opposed to the pond which is number of fish per gallon.

Understand something though, most information you hear on pond life and
aquarium life is not scientific and is not proven - it is just myths passed
on from one person to another. This fish per gallon rule is not proven,
there's nothing scientific about it.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Hi Again, thanks for your replies. I thinks its a case of 'if it aint broke, don't fix it' and I will leave my six fish in peace!

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 10:53:58 -0400, "Sam Hopkins" wrote:

Understand something though, most information you hear on pond life and
aquarium life is not scientific and is not proven - it is just myths passed
on from one person to another.

I won't dispute the not scientific, but I will that it's just myth. I think
there are a lot of experience fish keepers, breeders and showers (that's
people who show fish, not rain) out there that have wised us up.

When I was young and blissfully ignorant I had 7-8 fantails in a 20 gallon
doing water changes once a month. The fish lived, but never grew. Thank
goodness for the internet... I wised up and now I grow the big ones in a
pond. This year I have to bring 3 into a 20 gallon and another 2 to another
20 gallon. I'm hoping that water changes every 2 weeks will do it, but it
will be that nitrate number I'll be watching, among other tests. When I can
I plan to upgrade those tanks.

You can bonsai goldfish. Small space, low feed, few water changes. Is this
mean? Does the fish know, care or feel pain? I don't know, I guess it is up
to the keeper, whether they want the fish to grow or just want lots of
moving color in the tank. I wouldn't do this in a pond, too many unknowns
risking fish & water quality. ~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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