My question is this or perhaps it should be questions. There are natural
ponds all over the place, many with fish in them. No one cleans them,
watches the PH, the ammonia, or anything else. Some have inlets and outlets
but most do not so the only fresh water they get is from rain.

So how do these fish survive? I had goldfish in a pond for over nine
years. Since I lived about 200 miles away, I did nothing except feed them
when I did happen to be around. Those fish grew to nearly a foot long.

When we had our house built on the property, those fish vanished after all
that time. The builders said it must have been raccoons. I am quite sure
the raccoons looked like humans to the fish.

So, why do ponders have to go to all that work for fish ponds.

pixi wrote:

My question is this or perhaps it should be questions. There are natural
ponds all over the place, many with fish in them. No one cleans them,
watches the PH, the ammonia, or anything else. Some have inlets and outlets
but most do not so the only fresh water they get is from rain.

So how do these fish survive? I had goldfish in a pond for over nine
years. Since I lived about 200 miles away, I did nothing except feed them
when I did happen to be around. Those fish grew to nearly a foot long.

When we had our house built on the property, those fish vanished after all
that time. The builders said it must have been raccoons. I am quite sure
the raccoons looked like humans to the fish.

So, why do ponders have to go to all that work for fish ponds.




Cause it gives us something else to do at times. :-) . There are times
when I am busy during the week that I just don't get to enjoy my pond or
'play' with it. Sometimes I don't even feed the fish. They do just
fine. I am wondering what my next project will be as I just covered
over the last of the 3" pipe from the new plumbing in my pond and the
plants are growing like crazy and it is really time to just sit and
enjoy them. I am sure I will find something to do though.
Also, I guess it give a sense of accomplishment to putter around the pond.
Anyone else?
W. Dale

I asked the same question when I first started ponding.

I still only use a home made biofilter with no water testing or
chemicals added and my fish are happy and healthy.

pixi wrote:
My question is this or perhaps it should be questions. There are natural
ponds all over the place, many with fish in them. No one cleans them,
watches the PH, the ammonia, or anything else. Some have inlets and outlets
but most do not so the only fresh water they get is from rain.

So how do these fish survive? I had goldfish in a pond for over nine
years. Since I lived about 200 miles away, I did nothing except feed them
when I did happen to be around. Those fish grew to nearly a foot long.

When we had our house built on the property, those fish vanished after all
that time. The builders said it must have been raccoons. I am quite sure
the raccoons looked like humans to the fish.

So, why do ponders have to go to all that work for fish ponds.

One of the main tricks Mother Nature has is
that she has LOTS of water to each fish.

Our garden ponds are overstocked compared
to Mother Nature's ponds and that's where
things start to get out of balance.

That also means that available food to the fish,
zooplankton, insect larvae, algae, worms, snails
and other tasties are available to Mother Nature's
fish and sustains them just fine.

kathy :-) www.blogfromthebog.com
this week ~ the rat-tail maggot!

Pond 101 page for new pond keepers ~
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

The ponds that have fish in the wild are the ones whose fish didn't
die. The ponds that don't have fish are the ones whose fish did die. If
you could replicate the first, you would be fine, but how can you know
that you are not replicating the second?

I'm sorry to disagree with you but many, many pond never had fish. Where I
live there are ponds all over the place that never, ever had a fish. They
are there to water livestock.

"gene" wrote in message
oups.com...
The ponds that have fish in the wild are the ones whose fish didn't
die. The ponds that don't have fish are the ones whose fish did die. If
you could replicate the first, you would be fine, but how can you know
that you are not replicating the second?

pixi wrote:

I'm sorry to disagree with you but many, many pond never had fish. Where I
live there are ponds all over the place that never, ever had a fish. They
are there to water livestock.

"gene" wrote in message
roups.com...


The ponds that have fish in the wild are the ones whose fish didn't
die. The ponds that don't have fish are the ones whose fish did die. If
you could replicate the first, you would be fine, but how can you know
that you are not replicating the second?

I'm just curious; whereabouts do you live, pixi? Around here (Texas),
if you dig a hole and it fills
with water, *something* will wind up populating it, even if it never
connects to another body of water.
Fish (minnows, mostly) seem to show up, whether as eggs on birds' legs,
skipping across the pasture,
or maybe spontaneous generation, I don't know. ;-)

DT
http://www.thehungersite.com/

"pixi" wrote in message
...
My question is this or perhaps it should be questions. There are natural
ponds all over the place, many with fish in them. No one cleans them,
watches the PH, the ammonia, or anything else. Some have inlets and
outlets
but most do not so the only fresh water they get is from rain.
===========================
Few of these natural ponds contain a rubber liner or a heavy load of large
fish like koi. Few are as small as our backyard ponds. The fish that live
in natural ponds are well adapted to their environment.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"CanadianCowboy©" wrote in message
...
I asked the same question when I first started ponding.

I still only use a home made biofilter with no water testing or
chemicals added and my fish are happy and healthy.
=========================
I recently bought my first test kit in years! The only thing I add to the
pond is Potash for the plants and KoiZyme to prevent ulcers.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"pixi" wrote in message
...
I'm sorry to disagree with you but many, many pond never had fish. Where
I
live there are ponds all over the place that never, ever had a fish.
They
are there to water livestock.
=============================
Our neighbor has tried several types of fish in his dirt-bottom pond and the
predators get every one! So there the pond sits - fishless.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"dt" wrote in message
...
pixi wrote:

I'm sorry to disagree with you but many, many pond never had fish. Where
I
live there are ponds all over the place that never, ever had a fish.
They
are there to water livestock.

"gene" wrote in message
roups.com...


The ponds that have fish in the wild are the ones whose fish didn't
die. The ponds that don't have fish are the ones whose fish did die. If
you could replicate the first, you would be fine, but how can you know
that you are not replicating the second?

I'm just curious; whereabouts do you live, pixi? Around here (Texas),
if you dig a hole and it fills
with water, *something* will wind up populating it, even if it never
connects to another body of water.
Fish (minnows, mostly) seem to show up, whether as eggs on birds' legs,
skipping across the pasture,
or maybe spontaneous generation, I don't know. ;-)

DT
http://www.thehungersite.com/

You are absolutely right. Something,:in fact lots of things, will show up
in a wild pond sooner or later. Turtles, snakes, salamanders or newts. And
quite possibly fish carried in on bird legs or whatever. But not fish in
most ponds in the wild. I understand there is a walking catfish in Florida.

I live a long way from Texas.


"dt" wrote in message
...
pixi wrote:

I'm sorry to disagree with you but many, many pond never had fish. Where
I
live there are ponds all over the place that never, ever had a fish.
They
are there to water livestock.

"gene" wrote in message
roups.com...


The ponds that have fish in the wild are the ones whose fish didn't
die. The ponds that don't have fish are the ones whose fish did die. If
you could replicate the first, you would be fine, but how can you know
that you are not replicating the second?

I'm just curious; whereabouts do you live, pixi? Around here (Texas),
if you dig a hole and it fills
with water, *something* will wind up populating it, even if it never
connects to another body of water.
Fish (minnows, mostly) seem to show up, whether as eggs on birds' legs,
skipping across the pasture,
or maybe spontaneous generation, I don't know. ;-)

DT
http://www.thehungersite.com/

Does adding potash inhibit more growth of algae ?

just curious ???

Reel Mckoi wrote:
"CanadianCowboy©" wrote in message
...

I asked the same question when I first started ponding.

I still only use a home made biofilter with no water testing or
chemicals added and my fish are happy and healthy.

=========================
I recently bought my first test kit in years! The only thing I add to the
pond is Potash for the plants and KoiZyme to prevent ulcers.

"dt" wrote in message
...
Fish (minnows, mostly) seem to show up, whether as eggs on birds' legs,
skipping across the pasture,
or maybe spontaneous generation, I don't know. ;-)
================================
My neighbor's stock pond is occasionally populated (temporarily) with
sunfish.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"CanadianCowboy©" wrote in message
...
Does adding potash inhibit more growth of algae ?

just curious ???
=========================
I believe it does, by stimulating the growth of higher plants that starve
the algae of nitrogen and phosphate.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o