Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

[Mzungu]

Okay, I know that a few of you have livebearers in your ponds, which are left outside all year. Does anyone have any non-livebearer, non-goldfish/koi, fish in ponds that are left throughout the year? My parents have asked me to put some fish in a small pond they have in the backyard of their new house (I measured, and my math tells me it's about 170 gallons). I'm wondering if anyone has fish (or has in the past) that can survive all the seasons of Houston. And, I read that some of you guys use heaters in the "colder" parts of winter here, are they just normal aquarium heaters?

Thanks. Since we're all in Houston, any personal experiences you might have would be a HUGE help.  

[Ellen]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

How deep is it? By non-livebearer, non-goldfish, do you mean tropicals?

Ellen

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

If I remember correctly, it's about 20 inches deep. It's basically a small fountain with a pond below it, I am assuming made out of concrete. So, kind of a square-donut shape  :? , with the fountain in the middle. I would get goldfish, but there won't be enough room for them when they get bigger, because of the shape of the pond. If tropicals would work, that would be great. I've heard people putting paradise fish in ponds, but not much else. Native fish would be great, too, but I'm concerned about the temps and such. I know that if they're native, then they're used to the climate, but I'm thinking that the temp. will fluctuate a bit more in such a small body of water?

Don't get me wrong, I love livebearers! But I don't want my parents having to deal with the problem of having too many fish in a month or so.  :)

So, that leaves me with natives and tropicals! Just wondering what kinds, if any, have done well with the weather here.

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Oh, and to add a bit more, the temp. on Sunday in the pond was 88 degrees, which I believe is the highest it's ever been. I think adding some circulation via pumps would lower the temp a few degrees, is that correct? Maybe? Then again, it was over 99 degrees on Sunday. Yuck.

[Ellen]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Is it dug into the ground or sitting of top of it? Sorry for the questions, I'm just trying to really get a grip on what you have going on, so others might be able to help you a little better. :)

Ellen

[PhishPhreek]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

I've been told that for the goldfish to make it through one of our bad winters, the in ground pond needs to be at least 3' deep.

the local sunfish etc should work but the color makes them hard to see.

If you can't stick with goldfish / koi then see if you can get some albino chanel cats,  albino oscars,  maybe even some oscars as I've herd that they are taking over some local lakes.

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Channel cats and oscars would be way too big, I think? It's just 170 gallons.

Found a picture that might help a little, Ellen. It's a bit close-up, so you can't see the ground around it, but it's sitting on top of the ground. If you can imagine, the water is usually just above the bottom pedestal (square) of the fountain, which is usually running. My parents were out of town when it was taken (I was dog-sitting), so it was turned off and a bit of water had evaporated.   The shape of it leads me to believe that bigger fish won't do well, not a lot of leg/fin room.

And don't be sorry about the questions! Just let me know if you have any more, or if I didn't answer enough!

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Oops.  

[guppymax]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

The water temperature is way too high. I use shade and air bubbles from a blower to cool my water. Plants might help as well. Turn on the pump and check the temperature some more. Shubumbkins should work.

max

[Ellen]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

I agree that the shubunkins would be better than commons or koi, but they still get big enough to see. My experience with them has been that they get between 6-10 inches long.

Is it that hot even with the fountain on? If so, you might want to add some surface plants to shade that water from the sun or extra circulation. If this still doesn't keep the temperature down, you might not be able to keep fish in it.

I think the problem with most fish in ponds is that you're not able to see them. If you put an angel in a pond, what do you see? Not much! A beauty of a fish seen from the side will go unnoticed from above, which is why when you buy koi online they show the top of the fish. Most fish are narrow or dark on top to help them avoid predation.

How hard does the fountain suck from the bottom? I have a feeling that you're not going to be able to stock anything too small (like livebearers) because they would get sucked up against the screen. I know you weren't shooting for livebearers anyway, that's just an example.

Ellen

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Yeah, I know that's really high. But, there's nothing in the pond running right now besides the fountain, which is little more than a trickle, not a huge spout or anything. And of course, I plan on adding loads of plants. I can't seem to keep any amount of contained water without them!! I also have two smaller mag drives that I'll position in there once I learn a little bit more about filtration in ponds, as I can't just hang a power filter on the side, can I?  :)  

As far as I know, the suction isn't that strong, but as I was first writing this post I realized that I hadn't checked where the pump is. The water movement inside the pool is mainly the water dripping from above. I'm just assuming it isn't too strong, but next time I'm there (Sunday) I'll definitely have a look around.

It's never been that hot, but it has stayed pretty consistently around 80. Which is also why I am shying away from goldfish. I was thinking about shubunkins before, actually, and lots of people say they don't get that large, so that's good to know, Ellen and Max, thanks!

I guess I'll just have to set it up this weekend, then, get the cycle started. Put the plants in there, get the pumps going, add some of my filter material, etc. Then ask them to take the temp every afternoon for a couple weeks.

Thanks for all the help, everyone!  

[Obed]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

I agree with what I am seeing everyone say. My ponds are 4-1/2 feet deep and my smaller pond is a little over 3 feet deep. Here our concern is not freezing over, it is the fact that the fish will cook in the summer time in small ponds. Also we have critter issues depending on the part of town you live in and if the sides are less than 24" straight down racoons will wade in and kill you fish. Lots of little things to consider when putting fish in a pond, it looks like yours was designed to be a fountain more so than a pond, but could be used if filtered and planted correctly. In the summer you would need something like hyacinth, illegal to sell in Texas, but not illegal to have. It can be found wild in most out door ponds, if you can not find any, I can give you some, I thin mine out almost monthly. It is very invasive and must be thinned out, it will cover the entire top of a pond in no time, but provides good shade and the fish love to nibble on the roots. At that depth, lilly's in pots will do well, lotus do well, which one you use will depend on your color preference and how much sun you get on the pond, even if you are in the shade, buy one rated for direct sunlight as most ratings are done by yankees who do not understand the heat and sun in Texas. There are quite a few plants that do well here, elephant ears, paprus and several others that will give you some height. It is very doable just requires some planning in advance.

[guppymax]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

A little bit of parrots feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum might be nice but it is not posssible to have a little bit in the long run lol. I think it is legal and only grows out of the water a foot or so. I can get you some cuttings if you like.

max

[HFBfounder]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Hey, that's a cool little fountain your folks have there.

[Mzungu]

Re: Year-Round Pond Fish in Houston

Thanks, Ken, I thought so too!  :)  

Max - LOL, if Myrio grows similarly to anacharis and hornwort, I know exactly what you're talking about! There was some at the HAS auction, but it went for such a high price that I couldn't see myself buying it. Cuttings would be great, are you going to come to any of the LHA swaps?

Obed - That's my concern. I can always get a heater, but the fact that it was 88 degrees on Sunday jarred me a little. Luckily, it's not mine, so my meager funds aren't what's holding me back. I'm not too concerned about raccoons and such, if they come and sample (or eat all of) the fish, then I'll do something, but I'm initially going to opt for an open setting. It's a newer complex, not many trees or hiding places, so I don't think the Houston wildlife feels too terribly comfortable there yet.

All in all, thanks everyone for all the input! I really appreciate it. I have plenty of plants in my apartment, but also need some larger floating plants that will help shade the surface, so thanks for the advice about those, as well. And I am definitely planning in advance, so that's at least a start!  :)