Goldfish

[fox1]

I have a pond that is around 2,000 gallons. It is new so I have not put any fish in it yet. I got my first fish tank and put 3 comet goldfish in it to get the cycle started. Then after that I put them in the pond. They were about 2, 2 1/2 inches long. I saw them the day I put them in and the very next day. But after that I have not seen them since. 2 weeks went on before I lost hope and figured something got them like a bird, but then my brother was working on the pond and he had to shut off everything and drain the water a little bit. He said when he was working on the pond he saw 2 of the goldfish. From the way he describes it, it sounds like they grew a couple more inches. To get to my question, why are my fish hiding and not wanting to come out? I go out everyday to look for them but I can not find them. We have a algae problem so it makes it hard to see them. Is there a way to make them come out? Are they afraid of ruff water because when the waterfall is going and the pump in the middle is going, the water is ruff. Any answers would be great!

 

[Fresh2o]

Are there any structures such as potted plants (submerged/marginal/water lilies) or floating plants present? They are probably nervous by nature since they are small (potential meal for herons and raccoons).
I would add lilies for aesthetics and to provide shelter, however, it depends on how much of the surface is distrusted by the water feature. Other floating plants such as water hyacinth or water lettuce might do better in that situation.
As for the green water, I found that barley extract worked well for helping make the water clear.


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[PB_Smith]

yes, what Fresh said. The more hiding place and plants there are, the more secure they will feel and will behave normally.
as far at the rough water is concerned no, it is what they actually prefer.
Goldfish/koi/carp come from fast running steams and rivers. They actually do worse in still ponds.
Ideally the pond should have an area(s) that are shaded/covered with calm water and areas more open with a good current for them to swim against. A strong current will also help keep the bottom free of muck an detritus which will compound the algae problem.
Often the best way to deal with green water in a pond is with a UV sterilizer designed for pond use.
I assume from your description that the waterfall and middle pump are separate?
If so maybe re-direct the output of the pump so it is creating a current under the water and just let the waterfall handle mixing/oxygenation.

 

[Fresh2o]

Other structures that can be used in a pond include milk crates (these can double as plant/pot stands), 6-12" sections of black corrugated sections of drainage pipe.
Both of those would have been handy against a marauding raccoon that ended up with a belly full of goldfish in my small pond a few years back.


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[fox1]

We have 3 water lily's but 2 of them are small and only have a few good sized lily's on them. We also have some water lettuce and a few other plants that grow up and not on the water itself. Would the fish be hiding under those. We took a small rectangular black trashcan and put it on the bottom for fish to hide in also. This may be a stupid question but could they be hiding in there? We do have a Iongen System by Aquascape which I do not agree with because I am afraid the copper will kill the fish and it is not working very well. Also we have some Barley Straws that are on stand by if the Iongen System does not work. The pump and the waterfall are separate. I posted a picture to go along with this and alot of the plants are in one spot because they were small and they had to be down only 6 inches for them to grow so we put them in the water lily pot. When they get bigger I think we will move them.

 

[Fresh2o]

That is a gorgeous pond and stream. Very nice stonework. Lots of potential for rock garden plants.
It's early in the season so most of the plants will be small.
Several seasons ago my pond was the same color in the spring time. The barley extract took several weeks but the water cleared up by summer time and has been since then.


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[fox1]

Do you think the fish will come out later in the summer when they get bigger?