Little Oasis On the Prairie ~ Part VI

Well this past weekend I purchased a used aquarium, which also came with 4 rather large gold fish.  So once I got them settled back into the aquarium in the new home it was time to start draining the pond. First thing I did was bring in my water lily and other aquatic plants I want to try my hand at over wintering.  I am hoping I can over winter all of them that I brought but but mainly my fingers are crossed for my water lily.  So once they were in and put to bed in a fridge in the basement, it was time to catch the fish.  Well this can be a challenge when you don't have a proper net.....okay I thought I had one from years back, but needless to say it was no where to be found.  Good thing the fish in the pond were fairly dormant, made it easier for me to catch them.  So the were transferred to a large tub of pond water and brought in the house to slowly adjust the temperature of the water to room temperature.  24 hrs later they were moved to their new home in the aquarium. 

So out of the total of 12 fish that I bought for the pond this spring - 4 Shubkins, 2 Fantails and 6 gold fish only 6 survived.  1 of the 4 Shubkins survived, 1 Fantail and 4 goldfish survived.  Most died within a few days of them coming home except for 2 of the gold fish - they died a couple of months later.  So for next spring I now have 10 fish for the pond.  I might pick up another Shubkin and Fantail before spring. Oh and all 5 snails that I put into the pond survived and no baby snails that I could see either. 

So now I am awaiting spring so I can set up the pond again and enjoy my morning coffee on the deck listening to the sound of the water.  With a few modifications the pond will be up in running as soon as the weather is nice enough.




Corinne~