New pond help!

[dave_st170]

Hi

My pond is 1wk old 2day.

Its:

1,000 gallons
Two levels:
11x6 top x2 ft deep
6x4 x2ft deep bottom

The pump is working/fountain, waterfull (sp)

Can i put fish in yet???


Thanks
Dave

[Sean]

Welcome to American Ponders...

The most important questions are what temperature is your water and where do you live. The fish will need time to become accustomed to the pond before winter hits if  you are in a cooler Zone.

Cheers,
Sean

[dave_st170]

Hi



I live in West Sussex UK.

Only got 1 frost last year 

[Sean]

I assume that would make you an equivalent of the USDA Zone 8 which means, yes, you can introduce fish now. They will be fine for the winter.

Cheers,
Sean

[dave_st170]

Thats great news! 


Looking at Gold fish and Shubunkins.


How many do you think???


Thanks 

[tranquility]

besides just a pump....do you have filtration ?.....I only ask because some new comers don't realize a filter is needed when adding fish.....You should have a good mechanical and a good bio filter....or a filter that combines both...
Lawanna

[karen J]

Tranquility has a great point. The more filtration you have, the more fish you can have.

Are you going to put fish in both the upper and lower pond?

I have a similar setup, but as my upper pond is raised and freezes badly in winter, I try to keep fish only in the lower pond. The eggs and small babies make it through the filtration into the upper pond, and every fall I have to catch them and put them back where they belong. 

I didn't think that West Sussex was so warm. What are your average winter temps? It's probably better to put them in now than during a hot summer (stress). But if the water temps are below 50* F, that could also be a tad dicey. Do you know what the water temps are?

[dave_st170]

Thanks for the post peeps!!


I have a:

Laguna (for ponds up to 8000 litres)

Clearflo Clearwater pond kit
*Includes Max-Flo Solids Handling Pump and Pressure-Flo Pressure Filter with UV Steriliser.
*Backwash-Cleaning System.
*Clogging Indicator- Lets You Know When Cleaning Time.
Filter Can Be Cleaned Without Removing Lid



Also got:

Laguna Power Jet Max-Flo 6000

*Ultra High Performance Filter & Waterfull Pump.

*Powerful Pump delivers solid waste (up to 6mm) direct to the filter.
*Maximum flow rate: 5900 litres per hour/1299 UK GPH
*Maximum head height: 3.50 metres

West Sussex in UK only had 1 frost last year.
Last year coldest day was 1c 


Thanks
Dave

[tranquility]

Sounds like you are ready for business...you do realize the pond will not be able to cycle thru with out having fish...so start with only a few and then when it cycles thru you can add more...
Lawanna

[dave_st170]

Is it a good machine???


Thanks
Dave

[tranquility]

I know just enough about filtration to get me in trouble...I'll have to let someone else answer that question....the main thing I always make sure of if I am buying a filter is to double the filtration- if you have a 1,000 gallon pond get enough filtration for at least a 2,000 gallon pond...
Lawanna

[dave_st170]

Ok thanks 

[Jerry]

I saw stars with Laguna as well as Cal Pump.  The Sequence pump has never failed.
I have almost stopped looking out the window to see if it's still running.
Sorry for being negative, but "thems" the facts

[PondmaninAL]

I think this would be a good time to bring this link out of hiding for those on this side of the "Pond."

Zone map for UK and Ireland.

Seeing that my little wife is from England, I kept this handy.

Happy ponding,
Scott

[Teresa]

Most of the time, the general recommendation for adding fish is not to add more than two fish every two to three weeks when setting up a new pond.  So add two now and then wait a few weeks to add more.  That will give the pond a chance to cycle without killing all your fish.  I wouldn't go for more than about 10 shubs and wakin in a 1000 gallon pond simply because by spring you'll have about 100 if you add ten now.