I live in California in the Bay Area. Last year I purchased a large urn from a water garden store and set up an outdoor "pond" - about 70 gallons. It has a small sprinkling of gravel at the bottom, many live plants, a filter, a heater (in the winter) and had my beloved two calico Ryukins. They were best friends and doing fabulous. I have a complete test kit, water quality is great and I do frequent water changes.

Unfortunately something ate Mr. Wiggles on Wednesday. He was just gone. I am devastated. I am fairly certain it was a bird. Now his friend, Speckles, seems sad - no more playing with his friend. He is still eating and seems healthy, but doesn't play and dive like before.

I want to get another friend for him right away (I have addressed the heron issue and secured a solid screen over the top). But my fish store only has very small Ryukins. There is an Oranda that is the same size as my current fish and I am thinking of getting him. He really doesn't have much of a wen if any at all so I am not 100% sure he is an oranda. The other orandas in his tank all have sizeable wens.

What do you think about an oranda outside? My temps run around 50 - 60 degrees in the winter (water temp) and around 76 - 80 degrees in the summer.

It is all very confusing - I keep reading conflicting info online. Some people say orandas do fine outside and some say no...I can't tell if that is because some people have snow and ice.. or what! Thanks for any advice!

Here are pictures of what it looked like last year. More plants this year!

http://www.kelliope.com/pond/pg/index.htm

Gday mate &

I think u got a really nice place for goldfish to live in that HUGE urn! I love how it looks!

Oranda will do fine outdoors. They're one of the hardier fancies and will thrive in your outdoor "pond"

U might want to use a sturdy wire net or thick plastic net instead of a solid screen. A solid material will trap heat and make the water really hot during the day. Make sure that the net is really secure

Your photos are amazing! I love what you did with the urn.

I love orandas, as they are my favorite goldfish. They do wonderfully outside in ponds, in your case, urn.

Sorry you lost your fish! Sounds like either a bird or cat took him. How horrible.

Good luck picking your new fish out. Would love to see pics after you get him.

Oh, I'm sorry, wheres my manners? !

And then there were three!!!

I went to the fish store today and bought the little Oranda. I brought him home and was floating him while doing a water change. I was almost done, but I decided to pull the large water grass plant out to remove a few oak leaves that fell in and lo and behold...I saw a flash of gold! It was Mr. Wiggles!!!! I thought he was dead or injured - I couldn't get him out - He was nose down straight almost in the dirt!!!! I was afraid of hurting him. But I turned the pot upside down and got him out. I put him in a 5 gallon bucket to make sure he was o.k. while I finished cleaning the tank. He was fine! No signs of fin damage or sickness - he seems very happy to be free!

Now what to do about the new little guy - well I decided I would get a bigger filter and urn if necessary but I am keeping him! He is very cute.

I put him in and they all seem to be getting along great!

Thanks for the advice - I will post pics later.

I have Oranda's in my pond all the time. I have to bring them inside for the winter but they are outside from May to September. My pond link is below if you care to look.

Owww that's good to hear that Mr. Wiggles is fine!

I think the urn is big enough for the three of them. Do u change the water regularly? I think u might not need a filter as u got some plants there but u do need to change the water 100% every week or so

Debi, ur pond & fishes is gorgeous!

All is well in goldie land...here are pics of my new guy...and of the three of them together. Mr. Wiggles - the survivor! - is in the middle.







Cute, don't you think???

Cute? More than cute!!

I love the idea of the urn. I might get myself an urn instead of a plastic tub.

Btw ur calico ryukins are stunning. What bold colouration!

PS: Got ur urn netted yet?

Thanks! The urn is normally a beautiful aqua blue on the sides, but I've got a slight bit of algae! Luckily when I put a few water hyacinth back in during the summer, it gets rid of the algae.

Yes, I keep a screen (made for an amphibian cage) secured over the top, but I am happy to find out that nothing ate Mr. Wiggles - but not happy he got stuck in the plant! I can't believe we couldn't see him - my husband and I both searched and searched - it wasn't until I pulled the plant out and started cleaning it that I saw the flash of gold! Yikes!!!

And then today, I did something so stupid! I turned off my filter so that I could take these pictures without water disturbance and I forgot to turn it back on!!!! I hope my babies are OK! Geez, what is up with me!

Also, do you think my little oranda will turn all orange as he gets older?

Thanks!

~ kelliope

What a great idea for a pond! As you can see, nothing helps keep their coloring bright and vivid like the sun!

I definitely agree that you need a sturdy protective covering–in that area you can even get raccoons coming around. I would mostly be afraid of cats and birds though. I have lost fish to both.

Your new little guy will likely lose the black and be all orange. He will look great alongside the calicos, though.

And with the temps there they should do just fine outdoors. I am waiting here to move some babies outside but have to wait till all chances of frost are gone!!

What kind of filter have u got there, kelliope? Is it incorporated with the bamboo thingy?

I have a Fluval filter (submersible) and a separate pump forthe bamboo spitter. I also have a heater and a light which I love so at night it illuminates my urn and we can see the fishies. We turn it off early so they can get a good night's sleep!

I have to say that the fish seem to do really well outside. Some people told me they wouldn't do well, but they seem to be doing great. The two ryukins doubled their size in one year and their color is very good. Plus they get lots of vegetation to snack on - duckweed, etc.

The only downside is that I don't get to see their faces as much as if they were in an aquarium but I do love it and the fish seem to also.

Good luck - I hope you get your urn!

Great idea for a pond! The calicos are good looking too. You said the urn was 70 gallon? That's more than enough for 3 goldfish, right?

Yeah, the oranda will most likely lose its black color. Mine is losing it. But I heard someone said that it might retain the black if it gets enough sunlight. I don't know why though.

About the cold weather, according to Erik Johnson (author of Fancy Goldfish), oranda, or ranchu goldfish can deal with the cold winter fine when they are young, but they may have problems as they get older. But given the mild weather of SF, I think there's a good chance they'll survive.

That does it! Now I want one

That's a fantastic setup you have there and your fish are absolutely adorable. Thank goodness you found Mr Wiggles

It really is such a fantastic environment for them and with a heater to combat the colder months, they should continue to thrive

I tend to agree with Jen! I too would love to have something like this,but living in Pittsburgh,would definately mean that they'd have to come in the house over winter.Thank goodness that Mr.Wiggles turned up. Your fish and set-up are great!