Okay so normally I have a 500l pond with 3 fish, a 12 inch goldfish with a cyst on his fin (peach), a stunted shubunkin who is finally growing (Opal) and a chocolate nymph with a cyst in her jaw (Sepia) basically it's a rehabilitation pond, it's a greenwater pond, so I generally don't see the fish much but it's obvious simply by the colour of the water if somethings wrong. I haven't checked it in the last couple of days so I go out there to find the seal at the base has broken and waters pouring out, Peach is covered in black patches (ammonia burn?) and sepia has the black on her jaw as well. So quick thinking, Sepia and Opal are now being acclimatised into an alpaca trough, which I can only take for a day or two, and Peach is in a seperate bucket while I find out how to euthanize him (he's way past saving).

So now what do I do? how do I get rid of Sepias ammonia burn, what's a cheap pond for two growing fish? (soon to be 4, I have two other fish that were meant to go to the pond)

How can I euthanise Peach, we don't have any of the normal things used, we have a freezer and gin, can I use those? I just feel really bad leaving her there gasping.

Something obviously went wrong with the pond in the last two days, their were the black rotted bits of what used to be plants, and the water stank so badly, I couldn't find any animal remains in there, but at the time it was more important to find the fish...

Pleas help!

Peach died. Poor fish, she was my first ever fish when I was 5. She was ten years old.

Okay so Sepia and Opal are in a 55g trough, it's 8 feet long. They can't stay for more then a couple of days though, the troughs in a really hot area and I highly doubt it'd hold water for more then a few days. Mum doesn't want an inground pond, so it needs to be something above ground, I really don't wnat another tank, Sepia and Opal freak when their in a tank, and I have no where to put another one, I have two many already. Whatever I get it'll need to hold 4 goldies, a nymph, a shubunkin, a fantail and a black moore.

New question, those kiddy wading pools, which have rigidy/floppy walls, are circular, generally only 30cm or so high, and cutesy cartoon figures on the sides, would they be any good for a fish pond? or am I asking for trouble? they seem to hold a decent amount of water...

Here this is what I mean-
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/KIDS-SWIMMING-POOL-...1QQcmdZViewItem

I know inflatables no go, but what about this?

Can you get the Rubbermaid Stock tanks or an equivilent there?

Yes, but the price is crazy, my parents refuse to pay $500+ for 2 rescue fish, and I can pay up to $100, but not much more then that. I can't even get a 4 foot tank for that.

How about a pair of bins, If I ran an airline in each, and packed em with plants and added a small filter, would that work? From memory they hold 150-200l though will have to check, and then have 2 goldies in each bin?

One of the things that drove me mad with the pond was that it was so scrungy I wasn't allowed to have it anywhere near powerpoints, so we're trying to work something out that could be next to a power point so I can run filters etc, instead of the greenwater pond I had.

The black on sepias jaw is beginning to clear already, and she doesn't appear ill at all, she scarfed the hikari pellets I gave her. Opal is feeling well enough to chase sepia all over the place, even though theres no way Sepia has any eggs.

I just want to say that I'm so sorry that you lost Peach. Ten years is a long time to have a pet.

I don't know if what you're using is good to keep fish in, so I'll leave all that to the experts. I hope you get more advice and opinions soon.

Peach I'm glad that your other fish are recovering nicely.

Debbie

Well I spent an entire day arguing with mum over it because and I quote "I'm not paying money for two scabby goldfish which are going to die soon anyway"
Hmmm Peach lived to 10 years, Sepia's barely a year old, I don't get that LOL.

Anyways she's agreed to let me keep the 55g water trough, so that's being set up, and I'm going to buy a 35g "compost" bin to use for the two fantails. It should be okay as I can rig up a fountain style pump so theirs plenty of aeration and an air pump to move water from the base to the top, plus we don't ahve all the temperature probs most people have, so tis all good.

So would a 55g work fpr a stunted shubunkin (5") and a stunted nymph (3")?

Then the 35g for a black moore (probably stunted) and a calico fantail.

Oh and the reason I have so many stunted goldies is because I always end up with rescues, and then they just won't grow, I do have massive fancies as well LOL.

Avalon, You'll want to check the water parameters on the 35 to be sure it's not overloaded. Do twice weekly water changes if you have to and invest in the biggest filtration you can afford for the 35. Can you build a mini-skippy filter for the two containers? (http://www.skippysstuff.com)

I have versions of those already, though their in the pond rather then outside, Mum likes things looking "neat" and short of buying a cannister filter or similar (which I don't have the money for) I can't stick something on top like a skippy filter.

I have plenty of plants which will go straight into both, to hopefully stop nitrate build up, and I've moved gunk from our small existing ponds into the 55 to hopefully help with getting them balanced again. Media has also been taken from tanks for an instant cycle.

Well I bought the bin, interestingly, it's actually 40g not 35, I must've calculated wrong, cos it's got 40 US Gallons on the lid.

So 2 stunted goldies in the 55, they'll be okay won't they? they've been in the 138g for the past 6 or so months, the 55 is much shallower and a completely different shape.

2 fancies in the 40g bin.

Both have aeration and filtration, with media from my tanks and other ponds in there. Now fingers crossed that this works.

I've also ordered some azolla fern (native duckweed) online, now I'm just hoping the goldies won't find it edible LOL, will also add in some hornwort, elodea and java moss, as well as the emergent style plants.

Avalon, the 55 should be okay for your two fish - are you staying "green water" on that one? It might be better to stick some sort of filter on that one as well, I am not sure a 55 gl without filtration would do so good on the green water method. Unless you are changing water twice a week.
As to the neatness of some filters, I have a lot of "homemade" filters, and I just stick water loving plants in it, and while they grow lush and beautiful, nobody ever sees that there is a fitler underneath it. There are some great plants out there, like a papyrus plant, or one variety of lilies that sit in my pond year round. They might die down during colder temperatures, but they always come back in the spring. I have papyrus, the lily type plant, as well as purple elephant ears in filters. Spider plants do great in filters as well, but they don't like to sit in the sun too much.

Nah, I dumped all my greenwater culture, it'll be heavily planted and already has a large filter as well, and an airstone.

So far so good with the ponds, fishies are happy and swimming around, and the 55g in particular seems to be filled with grasshoppers continually, Opal the shubby adores them, he thinks they taste great LOL.

The 40g pond has stabilised, right now it's just got my blackmoore in it, but readings are Ph 7.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 (need to add more plants) So will add the lil fantail as well in a couple of days.