We have tropical fish, betta fish, an aquatic frog, and pond fish.
Tropical Fish
The tropical fish live in a fifty-five gallon tank and each of the bettas live in their own heated and filtered ten-gallon tank. We do partial water changes on all of the tanks every week and deep cleaning on all of the tanks every month.
The tropical fish are fed a tropical fish food and the bettas are fed a betta food.
Frog
Frogger is our aquatic frog. He lives with one of the bettas in a ten-gallon tank with a heater and filter. He eats aquatic frog food. The betta doesn’t seem to mind having company and he doesn’t bother the betta.
Everyone, even Frogger, gets Bugbites once a week and frozen blood worms once a month for treats.
The Pond
The pond fish live in a ten thousand gallon pond that we dug for them. We started with koi and goldfish in the pond but they’ve bred up so now we have koi-goldfish hybrids.
Cleaning
We do partial water changes on the pond from time to time during summer and until the air temperature gets below sixty degrees. Ideally, we would do partial water changes every week, but koi are sensitive to changes in water ph levels. Our well water isn’t treated to maintain ph levels so we err on the side of caution and do less frequent cleaning. Also, maintaining the pond’s ecosystem is important because it helps keep the water healthy for the fish. Cleaning too frequently can upset the ecosystem and cause problems for the fish and plants. It’s important to keep the water clean, but since the ecosystem is thriving in the pond we don’t want to do anything to disrupt it.
Aeration
Year-round we use an aeration stone and a homemade water fountain powered by a pump to help move the water in the pond and to also increase the oxygen levels in the water. In especially cold winters, we use a pond deicer to keep an open hole in the ice to allow gasses to escape.
Feeding
When the water is below fifty degrees, we feed the fish a specially formulated food for cool water. Every other day during summer we feed the fish food that is formulated to bring out their vibrant colors. The fish love the warm months because they get to eat lots of bugs!
Winter
The fish stay in the pond year-round, even during the winter. When the water temperature starts to fall below forty degrees, we stop feeding the fish and their bodies slow down. Essentially, they go into hibernation at the bottom of the pond. We’ve had a couple of feet of hard ice in the pond, but because we dug the pond four feet deep, the fish have a safe place to hibernate without getting trapped in the ice. They emerge every spring healthy, hungry, and ready to swim again.
Algae
Shade is something we’re lacking here on the plains and algae can be a challenge in the pond. The sun is also a challenge because koi can get sunburned really easily. As a measure to reduce sunburn and algae, we use a pond dye in the water. It turns the water a really pretty deep blue color and it creates a barrier to shield the fish from the sun and it helps slow down the growth of algae. It’s safe for wildlife and the outdoor cats to drink so it’s something we feel comfortable using.
Surprise Visitors
Toads and salamanders have also moved into the pond! We didn’t put them in there, they were just drawn to the water and decided to make it their home! The fish don’t bother them and they don’t bother the fish so they’re welcome to stay as long as they want to!
