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FORGET THE GOLDFISH!!!!!!!!!

Around The Farm
#41

[QUOTE=Casey09;4058992]
Hmm.
I have a bunch of goldfish in an outdoor pond. My understanding is that the water has to be moving (to provide oxygen to the fish) in warm weather, and that for the whole process to work, you’ve got to have a lot of plants in there. It does get algae on the sides - the goldfish don’t seem to eat that much of it. The water usually gets pretty clear - but only after the plants are in (and in cold weather). Every spring, it goes through an “algae bloom” and is green until it has a lot of plants in it. They do eat the bugs, though.[/QUOTE]

I have a pond with Koi in it. I’ve always been told that they need moving water as well. So I have to leave either the filter or the waterfall going all the time.

To combat Algae, I’m looking to find a Chinese Hi Fin Banded Shark. It’s not really a shark, but a little fish who has a voracious appetite for Algae. I don’t know how they’d do in a horse water tank.

#42

[QUOTE=Laytian;4059141]
Mmmm-mmm, says the mare. Sushi! :lol::lol::D:p:cool:[/QUOTE]

THAT…is a great story!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

#43

[QUOTE=yventer;4058843]

[QUOTE=tikihorse2;4058802]
I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.[/QUOTE]

Yeah…lookout…there are people who put gasp LIVING FISH in a horses water tank. Poor things. No glass. Can’t see out. Deprived and overheated. Enslaved and forced to eat bugs and mosquito larvae while working for “the man”…trying not to be swallowed whole by “the mare”. :rolleyes: :lol: :lol: :lol:

yventer…that is a GREAT story, btw. :lol:

#44

Go out and get a spa vacuum. It attaches to a garden hose and can be used to suck stuff off the bottom of the tank, just like the thing you use to clean the bottom of a fish tank, only bigger and more powerful.

#45

That is the best reason to have them in a tank, IMHO.

#46

This thread is funny. :slight_smile:

I used to keep goldfish in a 20gal tank in my bedroom. I had one for 11 years. He was a bonifide carp…about 6" long from mouth to tail.

I eventually gave him to someone with a larger tank…he was just too big for mine!!!

They are grossly dirty fish, I’d NEVER put anything that excretes waste into a tank of water for my horses…yuck.

I’d be much happier scrubbing and re-filling for clean water every day.

I keep Platys now…they’re much cuter, stay smaller and far less dirty! One had fry last Christmas…I ended up with 14 fish! The babies are so cute…

…nope, fish are for aquariums, not livestock tanks.

#47

Goldfish abusers, it’s time to widen your circle of crime. Because barn cats love to eat evidence of your heinous acts of abuse, and they’ll never tell. It’s the perfect crime.

Goldfish, occasionally it’s what’s for dinner.

Mwu-ah-ah-ahaa!!!

Some of our horses drink out of beautiful scrubbed troughs or Nelson waterers. Some of them prefer fishy, lovely water from our 1-acre pond. I doubt you’ll find a horse that’s died from fish-poop poisoning, so long as you’re not doing something stupid like stocking 50 fish in a 50 gallon trough.

Honestly, folks…fish in a trough get you going?!?

#48

…little tip if you are going to keep goldfish in your stone trough or other water source; Don’t let horses that have recently been wormed drink from it, this results in dead goldfish. :cry:

#49

What’s this stuff about goldfish being “dirty” fish? How can they be any worse than other fish?

#50

[QUOTE=Dispatcher;4059551]
What’s this stuff about goldfish being “dirty” fish? How can they be any worse than other fish?[/QUOTE]

The carp family excrete more than their share of ammonia for their size. However they make up for it by being cute, friendly and for fish- smart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbei8_tRNS8&feature=related

#51

I wrote:

“Um, PETA? I’d like to report some goldfish abuse.”

And yventer replied:

I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.

LOL!!! See! See! Clear case of GOLDFISH ABUSE BY A HORSE! What’s PETA gonna say about that, when the abuser is (gulp) another animal!!! How do you charge a horse with abusing a sea-kitten?

And all along we thought horses were vegetarians. I tell you, we’d better watch out! :eek::lol::lol::lol:

Kim

#52

I have a huge koi in my cistern. The previous owner of my farm told me she’d had a few fish in there years ago, and I had no idea he (she?) was still in there until I’d been here about a year :uhoh: Never have I abused him, but I think my situation probably qualifies as neglect. Where do I turn myself in?

#53

I had a boarder’s mare that would eat them! I couldn’t figure out where they were going, until I caught her one day with the little orange tail fin flopping out of the side of her mouth. “Drop that fish, you mare!” I yelled. She looked at me and swallowed. True story.

OMG. laughing I think I would have fallen down laughing (if the mental picture that I have of this is correct).

#54

Have to wait till I get home to view these–can’t open youtube here at work! thanks

#55

My thoughts exactly. :wink:

#56

“Hi, my name is A4B, and I’m a golfish abuser…”

Kidding… I’m really not a goldfish abuser.

Yet. :cool:

Our fence will be completed in the next couple weeks, which means I get to bring the girls home at the end of May. :yes: But since we live in the wooded area with a regular fog of those Texas state birds (meaning mosquitos), and I’m not interested in furthering their population, there will be fishies in the tank. I’ve seen dozens of tanks with estabilished algae and goldfish (and clear water!), but I’ve never started one. Any special steps required? Or this as simple as fill tank, add fish?

#57

[QUOTE=Blue Yonder;4059525]
Goldfish abusers, it’s time to widen your circle of crime. Because barn cats love to eat evidence of your heinous acts of abuse, and they’ll never tell. It’s the perfect crime.

Goldfish, occasionally it’s what’s for dinner.

Mwu-ah-ah-ahaa!!!

Some of our horses drink out of beautiful scrubbed troughs or Nelson waterers. Some of them prefer fishy, lovely water from our 1-acre pond. I doubt you’ll find a horse that’s died from fish-poop poisoning, so long as you’re not doing something stupid like stocking 50 fish in a 50 gallon trough.

Honestly, folks…fish in a trough get you going?!?[/QUOTE]

I usually lurk, but oh my gosh! Fish poop poisoning! This is so funny!

#58

Didn’t work for me

I read all about the Miracle Trough-Cleaning Fish on here and got myself 5 $.25 feeder-sized GF for my 50gal barrel/trough.

They all went bellyup in about a week - but not before making the barrel pretty icky-looking. Thinking I perhaps got sick fish I replaced them and all but 1 died soon after. I posted on here and was told:
*the cinderblock I gave them for shade & to hide under had leached poisonous chemicals into the water & killed them
*GF are nasty & should never live in horse troughs
*GF are wonderful and should always live in horse troughs

So I gave up, moved the survivor to a water feature in my backyard and 3 years later he/she & his/her $2 upscale friend are nearly 6" long and spent the Winter in a 30gal tank w/filter in my basement.
I am making them a hypertufa tank for the backyard so they can relocate to outdoors soon.
By next Fall I hope they will still fit into the 30gal tank.

#59

I thought about trying this, but I have a 17 hand OTTB who loves to “splash” in the tank, and I could see the sushi fest that would leave behind!

When I scrub our tanks, I add apple cider vinegar which helps to inhibit the algae. It also keeps the bugs down as well.

#60

It does not take much to start goldfish in a tank. The most important part is to wait a couple of days or a week or two to make sure the chemicals in the water are gone. Also allow the fish to adjust to the temperature of the water. Just put the bag of fish in the water for 15-20 mins before releasing them. We had goldfish in a very large cement stock tank (estimate: 5’ x 8’ and about 4 feet deep) for years. Then as long as you do not do massive water changes they should do fine. If you do a massive water change (more than a 1/4 of the tank) keep them in buckets for a couple of days, again for the chemicals. This was in Iowa, so in the winter we had a water heater in the tank for access to the air and for the horse to drink out of. Otherwise they were fine. Ours were the 10 cent feeder fish from the pet store. We were the pain in the butt customer that picked out our feeder fish for the colors. :smiley:

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