I added four small (1 1/2") comets to my new pond and within only a few days two have died. You would think that being saved from the feeder-fish tank, which is where they came from, they would be delighted to be the first and only fish in a nice pond full of emerging mosquito larvae.

i only but feeder fish on the day they arrive tot he store, we have bought some before and they gave a disease to a few of my ducks from being in really poor health,most fo thoose poor little guys arent taken care of bc they are feeder fish so they may have been poorly taken care of and already sick and the move just did them in so if you want the feeder type then i suggest calling the store and asking what day there supply comes in and go that day to purchase them this is how i have the best look with them

To prevent the spread of a possible disease then I suppose that I should quarantine the litle ones for awhile before adding to the big pond.

I was checking prices at our local water gardening store and a 3-4" comet will go for $4 while a 1 1/2" comet at the pet store will go for .15. At that price I could buy 26 comets for 4$

I'm sure the feeder fish were delighted to have all that room but they most likely were so beaten up and diseased from their previous life that they could not recover. Feeder fish often have parasites and/or bacterial infections and are usually emaciated. It is best to quarantine new fish especially "feeders." Quarantine for at least 2 weeks (longer is better). Don't judge the value or contribution of a goldfish by its cost. A 1 cent goldfish is just as much a goldfish as a $30 one and uses just as much space and so on. Just because I can afford to buy a thousand feeder goldfish is not a reason to do it. I'd rather have a few more expensive but healthier fish than a bunch of sick ones. Good luck!

I am also new to feeding fish in a pond. Previously I only had to add some flakes in a whiskey barrel. The fish would eventually lose their shyness and I could see them eat.

With a 9' x 3' deep pond the little fish seem to spend much time at the bottom and ignore my attempts to feed them.

Could it be that they did not eat? There are bugs, snails and a number of floaters including duckweed...???

The feeder fish were probably anorexic when you got them but I'm pretty confident they did not die of starvation. There are plenty of natural foods to eat in most ponds as well as fish foods that have sunk. Fish are more apt to hide in larger ponds because there are simply more places to hide and more alternative food sources. Few goldfish die of starvation and almost never in a pond.

All four comets have now left this world for a better place. It is hard to imagine a better place than my new pond (except for a place like Johnnyboys) but I just have to accept it, I guess.

Total fish now in pond=0.

On the bright side:

No algea
Lots of nice snails and bugs
No clogged filters

No fish - No FUN!!!

Everyone that sees it says: "Nice pond! Why don't you put some fish in there?"
:(

I hope you can try again and be successful. I suggest getting a few of the more expensive small pond goldfish (not feeders). Quarantine them for a few weeks. Double check the pond's water chemistry. By waiting to add more fish (instead quaranting them inside), if the previous fish had anything contagious, it should be out of the pond by then.

Good luck!

Roj,
Sorry about your fish. Don't give up on the little fishies!! Some day after you buy more, things will just click and the they will all grow up!! Good Luck!!
Ellen

OK no more feeder fish. All four died, I think. Although I looked and looked, I only found three of the comet remains.

Anyway, last weekend I added four fantails to the pond. They have acted normally and are a treat to watch. But, to my surprise, the fourth comet came out after a week of hiding to join them!

Neat!

I'm glad one of your missing fish resurfaced but sorry to hear about the others. I hope the new fish do okay. Fantails tend to have a higher mortality in ponds than comets due to their more delicate nature (deformations).