i have a pond around 2500 gallons. It already has 3 orfes, 3 rosy reds, 5 koi, and 8 assorted goldish. Can i add more goldfish? How many should i add?

As long as the koi are still small, there is room for more goldfish. It all depends on the relative sizes of the fish now and at maturity. But, you really don't have to add any as your current fish will spawn and soon fill the pond with more fish than your pond can take anyway! I wouldn't add more than a 6-12 more goldfish because the koi will grow huge, and the goldfish will spawn like crazy.

i know that the goldfish will spawn but the orfes will eat the young fry. There are hiding spots but my orfes stay in the shallows where the spots are. Do you mean i should have 6-12 goldish or i can add 6-12 goldfish?

i want to add more goldfish because they cant keep up with the koi and orfe when i feed them. i would like to have 12-18 goldfish. As many as possible! I dont want to overcrowd my pond but i would like to have as much as i can safetly.

I meant that you could probably add 6-12 more. When I started my 1800 gallon pond, I think I put in 12 "feeders," 9 fancy goldfish, 4 orfe, 3 koi, and 12 rosy red and fathead minnows as well as 2 goldfish and some fatheads from my first pond. I didn't have much luck with the koi the first few years. The original ones died. Maggie and Colin who are still alive were added the next year. The fancy goldfish also didn't fare well. I think I have one fantail left which wasn't added that first year.

i will probably add 8-10. thanks for your help! Im going to add them next year.

i have 1 common goldfish, 5 comets, and 2 shubunkin. i wan tot get more commons like maybe 4 more, 4 more shubunkins and 2 more comets. Is this good?

That's fine. The more commons that you have though, the more your future generations of fish will be more bland as far as finnage and colors.

but wont the orfes and other fish eat the fry and eggs? i know the pond is big but the orfes are everywhere!

Goldfish put out tens of thousands of eggs. Most eggs and newborns get eaten but your pond is large enough that with some plant cover, you will have survivors, at least for the first few years until the fish grow larger and more multitudinous.

wow thats alot! my neighbor has like 7 koi and a channel catfish and his goldfish breed alot. I think i will just buy 2 more commons and 2 more shubunkin.

does this sound good Robyn?

Sounds fine to me.

thanks so much for your help Robyn!

1 of my 3 favorite fish was found dead this morning, a golden orfe. I would like to replace it. do you think i should get 1 or 2 more? does it matter?

In 1997, I got 4 orfe. In 1998, I got 4 more orfe. I lost 50% of them within the first few years. The rest have done well. I had four of them, 1.5 feet long, but the one died yesterday when it went into water too shallow to breathe in or move it. How many orfe do you have? I would probably go ahead and get a few of them. I hopefully can get a few more myself. I plan to quarantine them, perhaps over winter in my basement pond. I just worry about them jumping since orfes are so spazy. The ones they sell are little tiny things so they should have enough room for a few months there.

i have 2 orfe right now. the rest of my fish are in my sig. i wish i could quarintine the orfe im getting but i cant. Should i get 1 or 2 more. i think 2 sounds good.

Two is good so they have a buddy of the same size/age.

i just picked up 1 but it was actually the same batch as my original ones so they are about the same size. i bought 10 rosy reds but they guy gave us 19 because we go there alot ;) .