Outdoor Goldfish Care

Backyard landscaping is no longer just limited to flowers, shrubs and trees. Many homeowners and businesses are adding outdoor ponds or "water garden" type yard features. Goldfish are often chosen to be inhabitants of such fixtures. However, unlike natural bodies of water, water gardens are not natural environments. Therefore to ensure the safety and survival of your goldfish in the pond, you must maintain it properly.

  1. Number of Fish

    • The number of fish you can have in your water garden is dependent on the size of it. For example, according to the Water Garden website, too many fish in a small pond can lead to reduced oxygen levels and increased waste can add to toxic chemical buildup. So in terms of having outdoor goldfish, the site recommends you follow a rule: You're able to have one goldfish for every three to four square feet of surface area of your pond. Following this rule, a 10-by-10-foot pond (100 square feet) could house about 30 goldfish.

    Water Quality

    • Poor water conditions can stress fish and make them more susceptible to disease, and owning an outdoor water pond makes such water more prone to poor conditions. A big part of this is because lawn products such as fertilizer and weed killers can either overlap or run off into the water, bringing toxins into it. According to Water Garden, water conditions should be tested daily, ideally testing for pH levels between 6.6 and 8.4. The site recommends, if you need to make adjustments to the water quality, that you do so gradually.

    Feeding

    • Don't give fish too much food, no matter if they're in a bowl or in a water garden, because they could potentially eat themselves to death. In caring for outdoor goldfish, this consists of making sure the fish are fed only what they can eat in five minutes. Water temperature also plays a role in feeding. In warm water temperature (60 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit) their metabolism is high and they should be fed two to four times per day. In colder temperatures, such as 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, they're metabolism slows, so they can be fed every other day.

    Protecting Your Fish

    • A big part of keeping outdoor goldfish healthy is adjusting to different seasons. For example, in the fall when the leaves fall from the trees, make sure that leaves don't get into the outdoor pond because they could throw off pH levels. Water Garden recommends placing a net on top of the pond to capture the leaves before they wreak havoc on the pond water. Outdoor fish are also susceptible to predators, such as raccoons and birds. One way to minimize their effect is to place a scarecrow by the pond, which helps ward off nosy predators.