Veiltail Goldfish in the Pond: Keeping, Breeding and Overwintering

Are you dreaming of picturesque veil-tailed goldfish swimming in the garden pond? Then familiarize yourself here with the important criteria for correct posture. Due to their physique, the magnificent ornamental fish require much more warmth and are less robust than classic goldfish. This guide deals in detail with all aspects, from the ideal framework conditions in the pond to successful breeding and successful overwintering.

The perfect pond

– Premises for ideal framework conditions-

If the veil-tailed goldfish had a say, it would advocate keeping it in the garden pond. If the basic conditions are right here, the pretty ornamental fish feels in good hands all year round. Pond size, water quality, temperature, plant population and oxygen supply make a significant contribution to this. The following overview summarizes all the important premises for successfully keeping veiltail goldfish in ponds:

• Location: sunny to semi-shady, with about 30 percent of the water surface in the shade
• Minimum pond size: 1000 liters
• Minimum depth: 100 to 150 centimeters
• Water quality: pH value 6.5 to 8.3, maximum nitrate content 25 mg/l, degree of hardness 10 to 12 dH
• Temperature: 4 to 22 degrees Celsius
• Soil substrate: loose mixture of sand and fine gravel
• Equipment: filter system and air pump for clean, oxygen-rich water

When purchasing veiltail goldfish, please bear in mind that they are typically schooling fish. In solitude, even with perfect conditions, there are only small chances of survival. Therefore use 4 to 5 of the ornamental fish. The more volume a pond has to offer, the larger the fish community can be. However, excessive stocking of fish must not occur in order to prevent diseases and stress. The precise calculation of the correct balance between pond volume and number of fish is a subject of heated and controversial discussion among experts. From a practical point of view, it should be noted that between 80 and 100 liters of pond water should be available for a veiltail goldfish with a final size of 25 cm.

Aquatic plants are indispensable for the well-being of the fish and the biological balance in the pond. Pond plants remove excess nutrients from the water and serve as a sought-after place of retreat for the swimming residents. A balanced mix of underwater and floating plants is ideal. Cattails (Typha), water mimosas (Aeschynomene fluitans), water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes), spring moss (Fontinalis antipyretica) and water lilies (Nymphaea) are very popular.

Use skillfully

– Tips for the Welcome Ceremony –

Veiltail goldfish are delicate creatures that are sensitive to sudden changes. So please take a little time to give your floating garden dwellers a proper welcome. The best time to add ornamental fish to the pond is spring. This gives them enough time to acclimatize before winter.

• Only use from a water temperature of 15 degrees Celsius
• Put the transport bag with the water and fish in the water at the edge of the pond
• Open the bag after 45 to 60 minutes and fill in a few handfuls of pond water
• Reseal the bag and leave in the water for another 30 minutes

Finally, open the bag and release the new pond dweller into freedom. This acclimatization process greatly reduces stress for a veiltail goldfish. As an alternative, fill the fish with transport water in a large bucket. In the following hours, gradually scoop pond water into the container. After 2 to 3 hours the acclimatization process is complete and the fish move to the pond.

Nourishment

– How to feed properly –

Veiltail goldfish are omnivores and never seem to get enough. This carries the risk that beginners feed their pond fish too often and in too large quantities. The ornamental fish then become overweight, which significantly shortens their life expectancy. Obesity makes fish so sluggish and sluggish that cats and herons have an easy time of it. Furthermore, leftover feed sinks to the bottom, decomposes and significantly impairs the water quality. How to feed with expertise:

• Only feed at temperatures above 10 degrees Celsius
• A varied diet with a change from dry food, frozen food and live food
• Green leaves of lamb's lettuce or dandelion as a supplementary food and distraction from pond plants
• Peas, corn and unsalted potatoes in small amounts as an easily digestible diet
• Better in 2 to 3 small portions spread over the day than once the entire daily ration
• Ideally, observe one fasting day per week

Large ponds provide fish with additional approach food in the form of insects that fall into the water or mosquito larvae that swim on the surface. The natural food does not cover the energy requirements of the lively ornamental fish, especially in summer. Dry food from the pet shop is therefore an essential part of the diet. Please purchase purposefully sealed, lightproof packaged fish food in small quantities. As soon as a pack is opened, the vitamins and nutrients it contains decompose within a short time. This process renders the food unusable for your valuable ornamental fish long before the expiry date printed on it. Therefore, leave bulk packs on the side, even if the low price is so tempting.

Live food, such as white, red and black mosquito larvae, can be purchased frozen or dried in well-stocked specialist shops all year round. There is also the option to go hunting yourself during the summer months. You will find what you are looking for in standing water, rain barrels and large watering cans.

water fleas

– Premium food for young and old –

Feeding water fleas is recommended for the successful keeping of veiltail goldfish and the breeding of juvenile fish. In this way, your ornamental fish receive high-quality and natural live food that is perfectly suited as a supplement to dry food. High in fiber and low in nutrients, goldfish of all ages will benefit from this food as overfeeding is unlikely. Fleas that are not eaten live on and are only consumed later. In contrast, dried or frozen water fleas contain hardly any vitamins and sink to the bottom of the pond as waste if they are not eaten.

The water flea species Daphnia pulex in particular can be bred simply and easily in water buckets or ponds. This has the advantage that you know exactly that you are providing your veiltail goldfish with guaranteed parasite-free food. If you feed water fleas with algae, your fish benefit from important enzymes and bacteria, which is particularly advantageous when breeding young fish.

breed

– Criteria for successful propagation –

Where veiltail goldfish feel in good hands, family planning has top priority in spring. The spawn is usually just below the water surface, where it sticks to the pond liner or aquatic plants. After a week, silvery-black, shiny juveniles of 1 to 2 mm in size hatch. It can take up to 12 months for the offspring to identify themselves as veiltail goldfish. That's how long it takes for the bright colors, shapely fins and magnificent tail to develop. During this time, the dark camouflage color contributes significantly to the tiny creatures surviving for so long.

The biggest problem in breeding veiltail goldfish is cannibalism. Adult fish have no scruples about eating the juveniles, even if they are their own offspring. By removing the veiltail nursery from the adult fish, you solve the problem. The following options guarantee a successful course of propagation:

• Create a separate, shallow, densely overgrown area for young fish when constructing the pond
• Transfer young fish to a separate tank immediately after hatching
• Relocate the veiltail offspring indoors and care for them in an aquarium

Breed juvenile fish in a tank or aquarium until they reach a size of at least 4 cm. With this body size, you can put the offspring back into the pond without the young fish falling victim to voracious conspecifics.

hibernate

- Thats how it works -

A minimum depth of 100 to 150 cm is the most important criterion for keeping veiltail goldfish in the pond all year round. When the temperatures on the water surface drop to freezing point in winter and ice forms, the temperature at the bottom of the pond is still 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. If the fish were able to acclimatize in the water over a period of 6 months, their organism easily adapts to the changed conditions.

The successful hibernation begins in autumn. Protect the pond from falling leaves with a net or net the leaves daily. In this way you effectively prevent the dreaded fermentation gases, which pose the greatest danger under a winter ice cover. Also cut back perennial pond and aquatic plants in good time. Tie the stalks of ornamental grasses on the bank together with a string to form a tuft, as pruning of these plants is only planned for spring. In this way, individual leaves cannot detach and sink to the bottom of the pond. With the following measures, you can guide your ornamental fish through the cold season unscathed:

• Stop feeding at temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius
• Remove the pond pump and store away from frost
• Put an ozonizer on the bottom of the pond for a permanent supply of oxygen
• Place an ice preventer on the water surface

The pivotal point for a successful hibernation is that the water surface does not freeze over completely. With an ice preventer, a small air hole should ensure that fermentation gases can escape. Even a simple styrofoam ring with a lid made of gas-permeable, buoyant material fulfills this task satisfactorily. Higher-quality devices are equipped with a low-voltage heater so that the opening remains free of ice. Should the ice cover close completely during a severe winter, please do not punch a hole in it. The veiltail goldfish resting at the bottom of the pond are abruptly awakened from their hibernation and could suffer a circulatory collapse. It is better if you gently melt a new opening in the ice sheet with hot water.

Find out more about animals in the garden pond