So many people have a small pond in there gardens these days, and most of them have a few small fish in them, the summer months can and do get very hot, as it is here in the UK at the moment(see it doesnt always rain) at this time a lot of people tend to forget or not know that the warmer the water the less oxygen it can hold, and this can be deadly to small pond with fish, in fact most garden pools will be effected by the heat even those that are shaded, and not all ponds have pumps and waterfalls, its these last two ponds that should be aware of a cople of options to protect your fish, by filling a watering can and gently plashing back onto the water surface you will increase the oxygen in the pond, your fish will even come right into the plashes to get at the oxygen, do this three or four time and it will be ok, repeat this a couple of times a week in the hot weather and your fish will be fine, deeper ponds can be done the same way, but take of the sprinkler and poor it in hard, you will nedd to do a few times to do good, but it is well worth it to save your fish from stress and ill health or death, i hope this info will be of benifit to people.
Small fish in hot weather
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Yes, good advice Alan. You can usually tell when the fish are getting stressed - they come to the surface and gulp. In addition to a pump, I have taken to leaving a hose pipe trickling into the pond overnight. It overflows into the bog garden bit (with all the hostas) and seems to keep the fish happy. One big old (nearly 30) goldfish seems to like it playing on his head.
El Tel
et tel..your goldfish is nearly 30???!! WOW! Have you had him for all those years? I think that is so neat! Lisa
Yep. We moved here from London in 1974 and brought the goldfish with us. He is the last survivor of that batch and has outlived many of the friends we put in with him.
I'll try to get a pic - at his age he ought to stay still long enough !
El Tel
LOL, eltel, that is incredible!!! Can't wait to "meet" him, hehehe.
You sure Jody ? We call him Jaws !! Even the heron stays away.
El Tel
LOL, yep would love to meet "jaws"! Perhaps you could "lend" him out to scare the ducks away from my pond in the sping, lol.
Love to Jody, but he is currently under contract to MGM for the remake of Moby Dick (or should that be Moby Duck !)
El Tel
LOLOLOL