Queen of the Pond

[Kalei]

Hey everyone, I am happy and yet sad to announce this thread to you. I don't want anyone to be mad at me or think I wanted to do this. But it was best for her. Well, its been pretty much a month and the tank barely even cleared no matter what I did to help and Queen still hasn't been looking her good healthy self. So I finally knew it was time.

Today I took her to the pond, and it was a good day to do it too since there was a little bit of sunshine here and there. I cried, but after I set her free, I knew that I had made the right decision. She looked so elegant and free in the pond swimming away. She looked like a Queen. And I am happy I gave her a better home, I could tell already that she was likeing the water.

And of course SeaKing went too, I guess I didn't mention him as much cause I loved Queen so so much. But SeaKing was also very happy. I came back to the pond 3 hours later and saw him swimming with the other pond fish and he looked very happy.

Well I got some pictures of her and the pond. And a few to remember her by.

Here she is in a big bucket on the way there, in which she was still way to big for.
http://i15.tinypic.com/53essht.jpg

And this is a pic of the pond when I was walking up to it. It's a very natural pond as you can tell.
http://i10.tinypic.com/50638dd.jpg
Its not as small as it may look in the picture. IT's a pretty big pond.

http://i17.tinypic.com/637ukx1.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/53rw87p.jpg
Setting Free

http://i14.tinypic.com/52xq8gk.jpg

Here's a pic of her swimming towards the deeper part.
http://i11.tinypic.com/5xrfmso.jpg

http://i16.tinypic.com/4r0zyvr.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/53t1jeb.jpg


More to come..

[Kalei]

http://i14.tinypic.com/63mtsg7.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/4uugi8z.jpg
And there she goes down into some grass.

And here are some memory pics of her.
http://i13.tinypic.com/4vfkuio.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/5zf6w52.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/6cqjvyr.jpg

:)

[Zippy]

((((HUGS)))))
You did what was best of your beautiful Queen.You love her so much that you know that you had to let her go to the pond.That's Love.You are a wonderful pet mom.

[IRescue452]

Is that a natural pond or your own? She'll have plenty of space to swim now. No more worries about bad water. So, what now with the tank? Tropicals?

[Alysser]

Kalei, no one is going to be mad at you. We will be happy that you were not selfish, and kept her. You did what was best for her, and she will always be grateful. She must be so happy there, with all the other pond fish and she will definately live a full life.

{{hugs}} it may have been hard but you will never have to live with the guilt of keeping her in a tank, this was ment to happen, trust me.

Good luck Queen! Will you be going to the pond sometimes to see if you spot her?

[Flatcoatluver]

I highly doubt anyone will put you down for doing the right thing for Queen and SeaKing. They will enjoy the pond so much! Is there someone who will feed them or do they find there own food? (((HUGS))) I know how hard it is and I know how much you loved your Queen. 55 gallon tank, there is so much options for your next tank! :)

[Chilli]

I couldn't imagine anyone getting mad at you for just wanting the best for your fish. Its obvious you love Queen SO much, way more than most people love their fish.
((((hugs))))
You did the right thing, and I'm proud of you. =]

[Kalei]

Thanks so much everyone, you're all so nice it almost makes me cry. I'm so glad you all think I did the best thing for her, I knew you'd all be supportive and understand. Of course who would understand best but PetTalkers:D

And The pond is not mine, its my bestfriend's pond, its a natural pond just about 50 feet from her house and is surrounded by trees. We go back dozens of times during the summer. So Yeppers! I will be able to see my Queen now and again, with how big and white she is, she will definatley be very easy to spot. She's the biggest fish in the pond:)

Once again, all your comments mean so much to me.

And now for my tank. About a week withdrawel of fish to get perfectly clear and a good water change. I'm going to let the water get crystal clear, the ammonia level to 0 and the ph correct and the heat set and then get my tropical fish. I think they will be very beautiful, and they won't grow so big that I will have to put them in a pond lol.

I was wondering, how many 1" fish would you reccommend for a 55 gallon?

[luckies4me]

Well I suppose I am not like everyone else when it comes to letting fish go free. If this is a wild pond I am not happy. Not only will no one be there to protect her but if it's a natural pond she's not going to last long. By the looks of it you most likely have raccoons around there and everyone knows how much they love to go fishing. Was there not a way to rehome her? There are many people with ponds in their backyard or larger tanks that could accompany a larger fish.

If this is a man made pond than please disregard what I wrote above. I just hope she lives a long healthy life.

[luckies4me]

I will be able to see my Queen now and again, with how big and white she is, she will definatley be very easy to spot.

:(

Doesn't this concern you at all? I'm just very confused. I can't imagine having a fish for that long and just tossing her into a pond knowing that something can come along and snatch her up. :(

[luckies4me]

Also please excuse me if I am being too harsh or rude. I really do not mean to come off that way. I'm pregnant and moody...just concerned for the girl. :o

[IRescue452]

*She may turn black for a week or so and you will have a hard time spotting her then. Her whole body will probably turn black as she heals from ammonia burns. It surprises some people how black they turn because the fish "looked perfectly healthy" and they can't imagine how bad the ammonia burns actually were*

My only concern was the pond was landlocked and on private property, which it is. It is illegal and immoral to let farm raised fish go in rivers and lakes and such because of outcompeting natural fish and carrying disease. But since this is a friend's pond it would be alright. You should see the Asian carp in the rivers here. They outcompete everything and take over.

As far as how many 1" tropicals can go in a 55 gallon tank, it all depends on the species. There is no magic rule that all trops can be stocked together or at the same level. I suggest you start out with a mix of three or four species at low levels and work your way up from there. Pick a centerpiece fish you really want and build the tank around that species. There is also no perfect pH. Let the ph settle naturally and don't use any chemicals. Fish can adjust fine to a pH from 5-9 so don't worry about pH at all. I'll be more than happy to supply you with info about any fish you are considering.

What's a 1" tropical anyway. There are very few tropicals under 3". You always stock by adult size regardless of whether you purchase baby fish or adults."

[Twisterdog]

Oh, honey. I know how hard this had to be for you. I know how much you love that fish!

I'm very proud of you for doing the unselfish thing and thinking of your pet's welfare and health. There are a LOT of people in this world that don't do that ... they don't want to have to bear the temporary sadness it will cause them. Good for you for being a bigger person than that.

IMO, you ought to clean and cycle your tank for longer than a week. I'm really not sure a week is enough time, especially if you were already having ammonia problems.

[Kalei]

:(

Doesn't this concern you at all? I'm just very confused. I can't imagine having a fish for that long and just tossing her into a pond knowing that something can come along and snatch her up. :(

No you haven't come off the wrong way, I understand what you mean. I'm sorry I didn't explain better. Yes, the pond was manmade, one of my friend's grandfather dug it many many years ago, and ever since it has been there with many happy goldfish. We know there is no wild animals that will hurt Queen for a few reasons, one is that her two dogs are back there all the time (they don't drink or go in the water), but they would keep anything wild away, her horse is back there just eating and walking around it(she does not go in it seeing as she's old and doesn't like water lol. And being surrounded by a layer of trees and having many of our human things laying around the pond, the things we keep there scares any wild birds away. Such as a scare crow would keep the crows away from something.

When I said natural pond, I guess I said natural because for years no one feeds the fish there, they eat all the natural food in the pond, which would be bugs. I would never put Queen there if I knew she was in danger, and I can go and see her no problem anyday I want to go up to my friends place.

Sorry IRescue,when I meant 1" fish, I meant tetras and female bettas, I guess they are a little over one inch, but they seem to be about only an inch and a half when I look at them. I've had a tropical tank before, but it was but it was just years ago, I just want to make sure I don't overstock the tank.

And yes I know it will most likely take more than a week, I won't put any fish in it til I see that it is cleared, cycled and healthy looking water:)

Also, if a bird ever did decide to swoop down into the pond area, my friend could see it from her house. But a bird can swoop down to even a very looked after pond by someone's house if they really wanted to.

[Argranade]

Awww I'm so happy Queen has a new HUGE home,

There's only one question I have.

Where will she go in .. Winter? :(

[Kalei]

All the fish in that pond stay at the bottom in the winter, its a deep pond and it never freezes completely, so all the fish stay at the bottom together, or most natural goldfish hibernate under mudd in the winter, if I wanted to I could probably find a place for her to stay in the winter too.

I'm sorry if some of you think that its absolutely mean that she is in a pond that is a little more natural than most, but all these goldfish in it have lived there for years and years and always get through the winters for years and years.

[Kalei]

I would never put Queen anywhere if I knew she would end up dead, ever in my life. I know this pond and so does my bestfriend seeing as its hers, and she goes back there everyday, its only 30 feet away from the house.

[CathyBogart]

I think it's lovely! The only problem we run into in my area with pond fish is raccoons, and if the dogs are there to guard against those, why...I can't see a problem. Many many goldfish live many happy years outdoors, even during the winter. I hope we still get to see pictures of her from time to time. :)

[Kalei]

I think it's lovely! The only problem we run into in my area with pond fish is raccoons, and if the dogs are there to guard against those, why...I can't see a problem. Many many goldfish live many happy years outdoors, even during the winter. I hope we still get to see pictures of her from time to time. :)

Thanks so much, I'm pretty sure you will get to see pictures of her again, next time i'm there I am going to try and take some more pictures of her just so that I can show she is doing well:D

And Yep, they have three dogs, so no raccoons are ever around, they're probably too scared to try to come around with three dogs roaming the property lol, they have chickens too so the dogs are around to scare raccoons away from them too:)

[IRescue452]

Mine hibernate too, about 2 months in the winter. I drop the goldfish tanks below 55F and stop feeding them. They do fine and I know Queen will as well.

[Husky15]

You did the right thing, Kalei. I know Queen is happy to have a nice new huge tank. ;)

I'm no expert on fish, but I would think that by the time winter comes she would be adjusted to the natural living and have the instinct to do what the other fish do and hibernate.

[Kalei]

Thanks guys:D

[luckies4me]

My main concern was her being eaten by a raccoon but since it's well guarded I think she will do just fine, and I'm sure she's having a very nice time being able to swim in all that water. :)