Pond Friends

For the last 15 years or so (and in two different houses) I've had a goldfish pond.   I really like my fish.   Maybe I even love them.   Most decent weather mornings I go out and spend some quiet time with them.   Our pond is of course artificial; holds about 250 gallons of water, runs a nice rocky waterfall. 

The population runs from 12 - 18 fish.   These are goldfish.   The pond is too small for koi.   But they are multicolored and quite different:.   There are solid goldfish, white with big gold splotches.   Red with blue and black dots, silvery with red, and a few plain old brown.


In March/April I usually have 2-4 fish die.   It's my understanding that as things warm up the pond get stuff growing before the fish come back from winter and get their immune systems going.   Today I saw that a pretty red and black one is looking a day or two from the end.   Everyone in the family is curious to know what I do with the fish who pass on.   I'm not telling.   My lips are sealed.

Now come late spring we usually get some births.   Sometimes we just see fish from the prior year, that might have been too small or reclusive to see before.   Goldfish are not fussy eaters.   If they can, they'll eat their young.   I guess it's a pretty good adaptation for youngs fish to hide.

Sometime in mid to late summer, Abby and I have tended to name the fish.   Here is the 2009 list with identifying information:

Sven:     Big Mottled gold & black
Stephan:  White 2/gold head
Margo:   Red black and blue big
Solfeg:   Silver
Johnny:   Gold skinny
Applesee:   Rounder gold
Bambi:   All gold white tail
Helena:   Fat gold helicopter tail
Hip:   White with orange tail
Hooray:   Gold Mottled
Devendra:   Little blue, red head
Formerly Brown:  (white lt orange)
Pip Jr:   Little Brown
Lucy the Elephant:   Red, Silver, white head big snout
2 baby Devendras (not yet named)
Howl:  Tiny brown

I believe it's Margo who is fading.

Now you know