My journey from goldies to koi - Add your journey-goldies, koi or both!

[Kntry]

I've had fish since I was born. I would empty my milk bottle in the tanks, playing with the goldies.:winkgrin:

I had multiple tanks of goldies and tropicals all my life growing up and after I got married. I can remember going to school fairs and begging my parents to let me throw the ping pong ball into the goldfish bowls. You would have thought I won a million $$ with that .05 feeder goldie. Even as a kid, I was always happiest around fish of any sort and wanted to be the female version of Jacques Cousteau.

One day, I went with a friend to take care of her customer's animals while they were out of town. When she opened the gate, there sat a huge (at the time) koi and goldie pond in the corner of the yard. Never in my wildest dreams did I know you could have fish outside in the yard. That was the beginning of my downfall.:hahaha:

I dug a hole in the front yard the next day and put visqueen in it. Luckily, I didn't have fish that day because it was empty the next morning. LOL

I started digging a pond in the backyard the next day. Every day after work for 2 months, I dug.:terrified: When the pond was finished, I added koi and goldies.

As time went on, I wanted all koi in the big pond so I built an above ground goldie pond. When we moved 1 1/2 years ago, I had a 3000 gallon goldie pond in addition to my 4 koi ponds.

I built a 3500 gallon lily pond at this house that is full of goldies.

I still love having goldies but they are in their own pond now.

[Luvmypond]

I have always had goldfish as a kid also. And yes, the County Fair was always the place to get them. When I got married, the hubby didn't want fish, so while I was married to him, I had none. After a long single period, married hubby #2 and one day at Home Depot, seen a 90 gallon preform pond. Bought it and he dug the hole for it. It just sat there with water in it for the longest time. My son kept asking me when am I going to buy fish for it, I didn't know anything about outdoor fish and at the time, didn't have a computer. He had a big tank with an Oscar in it, one day while I was at work, he stopped in and put a feeder fish in it that his Oscar wouldn't eat. I came home from work and seen it and was so excited to see a fish swimming around in my new little pond. Went to the pet store and bought a couple more.
Had that for a couple of years than bought a liner from Home Depot and made the pond bigger. 500 gallons. Me and my other son was at a local garden center and noticed they sold Koi 2/$30. Picked out 2 and put them in the pond. The 2 Koi were out growing the pond, so bought more liner and gave the hubby a shovel and now it's about 1500 gallons.

Years later I still have my son's feeder goldie and still have that first Koi I picked out (Gracie).

Great thread Sandy !!

[koikeepr]

So funny how we start out similarly with goldfish! I also had tanks in the house growing up and have always been an animal lover. When I was in high school I began working at a pet shop and did that through college. Lots of cleaning tanks, etc. As an adult, I purchased a house that a 20 year old goldfish pond in it--there was maybe 20 goldfish in it that you couldn't see because the water was frightfully green. There was no filtration, and yet these fish managed to survive year after year. The owner of the house told me he didn't even feed the fish! When we bought the house, I told my husband that the first thing I was going to do was rip out the pond as I didn't want "the work."

Well, of course, I felt bad for the 10 cent feeder fish and worked on retrofitting the pond (about 1,200g in total). I added a 55 gallon barrel filter, popped in a AquaArt retro drain, a small UV, etc. And of course, the water cleared and I could see the fish. I had a lovely glass of wine there every evening and enjoyed the peace. Then I got more adventurous and bought some sarrassa goldfish, and then took it a step further and purchased watonai from RainGarden in Hawaii. They were stupidly expensive and the shipping was insane, but I just had to have these gorgeous double-finned pond fish. At the same time, I had been introducing little fingerling sized koi and the pond slowly became overstocked. Which led to the excuse of building another pond...just for koi.

I still have one of the watonai in my current koi pond (which I will re-home to a friend this spring). I love to see him there, as it tells the story of my journey. But now I am too addicted to koi, so he needs to move--but luckily to a pond nearby where I can still enjoy him.

[addy1]

Well my journey is goldie to goldie.............still goldie staying goldie lol

Fish tanks as a child, goldfish always in that tank, my kids
College, had a tank in the majority of the places I lived, a variety of fish
first home, had salt water tanks, fresh water tanks, from 50 gallons to 175 gallons. My last tank was 175 gallons with ciclids, the tank became self sustaining. babies born, growing, adults dieing.

Married my previous husband, moved that tank two times, but left it in arizona, it was darn heavy, 8 foot long, no place for it here in maryland.

When I moved into his house, nice empty back and front yard. He went pig hunting one weekend, when he came back I had a 8x3x3 pond dug. Right off our back patio. My first up flow mini bog filter was created as a way to keep the water clean. Two whiskey barrels stacked on top of each other.

The water flowed up through the top whiskey barrel, water falled down into the next whiskey barrel the water then worked through the pea gravel and plants and came out the bottom of the barrel, water falled back into the pond.

The next pond was build outside our front door, between the sidewalk and the front of the house. (we then had to fence it because of az laws on water) That pond I used a full whiskey barrel, upflow, with pea gravel as the filter.

Both ponds stayed clean and pretty.

We moved xx years later to the house on a acre. Nothing but grass that cost way to much to keep green.

Had a nice wet winter, the ground became a little softer than a rock, we dug out our arizona pond, 38x20x5 with a 40 foot stream and a up flow gravel filter.
Loved that pond, just mutt goldfish and shubunkins, but they sure grew and where pretty fish.

Waterfall up flow gravel filter, stream with sandstone bridge, the pond with gazebo we built from lumber we hauled down from our colorado home.

[addy1]

About 5 years later he passed, I met my sweetie and moved to maryland.

Wow 4 acres of land, grass...........humm what can I do with this much space?

He buys me a kubota tractor for our first wedding anniversary, the digging starts. The slopes have to go from grass to plants, I slide off with every mowing, 25 degree slopes.

A summer later, have a 85 foot stream, with multiple small ponds, and a 10k or so pond at the bottom of the stream. A planted slope, no more grass, on that area of our yard. We pick up some feeders to get the pond started toward the end of the summer, we think all die (had a ph issue........acidic well)

Shut the pond down for the winter, it gets covered with 8 inches of ice. It melts in the spring and 5 fish show up. two shubunkins, one white goldfish, two gold.

Big mamma (she spawned a lot)
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_20_17_54_03.jpg

the fan tail shubunkin
http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_12_16_17_01.jpg

The five original fish, we had just started the pond from the winter freeze and these guys were there.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/DSC01511.jpg

I picked up a mix of goldfish and shubunkins from wally world when they were changing out their tanks.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_12_16_09_03.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_20_17_51_47.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/longfin2.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/g.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_12_16_11_02.jpg

I love my mutt fish......they are pretty, long and short fins, multi colors, shubunkins, goldfish, white ones

[koikeepr]

He buys me a kubota tractor for our first wedding anniversary...

Now THAT is one romantic fellow!

[addy1]

Then I rescue some fish...........fell in love with the butterfly comet, so graceful, so much fun to watch on the camera. The others are great to, but they zip around, this guy just floats.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_20_15_42_42.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/pond%20fish/CH02_2011_09_11_17_55_30.jpg

I am on a mission to find some more butterfly comets............if anybody knows how to find some let me know. (next spring)

[addy1]

Now THAT is one romantic fellow!

Laughing it was the best gift someone could ever get me!

This is what it created.......roof view, this was all grass

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/DSC01593.jpg

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/missyjosey/DSC01630.jpg

[Appliance Guy]

I must say that I've never been attracted to goldies, but than again, I was accustomed to seeing the regular ones and the chubby ones that don't swim so well. Oh and the bulging eyed ones. So, I thought that's all about Goldfish that I needed to know. Boy am I wrong. I was in shock when I went to the Atlanta Koi and Goldfish Show. There was some very impressive goldies there. Never knew they had so much color and variety. Then is started paying attention to Chris's goldies and I can easily see the attraction. Just saw Paul's goldies and I will say the goldfish are awesome. I think they deserve more respect than most folks give em. I hope to see more goldies displayed here. Goldies Rock!

[stroppy]

my ponds started after my daughters grandmother was given 3 fish in a tank, she later had to go into a nursing home when my daughter was about five, she asked my daughter if she would like them as she didn't want the bother of taking them with her.... so it was mum oh can we have them Pleaseeeeee !!! so silly me said yes, thinking it cant be to hard to look after 3 tiny goldfish, well the years past and they grew and the tanks had to grow too :( then we moved here about 11 years ago and had a bigger garden and i had this bright idea instead of keep buying new tanks lets build a pond or rather a whole in the ground with water, anyway long story short put the 3 fish in the new huge pond (well it wasn't
huge but after a tank im sure the fish thought it was)

a few weeks later we saw these tiny little things swimming around< hundreds of them !! some had to be re-homed, sadly the original 3 have since d died, but all the ones i have now are there descendants ... would love koi if i had the money for a large pond, but would still have to keep my goldies ,,,

[addy1]

Koi are beautiful huge fish, but I love the ease of taking care of goldies, shubies. They are very forgiving fish, and I do not care if my pretty mutts are good enough for a show, or even to show off to anybody but me.

I love having plants, frogs, tads water garden setup. Koi would make that a lot more difficult. The lilies were beautiful and my fish left them alone, even the hyacinths were untouched by the fish.

This one loves the camera, always coming around. This was taken during our rainy cloudy dump day. I like the orange and white of the tail

[MCAsan]

Way back at the dawn of time, the wife and I were living in Plano, Tx. She got very ill just before Christmas. When in the hospital she asked if she could have a koi pond. Duh, what self respecting husband would say no at a time like that? She came home after a few days and we planned in the spring to do a pond in the backyard. So I paid a "professional" to implement a koi pond in the spring. I now realize that to that professional any ditch with water that can cover a koi's back was a koi pond. In reality it was a 800 gallon lilly pond with a submersible pump and in pond box filter. What a frigging joke!!! One day the pump shorted and shocked my wife. The engineer in me kicked in and said enough of this BS. So I purchased our copy of Koi Kichi and began the planning. First I built an 8x8 box on the patio to house the koi along with an out of pond box filter. I excavated the U shaped courtyard and put in a pond that was 8x16 with two Spindrifter BDs and airdomes. The BDs gravity feed a Rubbermaid tank that was the settling chamber (very poor implementation of a good idea) that feed an Aquadyne 2.2 beadfilter that did not have a blower (again bad idea). The pond did not have a skimmer (bad idea). The pond was semiraised 2' above ground and 2' below ground. I did all the excavation, BD installation, concrete work, plumbing and electrical work myself. Compared to what we started with....a HUGE improvement.

When we moved to Atlanta in 2003, big changes. The new pond was 8' deep, Nexus filters, definitely a skimmer, and later BH showers. And still learning every day....that is the key. We never learn everything there is to know.

[MCAsan]

BTW, back in Plano we had and enjoyed water gardens with goldies. Some think I am anti watergarden/goldfish. Not at all. I simply do not put koi in watergardens or goldfish in koi ponds. The two environments are very different. Here in Atlanta the backyard is too small for watergardens. If I put them in, the dog would not have room to run and play. He has priority. :winkgrin:

[Luvmypond]

the dog would not have room to run and play. He has priority. :winkgrin:

I am slowly taking the yard away from our dog ... lol I actually wanted a stream running through the deck and over to the other side of the yard and have a pond over there. It will never happen, but it was a nice thought in my head. Our Rott is lazy, I don't think I've ever seen him run .... lol I was going to give him a little potty corner ... :whistle:

[tranquility]

When I was about 10 mom gave us our allowance and we went to Walmart...I headed back to the pets and fish and purchased 2 little feeder goldies and a bowl...and returned to the car where my mom--gave me a good gripping but, she headed back into the store and bought food,gravel and a plastic plant...Quite honestly I don't think I even used declor in the water when I did water changes which was about once a week....I kept goldies on and off all during my early teens and then I discovered boys and driving so I no longer had time for them....
After me and John got married I kept an aquarium for several years and then one day I had a brilliant idea to dig a pool so I did so while John was at baseball practice one day...He came home to a 3x6x3 hole in the yard that I had lined with black plastic from Walmart...I headed down the next day and brought home a bakers dozen goldies from the local bait shop....
a few years pass and I decide that since my plastic is now leaking to invest in more plastic and make it bigger so out came the shovel and I dug it out wider and longer but, I made it with alot of shelves and shallow areas-tossed in a 20x25 black plastic...that made it a couple more years--then a little pond store opened near us and I went in to have a look....He had longfin koi by the hundreds....I decided then it was time to buy a proper liner and go koi....I bought the liner and pump along with a underwater light...gave the goldies away and added my koi..My filter was a flower pot filled with gravel and quilt batting that got cleaned 2 times a season.....the addiction has only gotten worse But, thankgoodness I found a koi forum and learned how to take care of my koi ....In 2004 I traded water plants for 7 Japanese bred koi and I told the lady all I really want is a pair of Asagi...that was my only want...So that is how I got Fred,Ginger and Show off...the other 4 either just didn't fit into our plans or fell apart and we sold them....And then somewhere along the way I found my love for goldfish again...so now we also have shubunkin and Watonai...
Lawanna

[Appliance Guy]

Fred and Ginger were traded for plants?! Nice. Neat story...

[tranquility]

Fred and Ginger were traded for plants?! Nice. Neat story...
Yes...2 years of sending plants in order to pay for them...

[Luvmypond]

You got a great deal !!!!

[Meganne]

love my koi but will always have a pond for some goldies too....
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz59/Meganne_photos/lily%20pond/th_MVI_5861.jpg (http://s813.photobucket.com/albums/zz59/Meganne_photos/lily%20pond/?action=view&current=MVI_5861.mp4)

[pskorf]

should have never buried the old water tank for the cows

[Kntry]

Cows don't need water tanks!

[pskorf]

Cows don't need water tanks!

neither do fish

when we sold the cows off i just buried the tank.
and as you can guess little tank little box filter = not a suitable enviroment for fish.

[addy1]

and it led to a new pond!

[addy1]

Found a picture of my second pond, the first pond was in the back yard of this house.

The whiskey barrel was the filter, had a bottom discharge that went out in to the front yard. Lava rock up flow filter.

Kept the water nice and clean, just goldies though.

The blurry picture is my 175 gallon tank, 8 foot long

[Appliance Guy]

Chris, I must say you have a knack for decorating your ponds. They always look so nice. You make them be so inviting.

[addy1]

Chris, I must say you have a knack for decorating your ponds. They always look so nice. You make them be so inviting.

Thanks, I like the, it has always been here, natural look. Don't like to see even a tiny piece of liner............still have some to hide on the current pond

[Will]

It's always something, isn't it?

[Meganne]

here is my first pond...awww, aint it cute!
liner pump for circulation so the water wont be stagnate...thats all ya need right? ;/
http://i813.photobucket.com/albums/zz59/Meganne_photos/lily%20pond/1stpondsml.jpg

[mtsklar]

Great stories, it is good to be reminded of where it started. My college room mate brought a very large fish tank into our room, so we had to build lofts to get the beds off the floor and make room for the fish. Although it wasn't goldies or koi in the tank; it got me interested in fish. When I got married, my wife had a black plastic pond similar to what Meg and Paul posted. There was ONE koi in the pond, and no filters or air!. My wife would through a trough heater in for the winter and hope for the best. Amazingly year after year that poor fish lived, and mostly on what worm or bug fell into the pond.

What changed? Well I decided that mucking out the pond was way worse than cleaning horse stalls. We stumbled across the Upper Midwest Koi Club and joined. Of course one of the first ponds we visited was a build that cost over $100K, nice, but YIKES how could we scale a design to fit our budget? Ha...well we over built and and the project took on a life of it's own. No one ever told me koi was a sickness .... at least until after the hole was dug. Special thanks to the people that invented ALIEVE, which I took each morning after a day of working in the hole.

Hopefully this thread will be dedicated to all those that come after us with a bagged fish in one hand and a shovel in the other.