Goldfidh pond

Question
Don't know you can help with goldfish info.  Have an outside vinyl pond/fountain W/filter 50 gal. for 3 mos. in South Carolina.  Had some little comet (3) and 2 cheap small fan tails in it which were doing fine.  This am all were floating dead.  Any suggestions?  Nothing had been different or disturbed or sprayed anywhere. No algae, or temp. changes.   Also, could I put a little turtle (smaller than goldfish) in with the fish?    Thanks, Mary

Answer
Hi Mary;

I really am not experienced with ponds, but you might check the water chemistry. Find out if the ammonia or nitrite levels are elevated. Come to the freshwater fish forum and ask your question there. There are other experts there that have more experience than I regarding ponds. The web address will be at the end of this letter.

Turtles are pretty messy critters for their size. Fish is the main part of a water turtle's diet and they will often chase fish that are too big to eat and take bites out of them. Keep this in mind if you decide to keep any in there. You will have to provide an area for him to get out of the water on to be able to bask in the sun. Even water turtles can't stay in the water all the time. In the winter he needs a place to hibernate in the mud, or a hole in ground. Or, if he is native to your area free him to the wild in the fall before it gets cold. (Don't release purchased non-native species). There are web sites you can find out more from about the type of turtle you are considering.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://forums.about.com/ab-freshaquaria/start

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!