25 Cent Goldfish -> Pond Fish

My recommendations if you want to buy feeder goldfish and put them in your pond, but actually want them all to live. Or alternately to keep them from infecting other fish. Step One, a plastic tub, unused (or only used for fish), 15-20 gallon utility tubs work well. Those ones sold in different colors with rope handles are quite good. Round is best because then there is equal pressure on all sides, so they don't bow out. Step Two, fill the tub with a known quantity of water, 15-20 gallons, fairly exactly. Add a water conditioner to this water. It's best to let it sit, but as long as it is close to room or outdoor temps it should be fine. Alternately you can use water direct from the pond if you're exact about measurements. The reason you want a known amount of water, preferably divisible by 5 will be in step four. Step Three. If possible get only fish with spread and undamaged fins without any obvious abnormalities. At the very least avoid fish that can't stay upright in the water, they are almost guaranteed goners. This is the important bit. Do not use any of the fish store water. Float the fish for a good 20 minutes, and you can add water to the bag, but dump the fish into a net and put only them into the new water. pet store water is often full of whatever diseases the fish have, especially true for feeder fish. Step Four, get a body fungus medication, and treat the fish. most of these medications are listed as how many per 5 or 10 gallons. In my experience with feeder goldfish, and oddly enough chain store bought angelfish, they will have fungus, even if overall they look good they can look fantastic after one fungus treatment. Whether you do a second is up to you, but if the fish look good a week after the first they'll go out in my pond. If you are going to keep the fish in the tub for more than a week, you should probably add oxygenating plants, or a cycled filter. Most fungus treatments however are very damaging to plants, so consider what you put in a loss. Also, I've done this with up to 6 3-4 inch goldfish. You'd need more water for more. The tub is also good to make sure they're eating before you release them with the rest of the fish. I've had to treat non-feeder goldfish for fungus as well. I've found it under treated at pet stores, especially in feeder fish (goldfish, shiners, and tuffies esp.), angelfish, gouramis, and koi. Technically it's also a great idea if you insist on feeding another fish with feeder fish. It's really easy for them to get diseases from their foods, and many feeder fish aren't even fed at the store, so aren't the best nutrition they could be. Predated to break up some daily photos.