The Epic Pond Has a Problem...

After being bitten by one too many mosquitos, I decided to add a bit more life to the pond with Gambusia, the so-called "mosquito fish." This species is incredibly important, especially in areas where mosquitos can carry deadly diseases. I also added few more goodies you'll enjoy in today's video.
IN THIS VIDEO
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TIMESTAMP
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - The Problem
00:53 - New Fish
03:17 - Releasing The 1st Batch
04:45 - The "Mosquito Eating" Fish
07:07 - Epic Pond Upgrade
08:21 - Lighting The Epic Pond
DISCLAIMER
Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: www.epicgardening.com/disclai...

[@epichomesteading]

What else should I add to the pond?

[@lawrenberghanson4401]

Nice. I know you wanted to add more plant life around the pond. What's native to San Diego? Maybe cattails? Ooo, maybe do another San Diego Botanic Garden segment on native San Diego plant life that live near water❗

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

Not cattails! They take over in a few years.

[@gwenb4531]

Frogs eat mosquitoes.

[@SerHuntsReviews]

Some cannabis plants via hydroponics!

[@paulgaras2606]

Dragonfly larvae

[@terrivance8750]

Kevin, Long time fish pro here. Love the new fish, however, there's a few things you need to do to reduce the chance of disease & parasites in your established pond. 1) All new fish should 1st be quarantined for a minimum of 2 weeks--a month would be even better--before introduction into an established tank or pond. (See Quarantine Tank Setup, below). 2) NEVER EVER pour water from a store or someone else's tank or pond into your pond. Because of high fish loads & the stress associated w/ them, store tanks regularly have levels of bacteria & parasites in the water. If you must introduce fish to the pond w/out 1st quarantining--& I strongly recommend that you do not--then, after acclimating the new residents to the pond's temperature (aka, floating the bag for 10 minutes or so, as you did in the video), catch the fish by pouring the bag water thru a net & into a bucket (I usually balance the net on the rim of the bucket for this). Then, release the fish from the net into the pond. EASY QUARANTINE SETUP: 1) Fill a 5-20 gallon tank (bigger is better; in a pinch, you can use a 5 galtankfish bucket or appropriately sized Rubbermaid container) w/ water from your pond. 2) Add in some items for fish to hide in (PVC pipe sections work well, as to plastic plants available from your local fish store--LFS, for short). 3) Hook up airline tubing & an airstone to an air pump (also sold @ your LFS) & place the airstone in the quarantine tank/container. 4) Cover the tank so the fish can't jump out if startled (standard glass or plastic lid for a tank; Rubbermaid lid w/ hole drilled in it--good for inserting the airline tubing; or even a towel). 5) Feed fish in quarantine sparingly. 6) Syphon out 2/3 of the quarantine tank's water @ least every other day & replace w/ water from the pond till the quarantine period ends. 7) If any fish in quarantine shows signs of illness or infection, add 1-tbsp. salt/5 gallons of water (yes, you can use table salt). Adding Melafix as directed also aids healing (contains melaleuca, which has both anti-bactetial & anti-fungal properties). If infection is parasitic (i.e. ick is quite common), use appropriate medicine. Ditto for bacterial/fungal infection. 8) After any treatment for disease/parasites, the quarantine clock starts anew--all fish need to complete a full 2 week quarantine cycle w/out showing anymore signs if illness.

[@whodidit99]

I agree. Need to have a quarantine tank and quarantine fish before putting them into an established tank or pond. I never did this for my fish tank, but if I had a pond I would.

[@dallasmaclaren2906]

This is awesome ! My only suggestion is when floating the fish to acclimate the temperature it is equally if not more important to add a cup of water from the pond and wait about ten fifteen minutes and add another cup … do this about four times before adding the fish .. it helps acclimate then to the different ph and minerals and all of the things in the new water. Helps stop shock which can kill the new fish . However all the fish you have are pretty hardy

[@epichomesteading]

Fantastic idea. Thank you so much

[@kittiew260]

Definitely the way you should add fish to a tank or pond. All the fish keepers on KZbin suggest that way.

[@sapper72783]

Agreed you definitely want to give their water time to reach same temp as pond to avoid shock

[@anujme3]

Had to do this. I used to only temperature acclimate and one of the fish died next night. Now i will make sure they are acclimate to water

[@brandon8900]

Used to keep fish this is 100% true

[@grisespino5342]

How about a few solar fountains just to keep water moving in stagnant areas. Looks beautiful with the lights. Those goldfish are cool!

[@WillEberli]

Just some advice, slow down your feeding as the weather cools. Stop feeding when the overnight lows are below 50. The fish will sustain just fine on whatever they might find in the pond, but they also won't be eating much because their metabolism will slow down quite a bit; to the point that feeding high protein food will cause them harm.

[@epichomesteading]

Appreciate the advice!

[@JoeBlack14]

@@epichomesteading They also make a summer feed and a winter feed. Like he said after it dips below 50 they eat less, but they still can eat the winter feed and digest it just fine. I feed my KOI 2-3 times a week in the winter. Mine are 2-3 feet long fatties. Also, those mosquito fish like flake food. I find the numbers of my fish drop each year, due to lack of food and egrets that like to poach them. Throwing some flake food in 1-2 times a week will keep them thriving. You will start to notice dozens of baby fish because they breed a lot.

[@adelineparinduri]

Hi Kevin. Ever thought of growing Lemongrass around it? Or somewhere close. Mosquitos hate the smell. That's what I did back in Indonesia tho.

[@epichomesteading]

Good call...I've thought about that!

[@tracye1866]

Oh my gosh! Why did I not think of that! I will be transplanting some ASAP!!

[@industrialtumbleweed3849]

KEVIN! Do I see the Rotational Bubble Birdies Bed behind you???? Are you selling them now? Will they be available for Black Friday? I’m taking out my entire garden and rebuilding it this fall/winter and I will be using all birdies beds. I would love to have one of the rotational bubble beds. Also, the new fish are cute. The goldfish will look stunning when they get larger.

[@evolutionalgd]

Not sure of the Loach you got, but most of them like to be in small groups of 5-7. They're really fun when they interact with each other

[@tracye1866]

Maybe that's why he was freaking out, "where's my squad!!"

[@adrianneporta8032]

I second this, they are social. Kevin you need a few more

[@epichomesteading]

Getting 2 more!

[@adrianneporta8032]

@Epic Homesteading fantastic! Another thing is (and it might not make a difference in a pond that size) don't put the pet store water into your pond. Big pet stores like petco and petsmart have all of their tanks on one big system for fresh water fish. So whatever parasites or diseases might be there has just been introduced into your pond. You might also consider either quarantining the new fish or treating the pond after new fish have been added

[@petera1117]

They are going to get so big. And are much happier as 2 or more.

[@mkawayoshi]

Rice fish (Medaka) are good and are cold water fish that eat mosquito larvae. They also reproduce easily in captivity. They stay small too.

[@GHU535]

You could install bird houses on your property, if the adult mosquitoes become a problem. Don't know about San Diego, but at least here in Finland there are multiple bird species, which hunt adult mosquitoes to feed their younglings. Some hatch multiple times a year, and eat some 10,000 mosquitoes per group of hatchlings. Some don't mind other birds in a close visinity, so one can, for example, have four houses per acre.

[@libbynusz2935]

Love the pond! Super cool loach. I know you are careful so I’ll just say that with the Chinese Algae eaters, they become omnivorous as they age and might eat all of your mosquitofish and any of next year’s fry. Also they’re very invasive if they get in waterways. Love your channel, good luck with the new fish!

[@sabarinath4524]

Guppies and mollies ,(platees )are fine solutions for mosquitoes , mollies groom the koi’s body I know it’s wired first I thought they were bullying them but in my pond koi is like having a spa treatment and they stay still for them too ! You got an amazing pond by the way 😅

[@JilliesNails]

Love the pond. There is something very relaxing about them! The mosquitoes in Arkansas are so bad I have to mow the lawn super short…otherwise the jerks breed in the grass, you walk through it and get mauled.

[@rachcameron9831]

Hey Kevin - it is a good possibility that the gold fish will take over your pond as mine did. I have both koi and goldfish and wish I had never added the latter - they reproduce like crazy. You'll end up with hybrids, which isn't such a bad thing except my understandng is that goldfish/koi hybrids will eat koi fry but koi will not eat goldfish/hybrid fry. That means a while lot of hybrids and no baby koi 😞. Hope this is not the case on your homestead - it is awesome!

[@stevenbrogdon3074]

Not sure if you know but mosquito fish have two drawbacks. 1.. They can become sushi to your koi. Yummy snacks. 2.. The can also pick on your koi fins.

[@jennyt3094]

Love the underwater shots! the quality of the videos are getting better and better👍💯❤

[@theNikkiDash]

Pond looking majestic at night. Love it! So fun to see the fish in a natural habitat.

[@jkennedy299]

Gambisia are free in Australia too! Our government doesn’t give them out or anything but you can find them at every single water source in the wild 😳

[@lavenderwaffles4047]

can't wait for the next update on the pond and the chickens, I love them so much

[@wendyn7991]

I’m still working on getting my grandma’s yard settled before building a pond for my goldfish, but I’d never considered getting a dojo loach for a pond! I hope the Chinese algae eaters behave 😅

[@thirstycult6051]

We got native mosquito fish in Florida (I don't know about California) and they're cool. My grandmother added them to her goldfish pond and they breed like crazy. useful fish

[@epichomesteading]

So I hear!

[@KerriGilpin]

I was gonna add this too, mine never stop breeding! They never get too big, and almost every fresh body of water here in Florida has mosquito fish.

[@MorePranaGardens]

I use to have a weather loach named Kohaku. He had SO MUCH personality and he was more reliable than any weather app.

[@epichomesteading]

I love kohaku!

[@MorePranaGardens]

@@epichomesteading When you have weather on the way your loach will swim like Kohaku dodging the paper birds. It's really cool. I'm excited for you!

[@bublhed]

I love the pond! You’ve really created a beautiful area. Would turtles get along with everyone?

[@ehoops31]

Have you thought about adding a bat box to the homestead? They can eat 1000 mosquitos an hour. I'm trying to get my family on board to add one to our property.

[@tracye1866]

Swweeet! I picked up some of those free mosquito fishies a couple of years ago, but this year, the mosquitoes are brutal! I definitely need to get some type of algae eater next. LOVE the Epic pond. I have pond envy.... lol

[@kylefriend6391]

Great vid! Lots of good callouts from others around acclimation. Dojo Loaches are awesome- but I suggest you keep them in groups of at least 3-5 for socializing and to enjoy full benefits of detritus clean up

[@fredbruche7125]

I use Mosquito Dunks, works like a charm

[@lastchancemonicam3948]

Thanks for the videos. I would like to second the request for a live koi pond cam- under and over water, plz. May I make a suggestion to deal with flies in the pond? It's worth what you paid for it. Try frogs. They control flies. They bring color and diversity, and they're just fun.

[@carollem5580]

I was gonna suggest Moskito dunks! I put foes for the 1st time this summer. It is wonderfull and not armfull for fishes! Look into it 😉

[@carollem5580]

I must say you've got most EPIC POND!

[@janebrown3096]

Kevin plant lemongrass around your pond it keeps mosquitoes away and you can cook with it a win win for you. Hi from New Zealand

[@Aeon08897]

NZ squad :) hi from chch

[@juliehorney995]

Lemongrass worked really well for me near our tall Birdie beds installed this year.

[@jacobeparsels9251]

Just an idea I bought a floating solar powered led light for my pond. The mosquitos are attracted to the light and when the land on the water it's a easy snack for the fish

[@alaina244]

Got those mosquito fish, they're really fun to interact with. They will come feed out your hand if you have food in it.

[@dianecuthbertson2686]

So pretty, I love your pond, fingers crossed all your little fishies play nice and don’t eat each other 😅

[@neesr13]

Many years ago I lived in LA near the 'river' which had cut-outs every 15 or 20 feet that were recessed enough to hold water and, in that water were Mosquito fish. At the time I thought someone had dumped out their fish tank, so I caught one and took it home. It promptly began to nibble the beautiful tail fins of my showcase exotic Guppies. Took that sucker back to the river so he could find his family.

[@Handeling]

That pond is looking really beautiful

[@chilli-c8092]

Those underwater shots are lovely. More, please!

[@sabitboss]

'Epic Aquariuming' anytime soon? 😁

[@kaitlynholling]

You inspired me to build my own back yard pond after you first built yours! ♥️ I have a school of Tiger Barbs in my pond with some algae eaters too

[@jaredmccutcheon5496]

I put 20 mosquito fish in my pond 3 years ago and now there’s probably 2-3000 of them in there now, lol. Also did the same with rosey minnows.

[@robomonkey1018]

Bats are great too. Bat box's are pretty cheap/easy to install.

[@zekeolen]

I would definitely look to make sure they don't get massive, since Chinese algae eaters and dojo loaches do get to about a food.

[@sciencenerd111]

Not sure if this has been suggested before, but dog fennel could be used to dissuade mosquitos

[@moomin1632]

This was a fun watch, I'm from North East England so seeing you keep these fish as pond fish is wild to me!!! Definitely can't do that here 🤣❄️

[@terrivance8750]

Kevin, One more thing. Keep an eye on the Chinese Algae Eaters--they can be pugnacious, especially as they start getting some size on them.

[@catiepower3550]

Beautiful pond. I have a little one my son and I put in as part of our natural habitat certification project. I chose solar power for the pump that’s attached to a floating pad that produces a water fountain effect. It’s not powerful enough to bank power so the water sits at night. I was concerned about mosquitoes so I may get some of these fish you mentioned. Lighting is something I’d like to add. Solar of course. The pond is way too far away from any power source to have anything but solar.

[@yz2538]

Fish Ponds are MAGICAL✨ and should be in every garden 🤩

[@ryanissa3353]

You should use some of that water for fertilizing your plants. I bet its nutrient rich especially with nitrogen

[@nomikonrad]

I had Koi and fan tail goldfish in the same tank and the Koi killed my goldfish because it ate all the fins off of the goldfish so I hope your fish are OK

[@noramaegomez197]

In LA County and in San Diego county there is a company called the mosquito vector control they will come and supply you with mosquito fish for free just give them a call mosquito vector control .

[@KerriGilpin]

Maybe look into what’s native in Cali in terms of aquatic flora and fauna, be aware with snails that many are great for algae can multiply quickly, but are a great addition to a pond. I got some from a local river and there are lots now! They also eat decaying plants but aren’t as quick to clean algae as loaches and plecos can be. I have a few tilapia and lots of cichlids in my pond and the cichlids can be aggressive/territorial but are hardy and easy to keep once established. I’d recommend tilapia for sure, they’re fun to watch and easy going, don’t mess with other fish.

[@amandahamilton8342]

Had a pond with algae eaters and those guys are amazing! Good luck with all the new fish!

[@libbynusz2935]

Oh how cool-I’ve never met anyone who’s kept chinese algae eaters successfully without losing the other fish in their tank. Do they behave differently in ponds?

[@amandahamilton8342]

@@libbynusz2935 I'm honestly not sure. My mom was the one to care for the pond. (I was... 8? Ish?) We had a variety of goldfish, khoi, and the 1 algae eater. It never bothered the other fish. The pond was very large though. About 10 x 7 feet IIRC.

[@Talula72]

In a home aquarium those Chinese Algae eaters will literally stare you down! They have an amazing personality.

[@BigboiiTone]

Love the pond cam!

[@plantsoverpills1643]

Great camera work while releasing them. I decided to not feed the fish in our pond so as to make sure they kept interested in the algae and bugs..

[@igotboredfkit]

So I've noticed weather loaches are more active in groups or 6+ but that was in a fishtank not a pond so maybe it's different in ponds?

[@whodidit99]

Think you got a few tropical fish in there. They aren't gonna make it when winter comes, even in So Cal.

[@allisonhavens6010]

Dojo loaches like to school and in your pond you can afford to add a few. They can be pretty social if they feel safe. They get about 6 inches long and look like puppy faced sausages 😄.

[@izzyi1221]

Love seeing the ecosystem coming along 😎

[@SerHuntsReviews]

Thanks for the video Brother!

[@adamwpg]

I love the fantails. I had a couple in an aquarium for years

[@davepenaphd4300]

You have so much nitrogen in that pond. You guys should connect it to a bed. I'd be down to help.

[@epichomesteading]

Good point!

[@haywardurbangarden7153]

Me going NOOOOOO when I seen the petco bag. Most big box store fish carry parasites. It can really expensive to treat a pond. Infact their goldfish are the dirtiest . Hoping for the best for you

[@YvonneLarsen]

That dojo can get huge as well!

[@DaftDrummer]

rip to the little fish still left in the bag at 2:21 :(

[@deanwinchester6654]

Pond and fish looking good. Any plans to add a turtle or frogs.

[@roovy]

Mosquito fish are great and will repopulate like crazy. I started with 10 and now have hundreds!

[@epichomesteading]

That is awesome!

[@PaleGhost69]

It'll be interesting to see how the goldfish play with the koi. Another youtuber said it was a bad idea because the goldfish will bully the koi.

[@nildaotero2933]

Love your pond ❤

[@TiaDawn911]

I am attempting a tiny pond in my backyard… actually in a birdies bed. It’s a cute little habitat, but I definitely need mosquito fish. Where can we get them in Cali? I’m in LA.

[@bjwashndry]

I’m getting low key dad vibes from this and I’m here for it

[@starr_ship]

Dojo loaches are the best, so personable in my experience.

[@MrPotatoPoo]

more pond videos!

[@ChateauxCocoa]

Mosquito dunks?

[@LittleKi1]

Do you have anything growing in need of a nitrogen boost that you could safely apply the pond water to? Flower bed, bit of lawn, artichokes? Might be worth getting the nitrates in the pond down...

[@pickleslabs]

Very fun!! Would a turtle stick around?

[@rraqua1279]

I think you should put guppies instead of mosquito fish They look colourful less boring

[@jameskeller3425]

Funny thing is although there called mosquito fish, most don't actually eat mosquitoes

[@hargersadventures]

You forgot a fish in the bag.

[@MsWDWFAN1]

Hoping the new fish didn't become the Koi fish dinner! 😬

[@evev2041]

It that a new birdies bed design at 4:16?

[@epichomesteading]

;)

[@bradmaas6875]

And in Washington state Gambusia are considered an invasive species.

[@Chessplayer15]

Koi will eat any thing that fits in its mouth same as goldfish so if the goldfish grow big enough they will not be eaten I thing the other fish are faster and will hide quicker!

[@Ishiisan]

I love this video of the garden dude making fish video. 😂 Siamese algae eaters are suitable for the pond in California but not here in Tennessee 😢 Mosquito fish is livebearers so it'll BREED (not propagate 😂) like nuts.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

any update on this?

[@MrBrandonjames87]

That’s a lot of algae

[@kittiew260]

Kevin I hope you didn't purchase flying fox!! Often big box stores get the wrong fish & mark wrong as Chinese algae. Flying fox look just like Chinese algae eaters but they don't play nice others! Trust me we learned hard way totally had a 6 inch Electric Blue Acara attacked by one. Your long fin koi could be in trouble if a fox when bigger. Please look up & carefully look at your fish markings. General rule thumb find a good fish supplier you trust a mom & pop place best. FYI too, you should have your fish in a quarantine spot or tank before potentially introducing illnesses like ich into your pond. Yes I have a small pond & 3 freshwater fish tanks and 4th quarantine because I learned the hard way. The reason is big box stores all tanks hooked up one large filtration system. If one tank has any ich everyone has it on the system. I lost 600 in fish by making that mistake. Good luck with the pond hopefully all is well. Love your learning another new skillset outside gardening. Fish keeping is quite the hobby both inside & out.

[@lenamarie2071]

What was the process of getting the mosquito fish like? I'm in San Diego as well & visited the website, but there's really no information on how to get the fish?

[@epichomesteading]

Just hit a nursery and call around!

[@zacharyma4015]

Make sure your not feeding the algae eaters too much koi pellet or they could stop eating algae.

[@roottrackerzbyyaira]

We are getting an invasive Mosquito here in CA from China. They bite in the day. Does anyone know the name of it?

[@he4rt5]

i hope you have protection for your fish from predators!

[@texartisanstudios]

Dragonflies are voracious mosquito eaters. I think you can buy nymphs on-line.

[@Yaavie]

Have you had the water tested? Also, please read Terri Vance's comment about fish introduction.

[@user-mj8ml2vs5d]

How do you prevent raccoons from eating the fish?

[@jeannamcgregor9967]

Will you need to provide them with hardware cloth baskets to hide in, or will they be able to avoid raccoons on their own?

[@epichomesteading]

So far no raccoons!

[@PlantObsessed]

I hope the Chinese algae fish isn't what I had. As they got older they got aggressive with my other fish.

[@BatteredWing]

You could solve a lot of problems by just adding a water fountain to that stagnant spot. Gambusia are such a horrid fish in Australia. They have taken over so many water ways and displace so many native species. Hopefully they aren't as bad in US. Loaches are great, most prefer a buddy or two. Chinese algae eaters are absolute A holes. They are territorial and like to suck the slime coat off larger fish. Should you get more, I'd suggest rainbowfish, more loach variations (clown loaches are fantastic), and just a pretty guppy variety (or Mollie etc) instead of gambusia. Best of luck with it.

[@BLAQFiniks]

What you think of as mosquitoes zooming on the water surface actually looks like *WATER STRIDERS* (couldn't see them clearly, they're fast) - perfectly harmless creatures, usually feed on insects that have fallen into the pond. Mosquitoes don't swim on the surface of the water, they sit there to dry off & harden their wings after they hatch~

[@he4rt5]

think he specifically said those weren't mosquitos, but he was just shoeing us the areas where the pond has still water, where moquiyos love to breed

[@Erikaahh_Mae]

Might be careful when introducing goldfish outside. I know it doesn't rain often where you are but in case of anything and your Pond ends up getting damaged those fish could go into drainage systems and into a different eco system causing damage.

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

Yey, more fishies❤

[@combitech8169]

Australia needs these moskito fish , visas paid

[@ColeSpolaric]

Is there going to be a video on that buried birdies bed in the shape of a cross?

[@epichomesteading]

Yes

[@shanealharbi8664]

nematodes to deal with the skeetos?