I keep my two comet goldfish in a blue, 40 gallon plastic barrel. They have a huge amount of ancharis and some gravel at the bottom. I take them inside in the winter and put them out in the summer. I really want to make an ornamental pond for them when they get bigger. I really don't like my dad's idea of putting them in our 100 ft long natural pond, because the blue heron will eat them. How do you keep your goldfish (if you have any).

I've never kept Goldfish. But I have seen them in half wine barrels (staggering 'round, singing 'roll out the...'), and concrete garden ponds. I'm not aware of anyone ever taking them in for winter tho'.

But we don't have the same sort of winters. Most Goldfish survive if there is deep water, and something like plenty of water lilies to protect them from Cats and Birds.

I wouldn't mind getting something like Comets. Get some nice colors, be a poor mans' Koi. I don't know if it still stands, but selling Koi was illegal in Victoria. Carp is an official 'pest species' down here. As kids we used to hunt them with spears, rifles, pitch-forks, in winter when the channels were low.

What about goldfish they were originally selective bred from cruscian carp? are they illegal?...We used to have a fishing lake back home stocked with koi..pretty awesome catching a 10 pound colourful Koi...

Around here I havnt really seen much in the way of ponds but the ones I do see are usually like 20-40 gallon half barrels ,the garden centres sell ready made insert liners and the barrels as kits.....Will hopefully try to get some goldfish and breed them in an indoor pond...Primarily as feeder fish if we get some red belly piranah....We are raising some black mollys to breed to feed my wifes brothers piranah at the moment lol...

It would come down to the species classification against the legislation. Goldfish are no longer Carp, ergo, not Carp.

Anyway, once an aquarium gets to know you, you can still acquire them 'under the counter'. Otherwise just cross the border and fetch them yourself.

It's only fresh fruit that you get searched for on the Vic border (Fruit Fly Quarantine).

I suppose I could put a large garden pot on our balcony. But it faces west, and I'd be worried about temperature build up. S'pose I should look up the specs for a Comet.

In the summer I had my barrel o' goldfish outside. When I stuck my hand in the water one day I noticed the water was way too warm. I put a beach umbrella next to the barrel and it solved the problem.

I guess a couple of deck chairs wouldn't go astray either! There's a couple in my Daughters dolls-house that're about the right size...

Mr. Confusion, where are you placing your indoor pond?