# Goldfish in water trough....



## Jessabel

I don't think the fish would live because horses tend to drop food and whatnot into their water and it ferments. Also, in the summer, the water would probably get too warm for the fish, since goldfish like colder water. There also wouldn't be any filtration system and the water could become stagnant. 

I can't imagine that it would be good for the horses, either, because the goldfish would pee and poop in the water. I definitely wouldn't want my horses drinking out of it. I know horses drink out of ponds and creeks, but that water flows and is naturally filtered. Trough water just sits there. So I don't think it would be a good idea.


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## TipTop

I have heard of people having goldfish in their tanks. They say it works. I have never tried it though.


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## Brighteyes

I think that fish would be ok and would help with stiring the water some, but they can be a problem when you are cleaning out the tub; careful not to pour them out for anything.

Another think you have to worry about is ammonia from fish waste and fish food. It will be fine though as long as you don't put in more than a few fish.

One more thing; make sure that they are really goldfish. I know this sounds stupid, but I have been sold "goldfish" that are really koi and grow to massitive size. (Plus three feet long and 20 or more pounds.)


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## ItalianCutie9407

The horses may dirty it too mcuh and the fish can get sick and die, and also, in the summer, it may get too hot.


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## ItalianCutie9407

Just be sure to change your water often


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## mls

Actually they work quite well.

The issue is to keep the water level up so they have a safe level to breath.

I have friends that have done this for years. In the winter she brings them into her basement in a laundry tub.


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## BackInTheSaddleAgain

My best friend has done this for years... no problems =) I plan to do it myself.


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## Shawneen

I've always done it. I have water troughs like this:
http://www.horsesense-nc.com/Images/raintrough.jpg

but mine are blue.

The fish do well even in the summer (Cali - 115 degrees), they just hang out at the bottom. Just make sure you keep the water level filled up. In the winter, we brought them in cause the troughs were starting to freeze over and I kid you not the fishies were about frozen solid. They didn't move and when you tried to bend them they were pretty tough. Put them in some cold water and they popped back to life LOL

They do get VERY big, and it seems they grow really fast, being in the troughs.


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## farmpony84

awesome! Those are the troughs I have. How many should I put in each trough???


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## centrestableswendy

To keep the ammonia levels down, I would put 1 fish per 20 gallons of water. So if you have a 100 gallon trough, I'd put 3-5 fish each, but no more than 5


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## Vidaloco

If the goldfish don't work out, I use some stuff called 180 day stock tank cleaner.Bioverse Natural Stock Tank Water Cleaner

I think I got it through Dr.'s Foster and Smith. It was cheaper


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## Whipple

Brighteyes said:


> One more thing; make sure that they are really goldfish. I know this sounds stupid, but I have been sold "goldfish" that are really koi and grow to massitive size. (Plus three feet long and 20 or more pounds.)


All goldfish grow big, no kidding. They can also ALL live into their 20s. Koi are bigger, width wise, but comets (feeders) are just as long.



centrestableswendy said:


> To keep the ammonia levels down, I would put 1 fish per 20 gallons of water. So if you have a 100 gallon trough, I'd put 3-5 fish each, but no more than 5


This is perfect, 20 gallons per fish allows the waste to distribute enough that it will not harm the horses. 

When you put in fresh water, be sure to de-chlorinate it first. Chlorine can kill fish fast. 

Also, another idea, put a little shelf in one area so that they can escape in case a bird or a really hungry horse come to visit. Clear pvc with drilled holes would work great.

FYI: goldfish love peas, lettuce and worms.


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## county

It works great but I use big sucker minnows from the bait shop their cheap, eat a lot, and when I go fishing I just scoop out how many I want.

BTW our stock ponds are stocked with fish and they poop and pee in them doesn't bother the horses or cattle at all.


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## free_sprtd

I haven't read through these other posts, but my barn has about 3-4 goldfish in each large tank. it doesn't keep AS MUCH of the algea down, but it keeps the bugs away. They just refill it when it gets a little bit down. It's not necessarily the cleanest, but all the horses are fat and healthy and happy, so im not complaining. plus when I asked about it they said the goldies had been in there since they were small and they grew lol


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## Shawneen

Yeah I think they grow really big because of how big their living area is - and all the stuff they want to eat.

These water troughs kind of have a shelf for them to get up under - I always put 4 or 5 in there.


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## smrobs

We used to keep goldfish in all our tanks; average about 3 per 100 gallons and it actually helped to keep the tanks a little cleaner and definitely kept the mosquito larvae out of there. Whenever you get them, just make sure that you allow them time to adjust to the different water. Take a day or two just slowly mixing the water they came in with the water from the tank. I have had many fish that died when I brought them home before I heard about "water shock".

Do Water Changes Kill Fish?

After they grow a little bigger, sometimes you can leave them in the tanks all year so long as your winters are not too harsh. In the summer time, they will stay close to the bottom against the side where the shade is at. As for changing the water, it won't really ever need to be done for the fish or the horse's health. The horses will drain the water down enough that it will need to be filled every few days and running clean water into it will keep the fish healthy and the fish won't produce enough ammonia to cause any health issues with the horses. Because the tank is so big, there is no need to worry about filtration or those bubble things. If you change the water out completely, just make sure you don't do it too often and always give the fish time to readjust to the ph and chemical level in the new water before you just throw them in there.


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## DixiesPaintedNova

Instead of goldfish people at my barn use sucker fish.


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## Joshie

farmpony84 said:


> I have 3 - 100 gallon water troughs. They get mosquito's in them and some algae... I was thinking maybe I would drop 2 or 3 goldfish in each one to keep them fresh and clean. Has anyone ever done that? Does it work? Can I just go by walmart and buy any goldfish???


Our barn owner has had gold fish in the water trough for the last year or two. He's not replaced them. They lived over the winter just fine. They've gotten pretty good sized. I can't remember why he put them in there. I think something happened to the fish tank and they got dumped in the horse water and just never got taken out.


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## redneckprincess70

Helpful advice...we use a small pond pump to airate the water for the fish. Just watch your ammonia levels because goldfish put off higher ammonia then other fish. Hope this helps.


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## brookelovesparelli

perhaps think about a different type of fish...an 'all rounder' fish that doesn't mine about the temperature. Maybe something like guppies. their really cheap over here & i believe their pretty hardy fish.  good luck


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## CJ82Sky

Goldfish are cold water fish so I imagine they would be the hardiest as for varying temps - they also adjust easiest to different temperatures.

With any of you that do have fish in your troughs - what about if stuff from trees or whatever falls in them? Do you have to scoop it off the top? I'm trying to figure out if it makes more sense to do the fish, or to dump/scrub....


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## Horsegma

I've been thinking about putting fish in mine, but, how does it work when we want to clean the tank out about every two weeks. 

Our water gets a lot of dirt in there and we like to empty it all out and scrub down the sides. (Well, we don't "like" to do it, but we do it)

Are you still able to do that?


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## farmpony84

I'm going to do it today. I'm going to dump them all and clean them out and then fill them. I keep them under the overhang of the barn, so the algae doesnt get real bad, seems like the sun has a lot to do with that. 

About the amonia, am I more concerned about the fish with that or the horses? Do I test the water or do I just make sure the troughs never get low? 

Another question, my older QH can't really eat hay so he chews it into a big ball of squishy **** and then spits it out, alot of it ends up in the trough. Will that bother the fish? I usually scoop it out but it is about 5 or 8 balls of chewed up hay a day....


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## Qtswede

I do this every year. Just be sure to keep your water levels up! Plain old goldfish are best, just scoop em into a bucket when you scrub the tank down.


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## whitetrashwarmblood

farmpony84 said:


> Another question, my older QH can't really eat hay so he chews it into a big ball of squishy **** and then spits it out, alot of it ends up in the trough. Will that bother the fish? I usually scoop it out but it is about 5 or 8 balls of chewed up hay a day....



i doubt that would bother the fish. They just might try to nibble on it.

We had feeder fish in our troughs, and they keep the algae down pretty well we had about 2-3 per trough. The horses barely even noticed they were there, and if a horse had a carrot/apple slice/treat in it's mouth and dropped it in the trough the fish would nibble on that to.


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## 7Ponies

Never heard of goldfish, but I know a few folks who used catfish in the water trough to keep down the algae and bugs. Seemed to work for them okay.


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## farmpony84

I went to petsmart and I got 6 twenty-six cent goldfish. I put two in each tub. The lady told me that it wouldnt work w/out a filter and said that it was a bad idea. She said goldfish are dirty and put off a lot of amonia and they wouldn't make it... but I've done so much research I really think they'll be OK. I geuss we'll see huh? She said that she has never heard of anyone putting goldfish in a horses trough. They seem like they are doing ok. They were eating bugs the last time I checked on them....


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## Joshie

farmpony84 said:


> I went to petsmart and I got 6 twenty-six cent goldfish. I put two in each tub. The lady told me that it wouldnt work w/out a filter and said that it was a bad idea. She said goldfish are dirty and put off a lot of amonia and they wouldn't make it... but I've done so much research I really think they'll be OK. I geuss we'll see huh? She said that she has never heard of anyone putting goldfish in a horses trough. They seem like they are doing ok. They were eating bugs the last time I checked on them....


That's what our trainer has. Just the cheap goldfish. Now, I will say that he does feed the goldfish. They are dirty fish but the ammonia levels really don't have a chance to get high because you constantly have to add water when the horses drink it.


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## AussieDaisyGirl

I have Fred and Ethel in my trough. They've survived three years - two ice storms and snow. They even survived the tank freezing over almost everyday all winter. Lord knows how.

I feed them once a week - because if you feed them too much they won't eat the larvae.

Agreed - that the water doesn't stay in the trough long enough to get spoiled.

Where I grew up in South West Australia - the farmers had goldfish in all their troughs. I thought it was common lol!


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## farmpony84

So far so good. I'm thinking about running out to get some food though just because one of my troughs looks so clean of bugs I'm afraid they are hungry!

I didn't think about the winter... do I feed them in the winter?


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## Solon

farmpony84 said:


> I have 3 - 100 gallon water troughs. They get mosquito's in them and some algae... I was thinking maybe I would drop 2 or 3 goldfish in each one to keep them fresh and clean. Has anyone ever done that? Does it work? Can I just go by walmart and buy any goldfish???


Goldfish will work really well for larvae control but they aren't going to do much for the algae. I'm a fish biologist for Washington state and recommend the goldfish to all the people that call in. They are super cheap and work really well.

The horses don't even seem to mind them.


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## Solon

You don't want to use guppies and catfish will not eat the alage. The only fish out there that would eat the algae are grass crap and they have restricted use in most states. 

The best way to deal with algae issues to is have shade covering over your trough or make sure there is water movement in the trough to keep the algae from blooming. I've seen some really nice mini fountains similar to what are used in 100 gallon fish tanks that work extremely well for water movement.


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## MagGardens

I am in the hot, humid South and algae and mosquitos are a REAL problem here. I put some vinegar in the water to raise its pH. I read it on some message board somewhere sometime, lol, and it works very well. The vinegar is not harmful to the horses and it controls the algae. If you clean out your troughs regularly or simply dump out the old water and rinse them, that helps control the mosquitos. I have 2 troughs in my big pasture that I rotate on being full. Just a thought.


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## Crimsonhorse01

I dunno how well it works, but my father in law uses copper pipe in the bottom of his trough to keep off the algae. Its always algae free when I go up there.


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## lacyloo

Iv seen them used without much success maybe its because we live in the south. But they are cool to look at !


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## Alwaysbehind

Strange bump for this time of year....

I use feeder gold fish in my trough every year. They do a great job on the bugs. As was stated above, they do not touch the algae but I am happy they eat the mosquito larvae. 

When we need to clean the trough we put the fish in a bucket and put them back into the trough once the temp of the trough has gone up some.

When we add water to the trough (pretty much every day in the summer) we use the sprayer on the house and this helps to aerate the water some. The fish seem to enjoy it. 

We do feed them every other day, goldfish food.


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## farmpony84

Wow, this is an old thread! I did buy the 12 cent fish and they lasted quite a long time. In fact the last one to go was almost 6 inches long. I think I put hot water in the water tub, I didn't realize how hot the water was from my hose for about the first 5 minutes that I ran it. (the hose is a black craftsman and it sits outside - it's like 600 feet of hose to the barn so alot of hot water). I'm going to try it again next summer.


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## sillybunny11486

I was thinking about the fish we used to have. You had to assimilate them into different temperatures over a few hours. Not sure if goldfish are simmilar. But they will go into shock with temperature changes.


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## GoldRush

I'm CA, and we have a big mosquito problem in my area. We don't have a mosquito abatement program, but lots of people have ponds, and have little mosquito fish in them. These little guys are amazing! they multiply quickly, love not-so-pristine water, and can survive cold winters. You can get them at:
You've made the right choice! Skip the pet store for even more from LiveAquaria.com

This is through Drs. Foster & Smith, and a terrific way to buy live fish. They have a live arrival guarentee, and I have never lost one fish I bought through them!
I also have goldfish in one tank. I like the goldfish, as they actually can survive hard winters...they even survived when their tank froze solid! They go into a kind of hibernation state, and stay that way until they thaw out in spring. They don't like gunky water, so I have a regular aquarium filter attached to the tank, which seems to keep them happy. My sister has had goldfish in her tank for years, they get good sized, and breed! One of her horses loves to dip his nose in the water to feel the fish nibble on him. He stucks his tongue out underwater, and they nibble and tickle him. Silly boy, and soooo funny! I have never heard of anyone's horse accidently swallowing the fish. They seem to know when to surface and when to dive.
They all need to be fed according to weather...in spring, before mosquito season starts, every two ore three days, until weather warms. In summer, every two days, depending on your mosqiuto population. In fall, every two days to three days as weather cools. In winter, they are pretty much dormant, so maybe once a week or two, depending on how cold it is outside. Just regular goldfish flakes is great for mosquito fish and goldfish.


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## PaintsPwn

Uuuugh please don't. Not unless you plan to filter /and/ cycle the stock tank. Just fill the tank enough to last them a couple of days and scrub it. It's easier, and you're not torturing a fish in the process.



> She said goldfish are dirty and put off a lot of amonia and they wouldn't make it... but I've done so much research I really think they'll be OK.


Hate to tell ya' but she's right!!! Those $.26 need 55 gallons(EACH) of water and a CRAP LOAD of filtration. They can live to be up 24+" long and well over 20 years old when kept properly.

I'm into fish keeping as a hobby, and I have 6 successful tanks and I breed fish also. I rescued a 7 inch comet because of goldfish ignorance. There's too much wrong information out there, and you should have found a reliable source such as a fish keeping website. 

I find it incredible that your fish person even had that knowledge, and you should have taken it into consideration.


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad

I dump my troughs a few times a week , scrub them and refill with cold well water. Gold fish would be too much trouble and they don't like sudden temperature changes when refilling.
I use hydrochloric acid to wash the troughs and that kills all algie.. Muriatic acid from pool stores also kills algie and rinsing it out after a quick wash is not that important.
You can also add hydrogen peroxide to the trough to keep algie down.


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## chixie

I have had goldfish in my trough for many years... I have an automatic waterer hooked up and I never have any problems ...my fish even has babies...I keep a water lily and a few aquatic plants in there... it can be done...I clean it out everycouple of months


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## orloff

It works really well. They eat all the alage and mosquito eggs so they cant hatch. The fish like to eat all the food the horses drop in the water tank. Once in a while just let the water flow over the top to clean it out.

Many types of fish work too. Theres some red kind that I remember reading about.


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## roro

There are easier ways to keep the water moving without the hassle of fish. You can try aquarium filters or electric water pumps, as long as the water is moving the mosquitoes won't be able to lay eggs and hatch.


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## iridehorses

roro said:


> There are easier ways to keep the water moving without the hassle of fish. You can try aquarium filters or electric water pumps, as long as the water is moving the mosquitoes won't be able to lay eggs and hatch.


Those are great ideas if you have a power source. I tried goldfish last year and all they did was die. I keep a very large kitchen strainer that I got at the dollar store by my tank. It doesn't help with algae but takes care of bugs, leaves, hay, etc. that ends up in the tank. I check my tank at least twice per day at feeding time and clean what I can.


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## farmpony84

Once I got the hang of it my goldfish lasted through out the summer. I had to run fresh water every day (I could get away with every other day) but everyday was better. Near the end of the summer they ran out of bugs and needed food (I think that's why I lost my last one). I may try it again this summer. I only had 3 per tank. I have 100 gallon tanks.


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## SeeinSpotz

We do that.. we have been doing that for like the past 5-6years. we techniquely they are in the Elk trough, but the horses going in there for 4 months.. 

They keep the tank pretty clean..


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## snoggle

Has anyone ever tried a few pond snails to keep the algae down? When I've had fish tanks the pond snails would clean off the algae and damage plants.


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## whitetrashwarmblood

snoggle said:


> Has anyone ever tried a few pond snails to keep the algae down? When I've had fish tanks the pond snails would clean off the algae and damage plants.


You know, I never thought of using snails. lol Would be interesting to find out if anybody has.


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## snoggle

From what I've read the minnows and goldfish are pretty good at eating mosquito larvae and other insects, but not so great on algae control. I think a few snails would take care of the algae pretty well. I read that some snails called "trapdoor snails" would be good because they don't reproduce as well as some of the others, so you won't have a trough filled with the darn things overnight! Plus, the survive in frozen ponds when other species won't so they should be fine in winter. 

I might have to try this. Maybe 2 minnows and a few snails to start.


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## farmpony84

snoggle said:


> I might have to try this. Maybe 2 minnows and a few snails to start.


 
Potomac Horse Fever can be traced to snails. I'd skip the snails and just put the water in the shade to keep the algae down... I might try minnows this year too.


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## snoggle

farmpony84 said:


> Potomac Horse Fever can be traced to snails. I'd skip the snails and just put the water in the shade to keep the algae down... I might try minnows this year too.


:-( Oh crud, it seemed like such a good idea too. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Thanks for the info!


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## fire walker TWH

Gold fish would be fine, and there excrement wouldnt hurt the horses as long as you dont have too many. Im not sure if you have to add dechlor to the water to remove chlorin, and if so would the dechlor harm the horses? I know if you let water stand open for 24 hours the chlorine will evaporate so maybe you could remove the fish into a safe tank or something when you fill up one tank. Goldfish do grow really really fast but general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish(not including tail) to one gallon of water, but since goldfish grow big fast i would recommend a rule of 5 inchs of fish per gallon. Since you have them for cleaning puposes you should need only 5 or 10 of them. Have you thought of what you will do with the fish after they get too big? Most states have laws against releasing them into lakes or ponds because they breed rapidly and eat all the natural occuring species.Birds pick the eggs up on their feet and when they fly to a new water source the eggs fall off and grow and hatch, contaminating lakes and rivers.In Kentucky they are not even allowed to be used as bait. Another good fish for algea is a plecostamus. They have a sucker type mouth and scrape away alea, and they are less messy than goldfish.


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## snoggle

The problem with plecostamus is that they get huge too. That's why I'd put in a few minnows instead of goldfish. Plus, if they breed too well, hubby can just use them for bait.

There are some smaller fish that eat algae pretty well and stay small. I'll keep looking since the snails are a no go.


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## simplysouthern

I've heard of this but won't try it. My gelding tends to be a lightining Rod for weird occurances - he'd somehow manange to eat the fish.


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## PaintsPwn

Pleco's won't eat algae for long, unless they're absolutely starving.

Either way, please skip the fish.


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## justsambam08

We have gold fish in all of our tanks at my barn---they are absolutely HUGE, because Florida is basically a 365 day mosquito season....and then in the summer we get lots of flies too. We go out once a week and check for dead fish, dump and scrub the troughs and refill them.


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## farmpony84

justsambam08 said:


> We have gold fish in all of our tanks at my barn---they are absolutely HUGE, because Florida is basically a 365 day mosquito season....and then in the summer we get lots of flies too. We go out once a week and check for dead fish, dump and scrub the troughs and refill them.


Do you feed them at all?


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