odds and ends

I had a variety of comments and questions that couldn't fit their own category so i have them all here.

I had for the first time a fish junmp out of my tank, i went to turn on a light by my tank, it flickered, several fish jumped into the cover, one landed on the floor. It now has a worrying light colored patch on its back.

i got some feeder guppies for my dollar sunfish to eat and bully, it brought back some color to it. It seems better at catching them in the dark, do sunfish have good night vision.

On a related note where can I go to get a mystery tropical identified? In my feeder guppies was a little orange guy with the same "killie-shape" the guppies have but an orange color, pointier nose, and larger light colored eyes. I took pitty on him and put him in my 20 gallon so he doesn't get eaten. (this put off my plan to move my darters their).

I am debating getting a pond liner to makie my own pond, i have not decided on a pond idea (my ideas currently are fishing pond, darter pond, and chub pond). I found Agway sells liners that are 10 or 20 feet wide depending on model (price is dollars equal to the width per foot of length. But I wonder how to figure out how to figure out length and width when depth is involved. If I make it deep enough not to freeze (maybe 5 or 6 feet deep) how much does that take away from total depth and width?

Answer to your first question(s): Huh?

Answer to the one about feeder guppies: I don't know how well the see in low light conditions....maybe they can see better than the guppies, and maybe take them by surprise more easily than when the light is on.

Note- Some folks on forums will get upset about other folks feeding guppies/feeder fish without reason...so tread softly. I won't get into it other than to mention that cramped feeder tanks in most pet shops are breeding grounds for fish disease/parasites and you want to avoid getting this transfered to your tank. Unless you have a good reason for feeding guppies (like keeping gar or something), I would suggest you avoid it.

Try earthworms, frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis, etc. instead -- all of which are much more safe

I recently built a very small goldfish pond and I would not reccomend a liner for a fishing pond. Hooks will go through it and rip it. Depending on where you live and whats in it it most likely will not freeze over xcompletely if it's anymore than 18" deep with a small heater to keep a hole in the ice.

A liner that is 20 feet wide will not get you 5 or 6 foot of depth unless you plan on making the pond about 5 or less feet wide with sides straight up and down or using multiple strips of liners and somehow taking care of the seems. There's a little bit of geometery involved with waht you have planned that needs to be taken into account before you just dig a hole and put a liner down.