Question
Hi,
I moved into a house that came with a small circular pond (approx 3ft wide and long, with a depth of about 2ft i think). It has a waterfall system so there was a pump in the pond and a huge box (which i'm assuming is the filter)outside the pond, next to the waterfall. I bought 9 tiny goldfish for the pond and they survived well until this year. Many of them just disappeared- we have no cats/dogs in the area and i have never seen a heron near the pond either, but I do have a couple of frogs living in the pond. Four of the goldfish have remained with around 50 little baby fish. Are the rest of the goldfish just hiding or have they died/been eaten/something-ed else?

Also, 2 days ago, the pump to the pond broke and so the waterfall doesn't work. I've looked around pet shops for similar pump and filer but they don't have any as big as the one i have. I have seen the fish a lot more often since the pump broke but they aren't behaving any differently than they used to. Should I look elsewhere to replace the pump, or will they be okay without it?

Thanks very much,

Gina

Answer
The huge box is probably a filter.  You should figure out how it works and clean it as needed.  The pond isn't that big so, unless it's really dirty and full of leaves and debris, you should be seeing most of the fish.  Some could be hiding if there are places to hide.

Many predators will eat goldfish - herons, raccoons, foxes, snakes, hawks even, and so on.

My pond animals (predators mostly) is at:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/pmamm.htm

Just because you didn't see a heron doesn't mean one wasn't there.  They are good at getting fish.  Raccoons tend to leave a mess with body parts all over.

Since your pond is small, and you have a lot of goldfish (although most are tiny for now), you absolutely need filtration as well as aeration/water movement.  I don't know what filter you had since I can't see it but there are many kinds you can buy now of all different sizes.  Some filters are bigger than your entire pond!

I get most of my pond supplies from these two places that have a large selection of pumps and filters:
http://www.thatpetplace.com
http://www.drsfostersmith.com

Good luck!