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Q. I have a small established pond which used to have three goldfish. One died and I had the 2 remaining. One of these died a few weeks ago, leaving one mature fish on its own. I want to add another fish but as I've not done this before I have some questions. When is the best time of year to add new fish? What age and size should the new fish be? Will the established fish (at least 8 years old) resent or attack the new fish (he's quite big)? We inherited the pond when we moved into this home 8 years ago. The fish were already there so I have no idea how old this fish is! If I do add a young fish, what should I feed it? Thanks for your help!

A. First let me address your fish questions. Goldfish are a non-aggressive fish, so you should not have any issues there. When new fish are introduced to a pond or even an aquarium, they tend to hide for the first few days until they become accustomed to their new environment, so no need to be alarmed when that happens. If you live in a temperate climate zone, you should be able to introduce a new fish at any time. If you live in an area that has a cold season, I would wait until spring temperatures stabilize to introduce the fish. If you purchase a small fish, you may want to use TetraPond flaked food. However, the TetraPond Sticks do soften, allowing the new fish to nibble at it. I am concerned however, that you've experienced some fish loss. Make sure your filtration system is working properly, and test your water before you invest in more fish. Good luck.