We get inquiries all year, but especially in the winter, from pond owners who's pond fish have disappeared.
Sometimes signs can be found around the pond that give hints who the perpetrator was: Footprints, Droppings, knocked-over rocks, destroyed plants, etc... (that scenario usually points to a racoon).
Often, however, there are no signs to be found, but yet the fish are simply gone! When absolutely no visible signs of a visitor can be found the culprit is usually a bird. Many birds prey on pond fish. The ones most often at fault are Hawks, Owls and Herons.
Pond fish like Koi or Goldfish are usually pretty adept at hiding from these almost silent predators, but in the fall, winter and early spring we pond owners sometimes deprive them of the ability to hide by removing all the dead plant foliage and cleaning the pond too thoroughly.
I like to put a couple of big terra-cotta pots in the pond. Laying these on their side gives the fish a place to hide. This trick, in addition to netting stretched over the pond, discourages most predators from making a meal of my colorful Koi and Goldfish.
Today's featured link: Pond Netting
Just a place to talk about Garden Ponds, Koi Ponds, Water Gardens, and other Water Features. My yard has three big Garden Ponds: one Koi Pond, one Goldfish Pond and one Water Garden. What is the difference, you ask? Read on.....
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- PondExpert
- In the Garden Pond and Water Garden business for many years and loving every minute of it!
5 comments:
This was a big problem for me, have an owl who sits in the tree at night, solved this problem by putting some trimmings from one of my bushes sticking in the ground around the pond, my pond is not large and would only work on smaller ponds, they hang over the water and the bird can not fly through
We have 2 chimney tiles in the bottom of the pond. (water lilies sit on them during summer) We also have a flat rock resting on other rocks to make a place where our fish can swim to avoid predators. Both work equally well. Last spring, we had an Egret get into the pond and we thought we lost two large Koi. Later I found them in the filter box!
I am a pond installer in New Nampshire and although birds and Raccoons are not too active in stealing fish over our severe winters, I have found that Mink or Weasel will go right down the bubbler or vent hole in the ice and take fish. They are clever, sneaky and leave tiny footprints that are often overlooked or mistaken for uneven snow melt. Unfortunately, there's not much other than deadly methods that can be used to prevent this.
We have lost our koi and goldfish two years in a row from mink predation. We were able to trap the mink last year, but only after much of our stock was destroyed. Can anyone provide information about using a "fish refuge" system (a mesh cage that provides protection for the fish) and whether one is commercially available?.
"Koi Kastles" are available .. just click on my name above
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