Fish Pond - Heron, Nets, Water Quality etc
Discussion
Can I get an"idiots guide" before I venture into specifics on fish forums.
My house came with a decent size pond which the PO kept koi with water fall, massive filters etc
All I wanted was to see a few goldfish swimming about - now I'm probably on their most wanted list as they keep dying.
The main culprit is the heron - we've tried scarers, water jets, fishing line around the pond... we have finally given in and put a net across it today - this creates further problems with it being in the water stopping the fish getting the food easily and stopping the pond skimmer working so I'm thinking about raising it up - the only option I can think of is to put a raised timber around the edge with perhap four lengths of lath across it - it'll look awful, catch lots of leaves but I can't lose any more fish.
We've had at least four fish die - each seems to be a lone example with several weeks between incidents - is this normal ?
Bearing in mind it's just goldfish do I need to check PH / nitrates, oxygen ?
We have always had plants in the pond - we've removed them to net it - I presume this doesn't matter ?
Thanks
My house came with a decent size pond which the PO kept koi with water fall, massive filters etc
All I wanted was to see a few goldfish swimming about - now I'm probably on their most wanted list as they keep dying.
The main culprit is the heron - we've tried scarers, water jets, fishing line around the pond... we have finally given in and put a net across it today - this creates further problems with it being in the water stopping the fish getting the food easily and stopping the pond skimmer working so I'm thinking about raising it up - the only option I can think of is to put a raised timber around the edge with perhap four lengths of lath across it - it'll look awful, catch lots of leaves but I can't lose any more fish.
We've had at least four fish die - each seems to be a lone example with several weeks between incidents - is this normal ?
Bearing in mind it's just goldfish do I need to check PH / nitrates, oxygen ?
We have always had plants in the pond - we've removed them to net it - I presume this doesn't matter ?
Thanks
You need some way of oxygenating the water.
Some way of removing fish poo
How this is done is very dependent on the amount of fish compared with surface area, and how heavily you're feeding the fish. If you've just got a few goldfish in a big pond then I'd just get a lot of oxygenating plants in there and feed very sparingly. I don't think I'd feed them until spring.
Some way of removing fish poo
How this is done is very dependent on the amount of fish compared with surface area, and how heavily you're feeding the fish. If you've just got a few goldfish in a big pond then I'd just get a lot of oxygenating plants in there and feed very sparingly. I don't think I'd feed them until spring.
Koi owner here 
Same problem as you, keep critters out, fish in. I used 12mm black nylon netting fastened to a rectangular frame I made from 32mm black, solvent weld waste pipe using tie wraps. I made an intermediate support to hold up the net in the middle and made this slightly longer to create an arch to keep the net out of the water. 18MM or 25mm would have been better to let food fall through easier. I can post a picture in the morning if you wish, to give you an idea.
Same problem as you, keep critters out, fish in. I used 12mm black nylon netting fastened to a rectangular frame I made from 32mm black, solvent weld waste pipe using tie wraps. I made an intermediate support to hold up the net in the middle and made this slightly longer to create an arch to keep the net out of the water. 18MM or 25mm would have been better to let food fall through easier. I can post a picture in the morning if you wish, to give you an idea.
I presumed the waterfall oxygenates the water and the filter removes fish poo ?
The pond is around 6m x 3m x 1m (max) currently restocked with 20 small (3-4") goldfish
I've got 2 dogs but they are shut in when the heron visits at (presumably) dawn - I assume it's a heron, I've yet to see it.
Solvent weld pipe - that sounds like a better idea - what span have you got - I'd have to span at least 3m I had considered 22mm copper.
Eyelets would work with a proper net, which I may switch to - I've got a PVC fencing type stuff as couldn't find a suitably small netting at short notice.
The pond is around 6m x 3m x 1m (max) currently restocked with 20 small (3-4") goldfish
I've got 2 dogs but they are shut in when the heron visits at (presumably) dawn - I assume it's a heron, I've yet to see it.
Solvent weld pipe - that sounds like a better idea - what span have you got - I'd have to span at least 3m I had considered 22mm copper.
Eyelets would work with a proper net, which I may switch to - I've got a PVC fencing type stuff as couldn't find a suitably small netting at short notice.
Know someone who spread a flat green net horizontally across their pond to stop herons, but they eventually worked out how to pick the net apart in the weaker points between fittings and create a hole big enough to get some goldfish takeaway. They've had to erect a prison-like "bubble" net that encapsulates the entire pond in a thick green vertical net that keeps the heron at least 2 feet from the pond. Beautiful birds, like a pterodactyl, but they get hungry and will empty a small pond in minutes.
Yipper said:
Know someone who spread a flat green net horizontally across their pond to stop herons, but they eventually worked out how to pick the net apart in the weaker points between fittings and create a hole big enough to get some goldfish takeaway. They've had to erect a prison-like "bubble" net that encapsulates the entire pond in a thick green vertical net that keeps the heron at least 2 feet from the pond. Beautiful birds, like a pterodactyl, but they get hungry and will empty a small pond in minutes.
I've been watching clips on youtube - I've seen them walk on nets etc which is why I went for the stronger fence type - no idea if it's strong enough.The annoying thing is they sell 10" fences to stop them - I went for 3' with 6 strands of fishing wire - didn't work.
I keep meaning to buy a wildlife camera to see what the b
d is doingIn our recently purchased place near Oban, my wife wants to have a pond, bit bigger than the one we had in Northumberland some years ago but I'm dead against the idea despite loving the last one:
seagulls
two dogs with sharp claws and a desire to swim puncturing the lining
Nets etc look awful (at least the ones I've seen do)
seagulls
two dogs with sharp claws and a desire to swim puncturing the lining
Nets etc look awful (at least the ones I've seen do)
I dug a large-ish pond when we moved in to our then-new house over 20 years ago - perhaps 1-1.5 metres deep at the deepest point and a ledge round the edge for marginal plants etc....as that's what the book said to do.
Filled it up, put in some plants (and lots of oxygenators), and put in some goldfish and orfes. Most of the goldfish died within the year but the orfes seemed to be OK. We noticed a heron in the pond one day - so cue some black netting over the top - in my world just held down with tent pegs. You don't really notice it unless up close. There's a heron sniffing around most years in early summer - not the same one, I gather it's when young herons leave home and are looking for easy pickings. But the net keeps it away from the fish, and the fish themselves 'go to ground' to the depths of the pond when the heron's about - but they stay down for a couple of weeks even after it's gone. Spooked us out the first time it happened as we assume they'd been eaten, but they hide deep and come back up after a while.
20+ years on we've still got orfes, who seem to be happily fornicating and making new little orfes - and frogs. We put in some flaked fish food each evening in the summer, and pull out excess oxygenators once in the simmer too as they tend to take over. But other then that (and the net!) - we've done NOTHING in 20 years. No fountain. No moving water. No filter. No clear-out. No fish-poo removal. It just takes care of itself with clear water and what appears to be happy fish...on the basis they make little fish to keep numbers around the 30 mark.
Just make sure you have a net (and peg it tight maybe 6 inches above the water) and don't fret; nature takes care of itself...unless it's a really small or shallow pond, in which case it's not really natural for fish to thrive in that little water.
Filled it up, put in some plants (and lots of oxygenators), and put in some goldfish and orfes. Most of the goldfish died within the year but the orfes seemed to be OK. We noticed a heron in the pond one day - so cue some black netting over the top - in my world just held down with tent pegs. You don't really notice it unless up close. There's a heron sniffing around most years in early summer - not the same one, I gather it's when young herons leave home and are looking for easy pickings. But the net keeps it away from the fish, and the fish themselves 'go to ground' to the depths of the pond when the heron's about - but they stay down for a couple of weeks even after it's gone. Spooked us out the first time it happened as we assume they'd been eaten, but they hide deep and come back up after a while.
20+ years on we've still got orfes, who seem to be happily fornicating and making new little orfes - and frogs. We put in some flaked fish food each evening in the summer, and pull out excess oxygenators once in the simmer too as they tend to take over. But other then that (and the net!) - we've done NOTHING in 20 years. No fountain. No moving water. No filter. No clear-out. No fish-poo removal. It just takes care of itself with clear water and what appears to be happy fish...on the basis they make little fish to keep numbers around the 30 mark.
Just make sure you have a net (and peg it tight maybe 6 inches above the water) and don't fret; nature takes care of itself...unless it's a really small or shallow pond, in which case it's not really natural for fish to thrive in that little water.
Just a thought but 1 fish at a time, several weeks in between doesn't sound like a Heron imo. They typically will take everything they can very quickly - we've lost 10 fish up to about 8 inches long in one day before!!
The size of the pond works to the fishes advantage I guess but I'd expect that Heron back almost daily.
If you have no filter or oxygenation then you might just be losing fish to poor water quality instead.
The size of the pond works to the fishes advantage I guess but I'd expect that Heron back almost daily.
If you have no filter or oxygenation then you might just be losing fish to poor water quality instead.
Our new place had a big pond that the previous owner kept fish in.
Initially we refilled it as it was 3/4 empty, and, magically wildlife etc appeared.
Closely followed by the kingfisher, (which was nice) and then the heron, who made short work of anything that moved in the pond.
Once you start putting nets on (which the PO did) to me you have lost the charm of the pond and the wildlife.
Pond bulldozed and filled in!
Problem fixed.
Initially we refilled it as it was 3/4 empty, and, magically wildlife etc appeared.
Closely followed by the kingfisher, (which was nice) and then the heron, who made short work of anything that moved in the pond.
Once you start putting nets on (which the PO did) to me you have lost the charm of the pond and the wildlife.
Pond bulldozed and filled in!
Problem fixed.
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