Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

"RG" wrote:
Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

Cover the pond with bird netting. That solved my Blue Heron problem.
Check out Home Depot or http://www.nixalite.com/birdnetplanningguide.aspx

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!

Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops. You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! !
~Semper Fi~

Jim and I join you in loving the new group! It is really nice to have
friendly chat without the conflictual stuff.

Jim's grandfather lived in Berkeley. They had coons that visited the
fishpond at night. That scared the fish.

I think Nick is probably on target with his net remark.

Our koi think blanketweed (string algae) is a treat, so we don't get
and established in the main pond. Our berm ponds do get it. When the
plants are really up and running, the problem goes away. Maybe yours
will fade if your other plants give lots of cover and grow well.

Good luck.

Phyllis

I would think it was the heron. Our pond is also in a small fenced-in yard,
in a corner, with a large tree branching over it. Never thought we would
ever see a heron in our yard. But one morning I woke up and looked out the
window, and one was sitting by the pond. I just yelled, "NOOOOO!!!!". Went
out to check if any fish were missing. Didn't see a single one! I was
freaking out!! But fish aren't as dumb as you might think. They ALL turned
up a few days later, not one missing! So they were smart enough to find a
good place to hide :-))
But that heron scared the heck out of both of us!

"RG" wrote in message
oups.com...
Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

Phyllis and Jim wrote:
Jim and I join you in loving the new group! It is really nice to have
friendly chat without the conflictual stuff.


thread hijack warning

Are you the same Jim & Phillis that have retrievers in San Diego?
If so, it's so cool to meet people on one group then run into them on
another one!

--

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Chris Barnes AOL IM: CNBarnes
(also MSN IM) Yahoo IM: chrisnbarnes

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:20:28 CST, "RG" wrote:

Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

If you've never had string algae before... it could be because you have
more nutrients, bigger fish now. 9 carp type fish in 400 gallons is quite a
bit of poo. ;-) What kind of filter do you have on there?

Since you've seen a heron, if you don't have something to prevent him from
flying down, very likely he's managed it. I'm not a net person, I use a
motion sprinkler, so far so good. Works on both heron & raccoons.
www.contech.com to see a picture... you may find it cheaper by searching
the web. ~ jan

------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

thread hijack warning

Are you the same Jim & Phillis that have retrievers in San Diego?
If so, it's so cool to meet people on one group then run into them on
another one!

Sadly, we are not. Jim's family used to live in Piedmont (inside
Oakland). We live in Jackson, MS.

Nice to meet you here, however.

Phyllis

On Apr 13, 8:41 am, ~ jan wrote:
On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:20:28 CST, "RG" wrote:
Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

If you've never had string algae before... it could be because you have
more nutrients, bigger fish now. 9 carp type fish in 400 gallons is quite a
bit of poo. ;-) What kind of filter do you have on there?

Since you've seen a heron, if you don't have something to prevent him from
flying down, very likely he's managed it. I'm not a net person, I use a
motion sprinkler, so far so good. Works on both heron & raccoons.www.contech.comto see a picture... you may find it cheaper by searching
the web. ~ jan

------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds:www.jjspond.us

Thanks everyone for the replies. Much appreciated.
I'll pass on the net idea. I have doubts about a sprinkler because
the pond, which is sort of a strangled-curved-kidney shape with many
plants around it, won't be 'served' by just one sprinkler. Also,
won't the sprinkler sprinkle me, and my cat and wife and daughter?
How does it discern? I'm not too worried about raccoons. I know
they've been at the pond since I put it up (seen pawprints, seen
them). I'm still not sure the frightened fish are caused by the heron
either, since we've seen a heron last year, and an egret the year
before that. I did add a new koi a month ago, shortly before the fear
behavior began. Could it be weird grouping psychology.
No, Jan, I never had string algae before. I have an Oase Filtoclear
800 pressurized filter with an Oase Aquamax 1000 pump (great pump;
only draws 9 watts). The filter has a handle/backflush system to
rinse out the gunked-up sponges inside. I've been backflushing it
every 2 weeks or so.
With alot of this string algae, is it possible to stop feeding the
fellows? (I've only been feeding them a tablespoon of tiny koi
pellets every 3 days or so.)
By the way, here's another oddity: I've got tadpoles in the pond that
have remained tadpoles for 3 years. Only one turned into a frog last
year.

--Rob

"Henry & Carolyn" wrote in message
...
I would think it was the heron. Our pond is also in a small fenced-in
yard, in a corner, with a large tree branching over it. Never thought we
would ever see a heron in our yard. But one morning I woke up and looked
out the window, and one was sitting by the pond. I just yelled,
"NOOOOO!!!!". Went out to check if any fish were missing. Didn't see a
single one! I was freaking out!! But fish aren't as dumb as you might
think. They ALL turned up a few days later, not one missing! So they were
smart enough to find a good place to hide :-))
But that heron scared the heck out of both of us!
=========================
You caught the heron in time. Before we netted our ponds our fish were
disappearing constantly. Replacing the koi was becoming a real expense.
Herons will keep coming back and coming back until all the fish are gone.
Our fish were so freaked out they hid most of the time - and still vanished
from both ponds. The herons will stand like statues until the fish come
back out - then attack! They're pros at it.

Along with the herons we also had fish eating snakes, turtles and bullfrogs.
The nets keep most preditors out and we get to see and enjoy our fish.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

Phyllis and Jim wrote:


thread hijack warning

Are you the same Jim & Phillis that have retrievers in San Diego?
If so, it's so cool to meet people on one group then run into them on
another one!

Sadly, we are not. Jim's family used to live in Piedmont (inside
Oakland). We live in Jackson, MS.

What? No retrievers? Maybe you should get some.
--
derek
- Unless otherwise noted, I speak for myself, not rec.ponds.moderated
moderators.

Tadpoles that stick around that long are
usually bullfrogs or greenfrogs.

Another pesky predator is the kingfisher.
But you'll hear him. He's a noisy fellow who
wants everyone to know that he's shown up
in the neighborhood.

k :-)

On Fri, 13 Apr 2007 11:19:29 CST, "RG" wrote:

Thanks everyone for the replies. Much appreciated.
I'll pass on the net idea. I have doubts about a sprinkler because
the pond, which is sort of a strangled-curved-kidney shape with many
plants around it, won't be 'served' by just one sprinkler.

I'm not sure what you mean, but if 400 gallons was the correct size, a
motion sprinkler would cover it. Mine covers a quarter pie shaped area of
approximately 40X40 feet.

Also, won't the sprinkler sprinkle me, and my cat and wife and daughter?

I have mine right at the edge of the patio. All of the above will learn how
to avoid it. The humans will turn the dial to off, the cat will just avoid
the area when you're not out there. Since it has a sensitive dial, you can
make it so it doesn't sense something the size of your cat.

before that. I did add a new koi a month ago, shortly before the fear
behavior began. Could it be weird grouping psychology.

Could be, or could be sickness if you didn't run that koi thru quarantine.

No, Jan, I never had string algae before. I have an Oase Filtoclear
800 pressurized filter with an Oase Aquamax 1000 pump (great pump;
only draws 9 watts). The filter has a handle/backflush system to
rinse out the gunked-up sponges inside. I've been backflushing it
every 2 weeks or so.
With alot of this string algae, is it possible to stop feeding the
fellows? (I've only been feeding them a tablespoon of tiny koi
pellets every 3 days or so.)
By the way, here's another oddity: I've got tadpoles in the pond that
have remained tadpoles for 3 years. Only one turned into a frog last
year. --Rob

You've added another fish, and the others have grown since last year, more
nutrients, is why you could now have SA, when you never had it before. Yes,
you can stop feeding. Though a tablespoon every 3rd day isn't much to cut
back on. :-) ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

In article ,
Nick Cramer wrote:

"RG" wrote:
Aaah, what a pleasure to get rec.ponds again without the disturbed
commentary. Many thanks to those who pulled it off.

Our pond is 3 years old, 400 gallons, 30" deep, partly shady, 6
goldfish and 3 koi who are ~6" long. We're in San Francisco, moderate
weather.

Some perplexing new changes lately: 1) Fish seem scared. 2) String
algae has arrived.

1) In the last 3 weeks the fish have been hovering near the bottom,
seemingly scared. This was never the case; they'd always swim around
the top, especially during feeding. Now they won't come up at all.
Of course they could be terrified of the Great Blue Heron we saw on
the neighbor's roof 2 weeks ago (said bird then flew over to the
flimsy tree above the pond, though the bird never went down to the
pond as we watched). The heron could be visiting when nobody's
watching, but no fish are missing. It's a small, enclosed yard; I
doubt the heron's visiting that much. Could something else be the
problem? I water tested last week and everything's normal. Not only
do they hover near the bottom, I've seen them so low sometimes they've
got dirt/mud on their backs. Any ideas? Is this some weird spring
ritual? Or, is it related to...

Cover the pond with bird netting. That solved my Blue Heron problem.
Check out Home Depot or http://www.nixalite.com/birdnetplanningguide.aspx

2) String algae. We never had it before. Crystal clear water, in
fact. No big change in amount of sun. What causes this stuff. Maybe
I should leave it so baby fish & frogs can hide in it. Does it bother
fish? Can they get caught in it? Do they like it? Can I get a kind
of fish that eats it? I've got alot of elodea growing in there.
Thanks for any help.

Nick, you have Blue Heron problem in Burbank? Never saw one in 15 years
in Valley.

--
To reply by email, remove the word "space"

when fish are on the bottom, there is a predator. However, Jan is correct,
a new fish bringing in disease can make all the fish sick and particularily
ich sends fish to the bottom. If you dont do something to protect fish from
predators then dont encourage them to the surface with food either. Ingrid

On Apr 14, 7:29 am, "drsolo" wrote:
when fish are on the bottom, there is a predator. However, Jan is correct,
a new fish bringing in disease can make all the fish sick and particularily
ich sends fish to the bottom. If you dont do something to protect fish from
predators then dont encourage them to the surface with food either. Ingrid

Think I should use Koi food that sinks (if so, brand suggestion?) or
can I just not feed them and let them eat all that algae?