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#1
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Another kind of pond question
Since I may actually see open water in the next few days, I think that
the time has come to broach a somewhat different kind of pond question than is the norm on this group. In late 2004, I moved from a high rise condo building on the lakefront in Chicago to 5.5 acres in rural Minnesota. One of the features on my property is a pond. It's about 3/4 acre, pear shaped, and 17 feet at its deepest. This is a "natural" pond; I put "natural" in quotes because it was actually dug (in the mid 1970s), but it has no lining, pumps, aerators, or any of the other attributes that often turn up in discussion here. In other words, I don't think it's your "normal" rec.ponds pond. [Yes, I know I'm in newsgroup rec.ponds.moderated.] This pond is the fisherman's dream, if the fisherman happens to be about five years old. Drop a hook in the water, and you've got a fish in less than a minute. Bait optional. Take the fish off the hook and throw it back, repeat, and you would swear that you've caught the same fish. They're sunfish, I'm told, 6-18 inches in length. It's obvious even to me that the pond is overpopulated with small fish. I've not done anything much to the pond. I've had plenty to keep me busy on the property since I've lived here. My pond maintenance has been limited to using chemicals to reduce algae growth. I don't know squat about ponds. Flame me if you must; I'll simply ignore those. I'm not proud of not knowing about how to handle the pond, but I'm not ashamed of it either. There are many things to learn when you move from a downtown condo to a rural house; I've learned a lot of them, but nothing about the pond. If you would like lessons in keeping bees, growing vegetables, or brewing beer I'd be happy to help. So, those of you who know something about the kind of ecosystem I have, what would you suggest? My inclination is that I need to introduce some more-aggressive fish that will control the population of the small sunfish. It would be nice if they could live through the Minnesota winter like the sunfish do. I'm willing to listen to any advice. So far the pond has taken care of itself; I'm willing to weigh in only if there's some likelihood that I'll improve things. Otherwise, Mother Nature has been doing a rather admirable job. It's likely that I've left out some crucial information that you need to understand my situation, so please ask and I'll do the best to provide it. |
#2
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Another kind of pond question
On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 21:17:51 CST, Steve Bonine wrote:
Since I may actually see open water in the next few days, I think that the time has come to broach a somewhat different kind of pond question than is the norm on this group. In late 2004, I moved from a high rise condo building on the lakefront in Chicago to 5.5 acres in rural Minnesota. One of the features on my property is a pond. It's about 3/4 acre, pear shaped, and 17 feet at its deepest. This is a "natural" pond; I put "natural" in quotes because it was actually dug (in the mid 1970s), but it has no lining, pumps, aerators, or any of the other attributes that often turn up in discussion here. In other words, I don't think it's your "normal" rec.ponds pond. [Yes, I know I'm in newsgroup rec.ponds.moderated.] No problem. Turns out there are a lot of us that have natural (unlined) ponds to fuss with. I live down in northern Florida, and now find myself with three of the things to take care of, though none as deep as yours. This pond is the fisherman's dream, if the fisherman happens to be about five years old. Drop a hook in the water, and you've got a fish in less than a minute. Bait optional. Take the fish off the hook and throw it back, repeat, and you would swear that you've caught the same fish. They're sunfish, I'm told, 6-18 inches in length. It's obvious even to me that the pond is overpopulated with small fish. I used to have fish too, and turtles. Then an alligator moved in, and I haven't seen the turtles or the fish since. It probably wouldn't be a good solution to your fish problem, however. I've not done anything much to the pond. I've had plenty to keep me busy on the property since I've lived here. My pond maintenance has been limited to using chemicals to reduce algae growth. I have to admit I'm rather anti-chemical, especially when it comes to groundwater. I've got friends who dive and crawl in that stuff. I don't know squat about ponds. Flame me if you must; I'll simply ignore those. I'm not proud of not knowing about how to handle the pond, but I'm not ashamed of it either. There are many things to learn when you move from a downtown condo to a rural house; I've learned a lot of them, but nothing about the pond. If you would like lessons in keeping bees, growing vegetables, or brewing beer I'd be happy to help. As for the beer, I'd rather drink it than brew it, I have little use for vegetables, and the bees sound like way too much work for me. So, those of you who know something about the kind of ecosystem I have, what would you suggest? My inclination is that I need to introduce some more-aggressive fish that will control the population of the small sunfish. It would be nice if they could live through the Minnesota winter like the sunfish do. I'm willing to listen to any advice. So far the pond has taken care of itself; I'm willing to weigh in only if there's some likelihood that I'll improve things. Otherwise, Mother Nature has been doing a rather admirable job. I know nothing about what lives in places where the water gets hard in the winter, but I do have some peculiar ideas about weed control. It's likely that I've left out some crucial information that you need to understand my situation, so please ask and I'll do the best to provide it. What color car do you drive? -- Galen Hekhuis Illiterate? Write for FREE help |
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Another kind of pond question
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#6
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Another kind of pond question
wrote in message ... I understand that koi and goldfish are quite teachable, so maybe if I tried feeding them, I could get better views of them. I don't know if the wild fish would also come up for free dinners. ======================== If they eat what you're feeding the koi and goldfish, then yes, they'll come when you feed the others. -- RM.... Frugal ponding since 1995. rec.ponder since late 1996. My Pond & Aquarium Pages: http://tinyurl.com/9do58 Zone 6. USA ~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö |
#7
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Another kind of pond question
ak!
Looks like your critters went forth, were fruitful and mulitplied themselves out of balance. You'll have to sit them down and have a long talk. k :-) |
#8
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Another kind of pond question
On Mar 26, 5:35 pm, "kthirtya" wrote:
ak! Looks like your critters went forth, were fruitful and mulitplied themselves out of balance. You'll have to sit them down and have a long talk. k :-) Just how does that talk go? I need to have one with my mosquito fish. Jim |
#9
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Another kind of pond question
On Mar 26, 4:14 pm, wrote:
On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:49:07 CST, wrote: On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:58:39 CST, ~ jan wrote: On Sun, 25 Mar 2007 10:00:47 CST, wrote: If your pond is 1/2 to 3/4 acre, and up to 17' deep, there should be no problem in having the fish survive the winter. Here's how I got my fish. I am lucky enough that the famous NY State Erie Canal is less than 100 feet from my pond. I used a minnow net with bread to catch all kinds of assorted small fish, and then I just threw them into the pond. I fished at the canal, and over a couple years caught quite a few bass. They also got thrown into the pond. Neighbors gave me goldfish & koi and they got thrown in as well. I don't feed the fish, I let them fend for themselves, with nature taking its course. ron Ron, how often do you see a goldfish or a koi went out by the pond? ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State I see them occasionally, the goldfish more than the koi. I've never seen any baby koi. They probably get eaten. The wild fish I only see very occasionally, in the more shallow areas, when the water is somewhat clear. I understand that koi and goldfish are quite teachable, so maybe if I tried feeding them, I could get better views of them. I don't know if the wild fish would also come up for free dinners. I haven't seen any yet this year. There is still a partial ice cover on the pond, but it should be gone in another couple days. I've got a couple more goldfish to add to the pond later this spring. They came courtesy of my uncle a month or so ago.. They are both 4-5 " long and are currently in an aquarium overlooking my computer. ron Disaster! I just went out to check my pond, and there was a major fish kill. The fish have survived the last couple winters, but apparently not this time. I found 2 dead bass, a carp, several frogs, a bullhead, 2 sunfish and a perch (?). Didn't find any goldfish or koi. More dead fish may show up later, or maybe the rest survived. One of the bass was the biggest largemouth I have ever seen. 22-23" long and fat as a turkey the day before thanksgiving. He was starting to decay so I didn't pick him up to weigh him. His mouth was big enough to swallow a medium size fish whole. Looks like next year I'm going to have to keep a hole in the ice. Never had to in the past. ron definitely sounds like a disease hit the water or toxins were not able to esacpe. Pete http://www.relaxingdecor.com |
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