Pond dug in May, 2002. First year was great! Pea green twice during the
season, but cleared up quickly and nicely. Pond is 18'x14'x3' to 4' deep.
Zone 5. Biofilter, waterfall, spitter, and 4500 gph pump.

This year - Murky, pea green soup, floating algae, for the past 6 weeks.
Plenty of plants. Have lost 12+ comets and koi to the local heron (of course
he took our favorite ones). Have string around pond, floating snake, and heron
statue. Took another one this week! Have lots of hiding spots for the fish,
but they come right to surface everytime we approach.
Did water changes, bought BZT, cleaned filter numerous times, added Klear, and
still no improvement.
Please help me before I call the local quarry to fill this hole in! Cathy

"Szpond" wrote in message
...
Have lost 12+ comets and koi to the local heron (of course
he took our favorite ones). Have string around pond, floating snake, and
heron
statue. Took another one this week! Have lots of hiding spots for the
fish,
but they come right to surface everytime we approach.
Cathy

Hi Cathy: I also lost most of my favorite (and biggest) fish to herons in
late May. I had just taken the net off from the winter. So I bought one of
those "Scarecrow" sprinklers and installed it on May 30th. Since installed
I have not lost any fish. I leave it on 24 hrs a day to help discourage
Raccoons at night. Not sure how it works against the raccoons yet, but no
sign of them so far. May have to wait a month or two to see. Wish I had
bought one years ago!
Loretta

So Cathy, you have two problems.
Green water and hungry heron.

Did you end up with a lot of leaves and dead vegetation
last fall? Your pond may need a clean out.
Or you might consider a veggie filter.
Did your fish manage to reproduce themselves several
times over? Let the heron chow down and reduce the population.
(no flames re poor fishies, I just came from the dentist and I'm
looking to bite anyone's head off!!)
Anyway fertilizer might be getting in there?
Whatever happened, you've got too many nutrients from dead vegetation or fish
poo) in there
and they have to go or you need somebody (plants) to eat them up.

And now for Hungry Herons ~
- string fishing line around the pond, above, below, everywhere.
- put in an electric fido fence
- netting over the pond.
- a motion activated sprinkler(s)
- a brick flue at the bottom of the pond
to give the fish a place to hide
- Migratory Bird Act forbids lethal methods,
heavy fines and jail time take away from pond time ;-)


k30a

UV to get rid of pea soup. have you exceeded the recommended gallons per fish?
net the pond and get a scarecrow. Ingrid

(Szpond) wrote:

Pond dug in May, 2002. First year was great! Pea green twice during the
season, but cleared up quickly and nicely. Pond is 18'x14'x3' to 4' deep.
Zone 5. Biofilter, waterfall, spitter, and 4500 gph pump.

This year - Murky, pea green soup, floating algae, for the past 6 weeks.
Plenty of plants. Have lost 12+ comets and koi to the local heron (of course
he took our favorite ones). Have string around pond, floating snake, and heron
statue. Took another one this week! Have lots of hiding spots for the fish,
but they come right to surface everytime we approach.
Did water changes, bought BZT, cleaned filter numerous times, added Klear, and
still no improvement.
Please help me before I call the local quarry to fill this hole in! Cathy



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

have you exceeded the recommended gallons per fish?

Ingrid,
Only have 6 koi left. All were babies last year, now they are about 10", also
have around 40 baby comets. Do not feel this is too many for 4,500 gallons.
Cathy

Let the heron chow down and reduce the population

If he would just take the babies, I wouldn't mind - as much. He took the
biggest, prettiest, most expensive ones we had.
Or you might consider a veggie filter.

Would this be in addition to biofilter? How, where would I put it?
Anyway fertilizer might be getting in there?

No.

Szpond wrote Would this be in addition to biofilter? How, where would I put
it?

Yes.
Biofilter doesn't do diddly for getting rid of algae, in the fact that it only
converts fish waste, full of ammonia toxic to the fish) to fertilizer for the
pond. Algae loves fertilizer!

A veggie filter's, or plant filter's, purpose is to use up that fertilizer (as
much as possible) before it goes back into the pond. Large plants can use up
their fair share of the nutrients and starve out the single cell free floating
algae. Never, ever get rid of algae entirely. That would be a *bad* thing but
we can't do it so don't worry about that! ;-)

There are many, many different ways to put one together. I'm sure other ponders
will post their versions.

Mine own is an upflow mech/bio filter made in a 150 gallon stock tank. I simply
float water hyacinth on the top (keeping them from blocking the outlet) and
they grow like crazy. Three feet tall with huge leaves by the end of the
summer.

Other ponders (you know who you are) have much more elaborate
and wonderful systems. My next pond will also have a really kewl veggie filter
(but that involves last baby through college and a move).


k30a

I just want to say it's a good thing there are no herons in my area. My
rifle would be taking care of them. Sorry, I love birds of all kinds
(have a certified backyard habitat) but NO bird is going to eat my
beloved koi!

Last year I spotted a raccoon hanging around the pond. I got out my
husband's Bear bow and hunting arrows (that he does not use) and I took
out that raccoon with one shot through the neck. I called the local
taxidermist to see if he wanted it and he came and picked it up right
away.. He has it displayed in his shop.

I do have love and respect for domesticated and wild animals, but not
when they do damage and/or kill my pets.

Denise

I give up. Can't even decide where to begin with this. Just say I'm SO glad you
aren't my neighbor.

I just want to say it's a good thing there are no herons in my area. My
rifle would be taking care of them. Sorry, I love birds of all kinds
(have a certified backyard habitat) but NO bird is going to eat my
beloved koi!

Last year I spotted a raccoon hanging around the pond. I got out my
husband's Bear bow and hunting arrows (that he does not use) and I took
out that raccoon with one shot through the neck. I called the local
taxidermist to see if he wanted it and he came and picked it up right
away.. He has it displayed in his shop.

I do have love and respect for domesticated and wild animals, but not
when they do damage and/or kill my pets.

Denise
k30a

In the last chapter: K30a picked up the keyboard and pecked out:
:: - a brick flue at the bottom of the pond
:: to give the fish a place to hide
===================
These are worthless. The herons wait until the fish come back out, and most
don't even use the flue to hide in. The bird freezes and the fish seem to
forget it's there. The heron then has a fine dinner on your best fish.
Before I bought the nets I watched how these birds do their fishing. I
would venture to guess anywhere you find herons you will also find
fish-eating frogs and snakes. None of the things you've mentioned will keep
these predators away.
--
*.·´¨¨))
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))*
*((¸¸.·´ ..·´
((¸¸.·´* ~ * Carol * ~ *

In the last chapter: Denise picked up the keyboard and pecked out:
:: I just want to say it's a good thing there are no herons in my
:: area. My rifle would be taking care of them. Sorry, I love birds
:: of all kinds (have a certified backyard habitat) but NO bird is
:: going to eat my beloved koi!
========================
Shooting the fish eating snakes and frogs wont be so easy.
--
*.·´¨¨))
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))*
*((¸¸.·´ ..·´
((¸¸.·´* ~ * Carol * ~ *

K30a, what do you find troubling about a lady taking out the pesky raccoon?

In 1996, a family of raccoon trashed my house while I was living inside it
mind you! $40,000 plus later, and no matter what I did to discourage them,
they will not leave! Wildlife people will not help, gave me cages to use!
But the darn coons are too smart for the cages!

Then my few months old daughter was getting sick, suspected that the poops
for the coons were getting in the air condition ducts!

Anyway, that's my story.

--
_______________________________________
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is
like an eggs-and-ham breakfast:
The chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."

http://community.webshots.com/user/godwino

"K30a" wrote in message
...


I give up. Can't even decide where to begin with this. Just say I'm SO
glad you
aren't my neighbor.

I just want to say it's a good thing there are no herons in my area. My
rifle would be taking care of them. Sorry, I love birds of all kinds
(have a certified backyard habitat) but NO bird is going to eat my
beloved koi!

Last year I spotted a raccoon hanging around the pond. I got out my
husband's Bear bow and hunting arrows (that he does not use) and I took
out that raccoon with one shot through the neck. I called the local
taxidermist to see if he wanted it and he came and picked it up right
away.. He has it displayed in his shop.

I do have love and respect for domesticated and wild animals, but not
when they do damage and/or kill my pets.

Denise
k30a

Carol wrote ===================
These are worthless.

You know Carol, these tips were all things that WORKED for someone. Just
because they don't, or didn't, work for you doesn't really mean a heck of a
lot. They just didn't work for you. That's fine. But at least let's give others
a chance. Maybe it will work for them.




k30a

Just me wrote K30a, what do you find troubling about a lady taking out the
pesky raccoon?

It was everything she wrote that I object to
on so many levels that I can't begin to deal with it.
Why waste the time?


k30a

~ Windsong ~ wrote:

Shooting the fish eating snakes and frogs wont be so easy.


-- depends on hw good you are with a bb gun it wont punture the liner
if you shoot em in the water





John Rutz
Z5 New Mexico

good judgement comes from bad experience, and that comes from bad
judgement

see my pond at:

http://www.fuerjefe.com