Confused In NJ

[jadoo71]

Hi All. Hope someone can help.
Had a wonderful pond for about 15 years. All the normal issues of filters/pumps/algae/random other things that always happen but you "battle" and enjoy your pond with! That said i am totally confused.

After 14 years last year, I had about 20 fish, lost 15 of them in a week or so. I did not have a net ontop, never needed, but attributed it to possibly a bird of sometime. I had some REALLY big fish btw and surprised if it was a Heron but really could not make much else out. The remaining 5 are small size fish and at that time they were terrified of us and ran to protection everytime we came close (btw, I use to be able to hand feed my fish, so they were very happy and use to use).

Now 1 year later they still refuse to come out. They hide under some cover rocks on the bottom and I barely if ever see them. I thought might as well break their possible bad habit and purchase a few fun loving baby koi and pond goldfish, thinking their antics might stir up the old bats habits....I swear to god, soon as I put these new 5 in, they met one of the old 5 and I saw with my own eyes they took off under the rocks. It was like they talked and told them the gang is in here...come on down quick!

I have a full net above the pond since the incident last year, although not pretty I thought it would protect. My fish have been terrorized before in the years from various things, and I have seen them get scared and then bounce back in a week or two. I am totally confused now what is causing this much terror in them still. I really feel bad and dont know what to do?

Is there something living in the pond bothering them? Perhaps outside that comes by? Any ideas???

-confused in nj

 

[digginponds]

I had a similar problem last year to the old heron, and lost a few as well. Goldfish have great memory that is why we can hand feed them. Maybe introduce a new fish to the pond; it may make the others forget all about what happened.That was a huge lose........

 

[Squidhead]

I don't know jack about ponds but some sort of predator was my guess too. If not bird or coon maybe a snake? I think snakes only eat what they need though.

 

[butterflycld]

It sounds like to me that something is definetly still terrorizing them. I went through that a few years ago. My fish were all of a sudden skiddish and darted all over. I thought my dog drinking the water is what spooked them because I didn't see anything else and my yard is fenced with my dogs in there, so I know it wasn't a bird or raccoon. This went on for a few weeks and then I finally caught a glimpse of a tail slipping beneath the water as I went out to feed one day. And sure enough it was a snake. I had a few after that, then my poodle became an amazing snake hunter. She thinks it is a game. Ever since she found this new "game" to play, I haven't seen a snake anywhere in my yard. My fish are not skiddish and they are all accounted for, even more due to babies now.

So my guess would be snake or at least something along that line that can get past your net. Unfortunately I can't tell you a way to get rid of them. I tried many things and nothing helped until my dog got them and now she keeps them out of the yard altogether. I still have tiny ribbon snakes, but they are way to small (and faster than my dog) to eat any fish and are not poisonous so I don't mind them. Snakes are also hard to see. They blend in so well. My pond is only about 400 gallons and this was not a small snake and until its tail popped up, I never saw it. Good luck, wish I had more help for you.

 

[mouseams]

I lost 11 fish early last year after I first put fish in the pond. I do not want the netting so have tried to make the pond inaccessible to birds of prey with floating mesh planters and things around the pond.