Fish are hiding

[Dave 54]

Thanks all.

Lisa, I like to read other people's problem too so I can prepare and not panic!

TM, I'll keep my eyes out for them. this is really weird and I still couldn't pin point the cause. It might be that the water change helped some how, but I couldn't tell what was the problem since when I tested the water was ok.

Dave, yes the water just came out from the hose. I thought about that a bit but the water from the hose was a tad warmer but I put it in the bog and let it flow out with the water that come from the bog and splashed to the pond water. I opened just half the water so it wasn't full strength, still not trickle method though I did it in the evening so I dont want to take too long and not wanting to leave the hose running the whole night. But next time I'll try the trickle method.

I have 3 places where water splashed to the pond. but I'll put air pump in just to see. I thought that the oxygen depleted in hot weather only?

Leaving a hose on all night would be courting disaster Nepen , did you do anything about ridding the water of Chlorine and chloramines before it left the bog to run into the pond ?
Always try to match your temperatures as closely as you can, you can buy infra-red hand held thermometers quite cheaply nowadays .
How are they all now , did the garlic work or haven't you tried it of yet ?

Dave

 

[Nepen]

Dave, I haven't tried the garlic because they were already out yesterday so I just fed them the spring/fall food
I put the water conditioner in the pond before I put the new water in (follow instruction). Thanks for the top about the handheld infrared thermometer, i'll look for them.

They were out this morning before i left for work, i fed them and they ate. will check on them again when i get back

 

[Mmathis]

This was last year, mid summer, I drove up one afternoon and there were crows hanging out around the pond area ( I think it was a fledgling group -- or isn't it called a "murder" of crows -- so that would make it a juvenile murder.....]. They looked to be exploring, more curious than guilty. And for a week or so after that, there would be a crow or 2 somewhere around, maybe in a tree, but then the visits stopped. I looked it up, and crows can [but usually don't] hunt for fish. Like a lot of animals, it depends on the circumstances, but we do know that crows are intellegent and curious birds.

The fish did act spooked for a few days. But when you think about it, anything that the fish perceive as a danger, threat, or predator is going to cause them to be wary and go into prey-mode. So, maybe all the crows were doing was pretending to fish [it was crow school], but their actions would have scared the bejeebees out of me if I was a fish!

 

[Shdwdrgn]

70 degrees is far from 'cold'... my pond barely gets above that in the Summer, but it is still warm enough for them to spawn.

You keep saying it couldn't have been a heron because you live in the city -- exactly how does that prevent herons? I also live in the middle of town, yet I caught a heron this Spring with one of my largest goldfish (spooked away the heron and the fish survived). There are also hawks and racoons in my neighborhood. Don't reject the idea of predators just because you haven't personally seen them invading your pond! I have to agree with others that if your fish are suddenly spooked, a predator attack is the most likely cause. With Winter coming on and the plants dying back, I would suggest building some kind of floating device that will hide the fish from overhead. You might even just try floating a sheet of plywood on the water -- if the fish are out swimming under the board within a day or two, that would confirm a predator attack spooked them.

 

[Nepen]

Thanks Shdwdrgn. I dismissed heron because it's very unlikely. But you are right, I shouldn't dismiss them. The two large tress are still full of leaves (it leaves stopped dropping when the weather stared warming up in the 70s again) and still fully covered the pond.

The fish have been out since Wednesday, still not super relax but not hiding anymore. They came out after I changed the water. I don't know. Right now I don't see any sign of predator or anything, and my cat live mostly outside, he would scare smaller birds or raccoon away (he fights like a champ and guard the house). I'm kinda leaning toward the dip in temperature (from 70 to 40 over night for a night) and may be some water balance I did not have the test for, just my non scientific thought

 

[addy1]

We went to look at a car once, in a neighborhood full of close homes. There was a tiny pond in the front of the house, between the sidewalk and the house wall. While we were in the drive looking at the car a heron landed and walked up to the tiny pond. If there is water and if there are herons they will come.

 

[Lisaebetten]

We went to look at a car once, in a neighborhood full of close homes. There was a tiny pond in the front of the house, between the sidewalk and the house wall. While we were in the drive looking at the car a heron landed and walked up to the tiny pond. If there is water and if there are herons they will come.

I sure hope you went screaming a waving your arms like a crazed lady into the strangers front yard!!

 

[addy1]

I sure hope you went screaming a waving your arms like a crazed lady into the strangers front yard!!

Well not that crazy, but did scare off the bird and warned the owners of the pond.

 

[Lisak1]

Our fish got spooked once and stayed spooked for several weeks. Something got two of our biggest fish - one the first night, one the second - and the rest were goofy for many days after that.

We met a man who told us he had a fish that got stabbed by a heron - he saw it and chased it off, it dropped the fish back in the pond. He looked for that fish for weeks - never found it so he assumed it had died and sank to the bottom. A full year later that fish finally came out of hiding. So if the scare is big enough, they can stay spooked for a long time!

 

[Nepen]

that goes to show that I'll have to be more careful and lookout for the bird. Right now what ever spooked the fish has not been back. They are all still out and about, no one's missing (yet) - good thing about having small pond and know all my fish, I count them twice a day....

 

[Lisak1]

I count them twice a day

We count ours in groups "there are the three speckled shubbies and the comet, there's the two black koi and the black and orange"... it's like the buddy system in our pond. Everyone has a partner!

 

[Lisaebetten]

Thanks Shdwdrgn. I dismissed heron because it's very unlikely. But you are right, I shouldn't dismiss them. The two large tress are still full of leaves (it leaves stopped dropping when the weather stared warming up in the 70s again) and still fully covered the pond.

The fish have been out since Wednesday, still not super relax but not hiding anymore. They came out after I changed the water. I don't know. Right now I don't see any sign of predator or anything, and my cat live mostly outside, he would scare smaller birds or raccoon away (he fights like a champ and guard the house). I'm kinda leaning toward the dip in temperature (from 70 to 40 over night for a night) and may be some water balance I did not have the test for, just my non scientific thought

My fish don't come out until at least 11 or 12 because of the cold. On top of that they all (4 smallish) cram into an elbow pipe I have hidden in the wall of the pond. My 12 rosy red minnows hover at the opening of the pipe!

 

[addy1]

Mine are starting to hang deep, minimal swimming around, they come up to any food I toss in but ignore it. Water is 59 today.