Newbie from North Carolina

[xxbowiexx]

Sad to announce having my first fish casualty due to suspected predatory bird. I lost my "Snow White" premier Koi only after having it in the pond for 2 days. I'm afraid that bird will come back for more. I went and bought two ornamental decoy cranes. Hopefully that will be the last of it. I don't think i'll be switching the crane around on a daily basis to ward off the birds. What do you guys do to prevent your precious fish from getting eaten???

 

[j.w]

A high net is what I finally had to resort to. Not what I wanted but it keeps the peace. The fake birds if they work at all will not work for long.

 

[CountryEscape]

The fake birds are more for pretty, than they are to keep predators away. I've heard they sometimes BRING the herons to the pond, thinking they may be a mate. Pretty much the only way to keep the heron away is to put up a net. Once they find your pond, they won't quit coming back until you net it, or your fish are all gone.
JW, what does your "Warning" sign say?

 

[addy1]

The heron did not stop coming here until I hung a wide weave net over the pond, It is around 3 feet up, drapes down a little on the sides, finally the heron quit visiting. I fought them for two years, a daily stop by, fishing lines etc. The smaller weave net (deer fencing) trapped too many critters, drowned a few small birds, so I gave up on it. The wide weave protects the pond, lets the other critters get in and out without getting trapped. Not real noticeable, still able to mess around the pond without removing it, and if you need it moved easy to move out of the way.

 

[CountryEscape]

Saw my local blue heron on my farm pond yesterday evening while I was mowing. I waved at him/her and told her thanks for feeding there, instead of my backyard. LOL So far, knock on wood, so good. I suspect my dogs being in the yard most of the time are what helps keep the herons away from my backyard ponds. I am gone all day, so it's not like there is activity out there to keep them away. But, having the .5-.75 acre pond in the pasture, shallow, lots of baby fish and tadpoles, a heron's dream ... sure helps!

 

[xxbowiexx]

man, i may have to consider a net if more of my fish are gone. I did buy to cranes decoy. It's ornamental and may not work but it's a start. BTW, i've been working on a Zen Garden. It's just another way to find peace in my life, to meditate, and to reflect on the meaning of life. Here's a little collage i made today, thought i share.

 

[xxbowiexx]

So i have been doing a bit more research on Koi fish. I also have added a few new fish to the pond. It's juvenile koi though but i look forward to seeing their growth and hoping that the bird will not eat them. Have you guys ever order koi from www.nextdaykoi.com before? here's a pic to share. In this pic you can see 2 baby comets, a Doitsu Orenji Ogon (orange fish next to the 2 comets), up top is a Kujaku with a tancho spot, a platinum Ogon in the middle, a Shubunkin and at the very end is i believe another comet

 

[Nepen]

A little late to a welcome party but Welcome! I'm also in NC, triangle area. I like NextDayKoi, especially they ship throw NC and shipping cost is cheaper. The fish I got from them since two winter ago are still in my pond.

 

[Chris348]

Japanes Maple or Acer to the rear right. One of my all time plants...

 

[xxbowiexx]

A little late to a welcome party but Welcome! I'm also in NC, triangle area. I like NextDayKoi, especially they ship throw NC and shipping cost is cheaper. The fish I got from them since two winter ago are still in my pond.

I'm glad to meet another NC pond-enthusiast. NextDayKoi get the fish from BlueRidge Hatchery which has great selections. I'm still novice and hesitant on buying the good fish until i know my pond is safe enough for them. What kind of fish do you have in your pond?

 

[Dave 54]

Welcome from a sunny Plymouth UK Bowie [is that your name to do with the knife or are you a Bowie fan]?
You have a lovely garden and the pond sounds delightful Comet Kieth is our commet person he'll know if you have them or not .
Dont be afraid to ask questions no matter how silly you think they may be between us all we have one heck of alott of experiance be it about Plants Fsh Health issues water quality issues etc
How many gallons total do you have on the pond I ask because you mentioned koi carp are being bought and they grow to a fair old size you need also a depth of 4.5 ft for them to safely over winter unless you either heat the pond throughout or bring your koi indoors like my friend does in Fort Saint John B.C.

Dave

 

[xxbowiexx]

Welcome from a sunny Plymouth UK Bowie [is that your name to do with the knife or are you a Bowie fan]?
You have a lovely garden and the pond sounds delightful Comet Kieth is our commet person he'll know if you have them or not .
Dont be afraid to ask questions no matter how silly you think they may be between us all we have one heck of alott of experiance be it about Plants Fsh Health issues water quality issues etc
How many gallons total do you have on the pond I ask because you mentioned koi carp are being bought and they grow to a fair old size you need also a depth of 4.5 ft for them to safely over winter unless you either heat the pond throughout or bring your koi indoors like my friend does in Fort Saint John B.C.

Dave

Hi Dave, thank you for your post. I believe my pond's total gallon is around 1100-1200 gal. Depth is a bit weak as it is about 3-4 feet. My new koi are small, ranging from 2-4". Looking forward to learning from all of you guys

 

[Dave 54]

Looking forwards to pointing you in the right direction 4ft is deep enough 1100-1200 gallons US us a nice size for a few koi , fish health is our strong point .
If your into reading books on our hobby rather than the net which can be somewhat world in the articles section we have printed out reviews of just some of the koi/koi/fish health books with Authors name and the all important ISBN numbers that you'll need if you wish to purchase any books on Amazon.com or Alibris US books .
Weve just entered our 28th year in the hobby that has seen us move from an indoorsetup after 22 years ,to outside 6 years on health grounds Val has MD I bad chronic Ostio Arthritis , Fyromyalgia and more recently a heart condition .
You are a very lucky person to have such a nice garden .
We are finishing off the cosmetic side of the pond this year and love the bhuddest theme which we hope to emulate ourselves on completion , however we dont have much in the way of space , so we'll have to see what we can come up wuth , I love the zen but of your garden by the way

Dave

 

[Nepen]

I'm glad to meet another NC pond-enthusiast. NextDayKoi get the fish from BlueRidge Hatchery which has great selections. I'm still novice and hesitant on buying the good fish until i know my pond is safe enough for them. What kind of fish do you have in your pond?

Hi Bowie,
I have only goldfish in mine. Mostly Shubunkin kind (tri-colors goldfish) and I've been into Watonai and Wakin lately (goldfish with fork tail fan out) I have about 5 of those.

You should determine what kind of fish you have, a comet goldfish or a koi. Goldfish wont get to be too big, but Koi will.

I just moved and have to dig a new pond, just starting so I only have a hole with water and fish right now

 

[xxbowiexx]

Hi Bowie,
I have only goldfish in mine. Mostly Shubunkin kind (tri-colors goldfish) and I've been into Watonai and Wakin lately (goldfish with fork tail fan out) I have about 5 of those.

You should determine what kind of fish you have, a comet goldfish or a koi. Goldfish wont get to be too big, but Koi will.

I just moved and have to dig a new pond, just starting so I only have a hole with water and fish right now

Do you have any Shubunkin with good blue color on them? those are so pretty.