Now I have fish???!!!

[lamby]

I have a large (about 7,000 gallons) communal pond in my townhouse complex that I have taken on as a project. It has gone from being an algae filled swamp to a clean, lovely pond with several recently installed hardy water lilies. A well-meaning resident recently added fish without permission. She thought it would be fun for her grandchildren to feed them when they visited. Unfortunately, we also have raccoons who come around in the evening. The pond cannot possibly be screened (way too big), the edges are gently sloping which cannot be changed now, so the raccoons have no problem entering the pond and they are creating havoc with the lilies. The fish are growing big and multiplying like crazy! Our pond is not set up to support fish and I am not at all happy about this. I tried scooping them out with my pool net, without success. I don't want to kill them, but they are a huge attraction to the destructive raccoons.

We live in Vancouver, B.C Canada. Do you think the fish will die off naturally in the winter months? The pond is not set up to support fish. They're clearly thriving now, but once winter comes I don't know what will happen to them.

 

[addy1]

They are pretty hardy, how deep is the pond? That is one huge pond, they may just do fine.

 

[lamby]

They are pretty hardy, how deep is the pond? That is one huge pond, they may just do fine.

I must correct myself. We actually have two ponds in the complex; a really big one at 35,000 gallons and a smaller one at 7,000 gallons. The fish are in the smaller pond, which is still pretty big. The deepest area is only about 2.5 feet in this pond (3 feet in the bigger pond). I will now edit the original post to reflect this correction.

 

[IPA]

sounds like you are in a difficult situation. Are there any local community environmental organizations or agencies that could offer guidance. Regardless of what may be best, probably culling the fish, you may get resistance or backlash from the town home community as many won't or won't want to understand the reasons.

 

[lamby]

Right. The woman who added the fish is feeling a bit embarrassed, I think. Of course, she will depart for sunny climes in a couple of months when Vancouver's rainy weather sets in, so perhaps didn't think ahead to the welfare of the fish when she is no longer here to provide food. I'm not even sure that I have it in me to cull them without a home to take them to. Possibly, a local pet supply shop which sells fish would be willing to take them. I haven't looked into that possibility. They won't be easy to catch. Any suggestions to entice them into a net?

 

[Tula]

Can you lower the water level in the pond? It would make it easier to catch them. I've seen some folks with big ponds use seine nets.

 

[j.w]

Can you just transfer the fish to the big 35,000 gal pond when you are able to catch them. They prolly won't die in the winter as your temps are about the same as ours here in Washington and my fish do fine outdoors all year. Course I keep a hole in the ice for them. I've heard of fish surviving in frozen over ponds tho.

 

[IPA]

I hope I didn't come across as callous. Are they tropicals or goldfish?

 

[lamby]

Not callous at all...I had some nasty thoughts myself when I was in there yesterday picking up overturned pots, believe me! I don't really want to bring them to the big pond (which is the one that my house overlooks, btw) because I'm happy that at least the raccoons are staying up at the other pond. I think they are goldfish, although today I saw one that was almost black in colour. It otherwise looked like a goldfish, but entirely black with maybe a bit of grey. Not particularly attractive.

 

[j.w]

Goldfish start out black when hatched and then eventually turn orange, white or a combo of the two. Sometimes it takes years for some to turn from black to oj for some strange reason. Darn raccoons are the problem for it sounds like. Too bad you can't figure some way to keep them out. Not sure you want to go to all the trouble but you can do this: stake 2-foot wide strips of chicken wire flat around the inside of the pond edge where raccoons are entering. (Cut the wire as needed to match the curvature of the pond.) Raccoons will have difficulty reaching over the wire, and will tend to not stand on it because of its instability. To camouflage and extend the life of the wire, spray it with dark-colored automobile undercoat paint or other rustproof paint.

Not sure how to attach this to a concrete pond tho.

 

[Usman]

so ur question is for the pond or fish? i think fishes will survive , thats big pond even if some die , there will be some survival and rapid spawning going on

 

[addy1]

I have raccoons , fish and plants. The raccoons never bother the pond. They like looking for snails, which I have a ton of. I have never seen any evidence of them trying to catch fish.
They don't swim well. Can't dive. Fish easily get away.

 

[Nyboy]

Many people enjoy watching fish. How do all the other residents feel about them? You might be outnumbered by people wishing to keep them. Many fish owners here do not feed there fish. Winter it is not healthy for them to be fed. Maybe heavier pots will not be as easy to over turn.

 

[lamby]

Thanks for all the comments. So interesting about the colour of the goldfish turning from black to orange...I had no idea! I have begun putting some pots inside black milk crates to see if that discourages the raccoons. For now, I plan to leave the fish and see what happens over the fall and winter. I agree that they are interesting to watch.

 

[MitchM]

I remember your situation, lamby, it's great to hear you got the pond cleaned up and people are enjoying it.
Tell people or put up a sign telling people not to feed the fish, there will be plenty for the fish to eat and it will help keep the population in check.
Would like to see some pictures if you get a chance.