19 replies to this topic

[jacki380]

Hi there!

I am new to the ponding community, but installed a rather sizeable pond/waterfall in my backyard this spring. It is complete with water plants and four happy Koi and 1 orphaned Goldfish from a friend.

Everything has been going great, and we have been enjoying our new water feature immensely. However, here's the issue at hand:

Today, we noticed about 75-100 random small, dark fish, that appear Minnow-like! We are shocked as to where they might have come from? (ie. Birds perhaps?)

Any ideas? Our pond has not been visited by any ducks or geese that may have had eggs on their feet from the other wild ponds in the area, so we are at a loss.

Thanks for any ideas you might want to throw out there!

Jacki

[Pondmaster]

My wife and I experienced the same on our new pond and assumed the birds deposited the eggs which hatched. We let them be and I'm glad we did because the fry are from our own fish.

[jacki380]

Holy cow! If that be the case....anyone need some Koi? Haha! We will have them coming out our ears! )

[Pondmaster]

We always have different stages of fry due to a shallow rock ledge that borders the pond--about 6" deep. Not all will make it to the size that they will not get eaten. Nevertheless I don't know what we are going to do with all of them. Some are big enough to distinguish that they are very nice and some not so pretty.

[jacki380]

So, do all Koi begin as grayish brownish little guys? These truly have Minnow-like qualities, but they are small enough (and fast enough) that we could easily be identifying them incorrectly.

[Pondmaster]

Mine started that way so I assume thay all do. I used to raise Discus and they started that way. I would leave them be you'll know what they are pretty quickly.

[koiguy1969]

it has been my experience that koi are usualy opague when hatched and develope some color pretty quickly .. goldfish are born grayish brown or some variety of darkness, and may not develope color for some time.

[Pondmaster]

Going by what Koiguy just said they must have come in on the pond plants. My fry are not from my Koi, they're too young, they are from by Comets.

[DrDave]

Hitch hikers!

[jacki380]

Haha!

Where else can one find that sort of return on your money: Buy four fish, get a gazillion in return! )

[jacki380]

Hi there!

I am new to the ponding community, but installed a rather sizeable pond/waterfall in my backyard this spring. It is complete with water plants and four happy Koi and 1 orphaned Goldfish from a friend.

Everything has been going great, and we have been enjoying our new water feature immensely. However, here's the issue at hand:

Today, we noticed about 75-100 random small, dark fish, that appear Minnow-like! We are shocked as to where they might have come from? (ie. Birds perhaps?)

Any ideas? Our pond has not been visited by any ducks or geese that may have had eggs on their feet from the other wild ponds in the area, so we are at a loss.

Thanks for any ideas you might want to throw out there!

Jacki

[Pondmaster]

My wife and I experienced the same on our new pond and assumed the birds deposited the eggs which hatched. We let them be and I'm glad we did because the fry are from our own fish.

[jacki380]

Holy cow! If that be the case....anyone need some Koi? Haha! We will have them coming out our ears! )

[Pondmaster]

We always have different stages of fry due to a shallow rock ledge that borders the pond--about 6" deep. Not all will make it to the size that they will not get eaten. Nevertheless I don't know what we are going to do with all of them. Some are big enough to distinguish that they are very nice and some not so pretty.

[jacki380]

So, do all Koi begin as grayish brownish little guys? These truly have Minnow-like qualities, but they are small enough (and fast enough) that we could easily be identifying them incorrectly.