adios comets

[2vettes]

blue heron was back this week and our last three comets have left . . . leaving us with zero fish . we need to purchase some more fishies and advice is welcomed , i think these fish came from cincinnati or maybe columbus a couple years ago . fish were sarrasas [spelling??] comets but would also like similar brightly colored fish , pond is roughly 2400 gallons . . . peace

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I keep my pond covered by a net all year to avoid this issue. We used pvc to build a lightweight frame and then tie wrapped a pond net over it and cut off excess. The frame rests on the rocks bordering the pond edges. I can remove the whole thing easily when needed. Not the prettiest but I know my fish are safe and that's what is important to me.

 

[Lisak1]

Advice about buying fish? Or keeping them safe from the herons?

Comets are beautiful pond fish as are shubunkins. Either will give you a nice bright bunch to watch. If you get both you will end up with combunkins. Or shumets.

 

[j.w]

A net will save you..................errrrr, actually your fish!

 

[Gemma]

Sorry you lost your fish, I'd think of a way to cover the pond before adding more fish

 

[HomerJay]

blue heron was back this week and our last three comets have left . . . leaving us with zero fish . we need to purchase some more fishies and advice is welcomed , i think these fish came from cincinnati or maybe columbus a couple years ago . fish were sarrasas [spelling??] comets but would also like similar brightly colored fish , pond is roughly 2400 gallons . . . peace

If you are looking for comets, the feeder fish tanks at Petsmart are a great place to go for cheap fish. 19 cents each and you can find some really nice ones in there. Just take a few minutes to look for the healthy ones.

 

[seandelevan]

I see herons flying over my pond all the time.....yet none have ever even stopped at my pond. I wish they did. My pond is overran by goldfish.

I live right near a river so they probably have bigger fish to fry..ha . ha.

 

[2vettes]

thanks for comments . we have a net to cover whole pond in fall to catch leaves but remove it when leaves are gone . have another net on a couple of long poles that we unroll to cover about 85% of pond during summer , both have mesh about 3/4 inch square . first time we used summer net we came home to find heron standing in middle of net having ''speared'' our prettiest comet but unable to get it through the net . luckily the heron seems to prefer catching and eating chipmunks [ as i said some time back] and ,yes , i have a picture but don't know how to post them . looking on ebay i've found many sources for fishies but think we should wait another 5 or 6 weeks for water to warm , it's 24 degrees today , that's air temp not water . thanks again . . . peace

 

[Lisak1]

You definitely want to wait for warmer water. Do you not have any pond stores or nurseries that sell pond supplies nearby? Even pet stores sell comets and shubunkins many times. I think I would alway prefer to buy fish locally if I could to spare them the stress of being shipped. If it's a special fish or something you can't buy close to home that's a different story though.

 

[CometKeith]

Hi. Sorry about your fish. So your fish were from Ohio? My daughter lives in Ohio. It's a nice State! If you don't want to buy fish from the internet I would suggest finding a garden shop that also sells pond supplies and fish. Ideally they quarantine their fish before selling them. You absolutely should not buy feeder fish as the way they are transported and held promotes disease. You want to get the healthiest fish possible because even one unhealthy fish can get the others sick. Also I agree with above comments about protecting your fish first. A net is the most foolproof way to do it. Good luck!

 

[Lisak1]

I meant to mention the feeder fish @CometKeith - thanks for the reminder. As tempting as it is to "rescue" them, it's a great way to bring disease into your pond. Not a good idea, unless you have the ability to quarantine them for a good long time before adding them to your pond first.

 

[GBBUDD]

SCARECROW!!!

 

[Dave 54]

Please check out this other thread about a heron's head size as it will save me typing out what I have to say all over again .
Its about a UK net company that exports around the world :-

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/heron-head-size-its-a-legit-question.22838/

It may well give you some really good ideas about an anti heron defence for your fish .

Dave 54

 

[HomerJay]

I meant to mention the feeder fish @CometKeith - thanks for the reminder. As tempting as it is to "rescue" them, it's a great way to bring disease into your pond. Not a good idea, unless you have the ability to quarantine them for a good long time before adding them to your pond first.

Yes, I forgot to add that they should be quarantined if you have existing fish. If his pond is empty though, as stated, and he adds them all at the same time from the same feeder tank quarantine shouldn't be needed. Also, unless you are buying large and expensive fish, they all arrive at the stores packed the same way as feeders. There was a wholesale supplier in Trenton that used to open one day a month for retail, and trust me, they are all kept the same way, even saltwater fish.

 

[Nevermore44]

Beside the large pond that i'm having heron issues in my back yard... I have a very small pond in my front under a crab apple. Since you are starting over... one idea that I did for this small pond is just stocking it with blue/white/black shubunkins (minimal orange). It's really neat to see a bunch of blue (gold) fish all together. You can get these at most pet stores for not much $$.

You'll need to fix the heron issue first though.