Catfish dead. Koi nowhere in site

[Faebinder]

If it's a mink, your only answer is an electric fence...

I'm just having a hard time buying it since the netting is not disturbed. Further, a catfish injured is a sign of a predator. I'm not sure.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Has the possibility of a snapping turtle been considered?

 

[cas]

I am so sorry for the loss of your fish. I was looking at your picture and your net does seem tight up front. Does your net go under the blue cover in the back? Is there a way something could get between the net back there? It is hard to tell from the picture, but maybe this is where something got in?

 

[j.w]

There are ways people on this forum use their camera's underwater. They put them in jars, bags or something at the surface of the water. @callingcolleen1 is one who does it. Maybe if you try that you can see what is going on down there.

 

[sissy]

I rely on my cameras and they are a great investment .I don't have underwater ones but the ones I have did save me a couple of times .

 

[budgenator]

I wouldn't give up hope until spring temperatures are in the pond, Koi can disappear when they choose too.

 

[Fishfinder]

I am so sorry for the loss of your fish. I was looking at your picture and your net does seem tight up front. Does your net go under the blue cover in the back? Is there a way something could get between the net back there? It is hard to tell from the picture, but maybe this is where something got in?

If I remember correctly, the net does go under the cover, which is a table top placed there just to keep the leaves off the rocks in the spillbox, if that makes sense. It will be replaced with a better looking cover in the spring.

I can't see how any creature got past the net. There are snappers around here. Two years ago, husband saw a great big one crossing the street well away from the house. By the time I got to the area to escort the turtle to safety, it was gone. I had to call my dad first for advice on how to do it. I saw one turtle in the yard years ago. It was a painted turtle. I saved him from being tormented by crows. Poor thing.
I like the idea of a camera. Thanks, J.W.

 

[Faebinder]

I agree with being patient and waiting for spring. My fish are masters of hiding. Heck I emptied my pond of water one time and two fish managed to survive and not come out till hours after I refilled it... one of them was missing for 3 weeks.

Wait till spring... on the other hand now you can decide on the "real" colors of the fish you always wanted. I don't know why but the longer I keep fish the more my taste in their colors changes... bizarre.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I just put my camera in a jar and you can put lid on tight and lower into water to see what's going on.
If you can not see to bottom and water murky then you could have another problem. Every year the fish get bigger but the pond does not. So water quality goes down when you shut down filters over winter. Seen many people over the years who lost there fish because water quality drops. I leave my filters on all winter and water always remains crystal clear.
If the catfish was the biggest fish in your pond and it died with no known reason and has no sign of injury, then it most likely died as oxygen may have been low as the larger fish will die off first as they required more oxygen than smaller fish.
Drain half the water and see what is going on....

 

[Fishfinder]

Wow, I really hope the catfish did not die b/c of oxygen starvation. I would think that aerator would have been adequate. The waterfalls are shut down because the bloody things leak and no matter who we hire to fix the problem, they still leak. The guy who rebuilt the pond cannot find the source of the leak.

This is the first year the waterfalls have been off. The aerator is new. I'd better call the guy and see what he says. Thanks for the input, everyone.

Colleen, where did you get a camera small enough to fit into a jar?

 

[j.w]

@Fishfinder I think they use the little point and shoot one like my little Canon. They aren't very big.
Also a hint here on this forum: If you want someone to notice your post to them type @ and then their forum name like this @callingcolleen1

Something like this one and it will fit into a jar easy and I still need to try it sometime:

 

[Fishfinder]

@callingcolleen1, so did you weigh the jar down with something when you put the jar containing the camera in the water? Did you set the camera to take a bunch of photos or did you take a recording?

I've left a message for the guy who rebuilt the pond and told him about the dead catfish and disappeared koi.

 

[Fishfinder]

I agree with being patient and waiting for spring. My fish are masters of hiding. Heck I emptied my pond of water one time and two fish managed to survive and not come out till hours after I refilled it... one of them was missing for 3 weeks.

Wait till spring... on the other hand now you can decide on the "real" colors of the fish you always wanted. I don't know why but the longer I keep fish the more my taste in their colors changes... bizarre.

That is amazing about those fish! The last time we bought fish after the heron had his big meal, I found two blue koi. They were beautiful. One survived the winter, then disappeared. I guess it died, or something ate it. Never saw him again.

 

[j.w]

I just remembered I have one of these old Flip video recorders so I'm gonna try it in a jar. It can stand it upright and not use such a wide jar this way. Think you might have to put a regular vid cam or phone sideways so it takes the pictures correctly and not end up w/cockeyed video if ya know what I mean?

 

[Fishfinder]

The pond (re)builder called and said he had a client who swore up and down neighborhood brats were stealing her fish and that it could not have been a heron....even though the pond was not netted. She put up a camera. It was a heron.

The pond guy thinks the koi must be hiding for whatever reason and suggested that if we get a day about 60F, throw a bit of food in the pond and see who surfaces. I don't know about that.