fish and frogs all gone except 2 large fish

[moonlight43058]

This is a man made pond about 30ft x 30ft. It has been in existence for about 20 years. We had hundreds of gold fish and probably at least 20 green frogs. This year we noticed the fish were very slow to start showing (they never did). We had a bunch of frogs but now we are down to 2. Yesterday my
Aunt noticed a large fish dark in color (she is saying about 2 feet long) that seemed to be caught in the shallows. He broke free. Then she noticed a smaller one...I'm talking smaller is 8 inches, thin..almost like an eel. Ok so she has a problem with her eyes so we all thought she was seeing things so today I went down and threw some bread in the pond which has always brought the fish up in the past...Nothing..I kept watching the pond and all of the sudden a fish(?) lept partially out of the water 3 times. I saw about 12" of him and to be honest with you didn't get a really good look but thought I saw a slight gold tint to his sides. I kept watching the pond and realized that he is the culprit as to why the pond is so murcky because as he swims around(you can see swirls in the water) he stirs up the bottom. The center of this pond is over 4 feet deep and very muddy. My questions I guess are what could he be and the mosquitos are getting out of control because of the lack of fish and frogs. Anything we can do? We don't want to restock the pond and just be feeding this creature. My Aunt is afraid it is a snakehead but I didn't think he looked like any of the pictures I have seen. We live on Eastern Long Island, NY and the bay is about 200 feet away from the pond. Oh and the Mother goose will not let her goslings in the pond...Weird

 

[Waterbug]

that is weird. Sorry, but I don't know what that could be.

 

[adavisus]

Sounds like a winter of destruction, the pond froze over long enough for all plants to be killed and the overall pollution took out all the fish and critters when decomp gases built up below the ice.

Assuming there continues to be a nasty small among the sediments, it would take a complete dredging to clear out the pollution from excess organic stuff going off. Regards, andy

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
You could try netting that fish out or fishing.
It could be someone released a predator in to the pond and it ate everything.
If it was a water pollution problem the frogs would be able to get away (I would think)
Plus I would think there would be carcass around.

Your grand mother could be right about what kinda of fish it is.
I say a documentary on hammer heads and they should how they went over land for miles to get to another lake for food.
And they are nasty and eat everything.

Ruben

 

[Carapar3466]

Could be a catfish considering there predators. The other is likely an amarican eel

 

[Dave 54]

Im wondering if this is a preditory fish, eels are known to travel pver land vast distances ,
I used to help with the fish in the duck pond in Saltram house a stately home when all but the largest koi seemed in evidence all the smaller fish where missing somewhat like yourselves.
The ducks and ducklings were missing during the early summer, at first we wondered if work in the grounds of the estate had cut off the natural strean the supplied the pond , Then one day my good friend Brian who lives in a natiomal trust property rang and drove over to pick us up,
It was about a koi in a bucket that had been found by the side of the pond and was in a bad way, so off we set to rescue this poor koi, sadly one side of it was completly dried out and the fish had to be put to sleep.
But I then moticed movement in the pond, to our supprise and horror when you looked closer the pond was rything with large eels they had at some stage come over land and had pupulated the pond growing to maturity .
There was nothing we could do apart from let nature take its course and the eels depart from the pond for their long journy to their breeding grounds in the Atllantic, then let their offspring swim back to the UK and back into the pond and others around the estate..
The large koi were removed and moved to a friends lake in Cornwall where he runs a tropical , Marine and cold water fish outlet.
It's where we hold our annual joi how each year, the lake is just behind the garden centre his parents own.
The duck pond was left to the eels .
I dont know if snake heads can travel over land or not but the only option is either to net you pond or get the local Authorities to come to stun then remove what ever it is you have in your pond,
The electric shock is just enough to stun anything in the pond then as they float to the surface net them and remove them (dont try this yourelf).
Best of luck with this .

rgrds

Dave

 

[dieselplower]

I am looking forward to hearing the outcome of this. Good luck

 

[moonlight43058]

I'll let you all know what it is when I get it out of the pond.....Thanks for all your input!