Fish Cover in winter

[rexford]

Hi All,

I am about to enjoy my first winter with my new pond. I have already noticed
the plants are slowing down and I am sure I will lose lots of my cover in
winter. I live in California so temperatures will not be terrible however I would
like to throw in some floating artificial cover for the fish. For the life of me I
can not think of anything that would be safe/affordable/visually pleasing?
I image 3 or 4 black round floating disks made out of plastic or rubber...

Anyone have some suggestions for artificial floating cover?


Thanks,
Mike

 

[addy1]

How about some sort of dense Styrofoam, covered with door screening (so the fish don't nibble on them), or just a plant ring with netting of some sort. And then get some nice artificial plants, put them stuck into the styrofoam, or fill your plant ring with the flowers etc. Mainly don't want them where the fish might nibble on them.

 

[j.w]

They do have fake floating waterlilies. I've seen them at Lowes or H-Depot. Or how about lots of little rubber duckies, lol!

 

[taherrmann4]

If you want a plant that will spread like crazy get some 4 leaf pond clover. This was one of my first pond plants and that stuff took over like a weed, had to pull it all out as its roots became entangled with the lily roots. It was neat but quite invasive.

 

[Waterbug]

Mike, My previous ponds were in San Jose.

Is the cover to combat predators? I never had a problem with birds in the winter, but come spring I did. Raccoons are an issue year round but floating stuff wouldn't slow them down. Bubble wrap will work, but it does tend to bunch up. Wood would work too if you wanted something a little nicer looking. You can put some close cell foam underneath it so it floats a bit higher. The corrugated plastic political signs float and can be cut to any shape. Free once the elections are over. It's the plastic that floats, so you don't have to seal the corrugated openings.

I've heard a lot of people put terracotta or concrete drain pipe on the pond for fish to hide in. But I've watched Great Blue Herons pick fish out of my pond, 4' deep and straight side. They'd hover over the water and pick out fish. So I don't personally take much stock in clover. To work the fish have to stay under the clover and they don't. The herons just wait.

The best thing I found to keep birds out was stringing 30lb or better fishing line 8' or more above the pond. I built free standing trellises on one side of the pond and had the shop on the other side and could string between them pretty easy. Birds could see the string so it didn't harm them.

If the cover is to keep heat you sure don't need to do any kind of cover in San Jose. I'd get a little bit of ice for a few hours in the mornings for a couple of days in the winter.

I never found any floating plant that would grow in winter in San Jose. At best they would slowly decline.

I think you live in the most perfect location on the planet for having a water garden. I miss San Jose. I'm only barely looking forward to starting a pond here.

 

[j.w]

So I'm thinking that building a large type of arbor over the whole pond would stop the heron from being able to hover? For those of us w/ not too huge of ponds I guess that would work but those who have massive ponds have a dilemma. That would take a lot of fish line across a huge pond. Those birds sure do make it hard for one to enjoy our ponds. I have been using a radio on my front deck porch (talk radio) right near my pond. I have it set to come on dawn to dark, loud. My neighbors are far enough away so the sound doesn't bother them and we can't hear it from our family room. I have not seen the heron since I have done this and he has been to my pond many times in the past and gotten my fish. I also have fish line and short metal fence and various moving items flashing and flailing. Hoping it works. If not considering a screened in pond or maybe the arbor over the top.

 

[j.w]

Gosh just checked our Washington site and these birds can hover and swim. Hoping they don't learn to like talk radio: http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/heroncam/heron_facts.html

 

[Waterbug]

That Washington link is a great site. I was also surprised that they could swim.

Now that I'm in Phoenix I'm definitely planning an arbor over my next pond because of the sun. We do have a lot of Great Blues here which surprised me, so the arbor will serve double duty.

In San Jose I strung line about 50' and something like 6 or 7 runs. A spool comes with about 500 yards. My lasted at least 3 years, but I assume UV would break it down and it would have to be replaced. But yeah, definitely won't work for every pond or owner.

I think noise and visual deterrents are kind of hit and miss. When they don't work pro-deterrent people say the visual deterrents aren't being moved enough, or the right types, or whatever. Kind of an endless "it's not the deterrents, its you" type deal. People seem to try them for a while and then they just kind of fade away. I think if there was a proven deterrent, like the giant eyes, or the owls, I'd see them in most pond pictures. I'd sure would have had one.

These birds surprise me on how bold they are. They didn't have any issue with landing on my patio, with all kinds of human stuff around. I don't think they have a big problem with some flapping sparkly stuff. Maybe some are more skittish than others.

Even I wasn't much of a deterrent. A Great Blue would land right behind me when going into the house from the pond. I once came around a corner and was about 3' from an Egret standing on the side of a raised pond. I watched him for a bit because I'd never been so close before. Then I kind of jumped to scare it off but it just reared back like it was about to peck me. His peak suddenly looked to be 5 feet long. I backed away to give him some space and he left. I've never seen these birds act like they were all that impressed with humans or our stuff.

 

[j.w]

I have had the bird at my pond and I would run outside and scare him away and he'd be right back again or sitting on the shed roof not too far from the pond. One time I ran out w/ my robe on, hair flying, and broom in hand yelling at the sucker. He finally left for the day that time. When my one big blk cat would see him out there she would chase him to the back of the house w/ her hair all poofed up. The bird of course would just fly to the roof and look down at the cat. Cat would make the funny noise they make when they see something they want to catch. Finally bird would leave. I have not seen one by my pond since cat and I chased it off but I did put up fish line and the radio so who knows. It could come back at any time. Then on to plan B!

1. Photo of him in our yard.
2. Ducking under my fence before I put more wire and fish line around it.
3. Sitting on the neighbors shed roof.

 

[Waterbug]

I think I can see the fishing line in the second picture? They are impressive birds.

I'd read way back in a forum about people putting fishing line a few inches off the ground thinking the birds didn't want to step in it. But I never heard of it working. I read a lot of ideas that sound good and then you just never hear anything more.

 

[j.w]

I've heard all kinds of things also. That they don't like brushing their legs against things, the flashing strips, wind chimes, cd's, squirting birds, fake herons,nets, screens etc. I wonder if they would not like walking over boards w/ little sharp staples sticking out of them? I have a few of those left over from using around a pot on our deck that the raccoons liked to get into. It worked around that pot for the raccoons. They are not long enough to really injure, just like walking on stickers only stiffer. The problem is by the time we rig all these things up our ponds end up looking so ugly that it's almost not worth all the effort. The things we do to ward of critters...........they prolly all just sit back and laugh at us for all the stupid things we come up with, then go have a meal of our fish and laugh some more, lol!

 

[Waterbug]

I agree 100%. Ugly vs deterrent is a big issue.

We rarely consider deterrents when designing a pond other than the standard "shelves allowing critter access" which isn't even true. I think there's more we could do in the design to help. Like electric fences are good against raccoons, but often difficult to retro fit onto an existing pond.

I've always had a kind of bottom line that real protection had to be a barrier. For a small pond I like pergola. Fish line "walls" can be added as needed. Plus in winter it can be turned into a green house. But I'm biased because I like pergolas and they're fun to build.

 

[rexford]

Hi All,

Thanks so much for all the great ideas. The ducks would be hilarious.
Birds currently are my biggest problem but I hope to have come up
with a solution. I will take a picture tonight and see what you think.

Thanks again your guys ponds both past and current are so nice.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[sissy]

I put a shade cloth I sewed up and used metal pipe with a hole I drilled in them to put an eye bolt .The shade cloth I got at smasclub for 35 dollars for a role 4 feet wide by a hundred feet long .I just sledge hammered the pipe in the ground at an outward angle from the pond and used a smaller pipe through the center of the eyebolt with a pocket sewed in the shade cloth like a curtain .This way in high winds it is easy to take down .

 

[sissy]

sams club geeze