Fry in my pond...

[Jac]

Hi
Newbie here....
At the beginning of the year I was left with a few goldfish, a few chubunkin, some ghost koi and a black fish with a lovely long fantail,
that was until a heron decided to fly around my town with my fish hanging from it's beak!!
A couple of weeks later I thought that my pond was full of tadpoles which were in fact fry. There are some orange coloured, some mottled coloured, some greyish with a silver belly and some that are still black plus the fan tailed fish.
My question is, if my previous fish were in a fearful state due to that dreaded heron, would they have spawned as they were going to be taken?
This was around June time UK.

TIA
Jac

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

Your fish probably just spawned and you are now seeing the fry. They, if scared by a predator, actually go into hiding.
Bummer about losing your pretty fish. I keep my pond wide weave netted year round due to herons. They fly over every day.

 

[Jhn]

Predation won’t keep fish from spawning, as it is a short lived or acute stressor. Chronic stress is what will keep your fish from spawning like living in a pond with poor water quality. Think of it this way when health is compromised in most animals for a long period of time, reproduction is way down on the list of necessary functions for self preservation.

 

[rubyduby]

Predation won’t keep fish from spawning, as it is a short lived or acute stressor. Chronic stress is what will keep your fish from spawning like living in a pond with poor water quality. Think of it this way when health is compromised in most animals for a long period of time, reproduction is way down on the list of necessary functions for self preservation.

I remember (6th grade, my science teacher) when I first heard that coyotes will not come in to heat if food is scarce, ect...Nature is AMAZING!

 

[j.w]

@Jac
Better put a net up or that Heron will just come back for more! I have mine up on posts and hanging down clipped to a short wire fence.
That bird can't get in now and I and my fish are at peace

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome. Good answers!

 

[Jac]

Hi,
Thanks for the welcomes and responses, until this year we maybe only had a couple of ghost koi that were bred in the pond and plenty of goldfish but nothing near the amount we have now. We also kept the pond netted until cleaning late last year when it was decided that the net be kept off, not knowing that the heron would start feasting on Xmas day of all days!
We have two halves of a ship wreck that the fish always hid in or behind until getting too big and water lilies never survived the endless bashing the got from the fish until this year that is....how ironic. We've never been ones to worry too much about the water quality etc if truth be known but have always acted when needed, kept the filters clean, uv lights, oxygenation pump and water pump in working order and replaced as needed. Probably not that good at fish 'parenting' I guess....
Anyhow, as from today the net will be put back across.......

Thanks again for replying
Jac

 

[PH Number 9]

Hi, please try the following to stop the Herons taking your stock.
Hang blank CD's on fishing line so they drop and hang freely about 18 inches to 24 inches from the ground.
I had two Herons who would regularly try to take my fish and an Old Guy from my village gave me the tip on hanging CD's.

I have a 20' x 15' Pond and have hung 4 CD's per length and as a result I have had not one further attack.

In my case it has worked in your case it's worth a try.

Spawning will not be affected unless the Heron is there whilst spawning occurs.

 

[Jac]

Thanks PH, I'll give that a try when I return home