Guess I won't be downsizing!

[mrsclem]

Haven't posted in a while. I have been busy with yard and garden work now that the ponds seem to be under control. After all the problems this spring, I was seriously considering selling off most of my fish and going with one pond for fish and the other for plants.
Well--- Looked out the window at 7am this morning to see a lot of water movement in my Gin-rin pond. I guess the fish are feeling good as they have been spawning all morning and are still at it! I was surprised to see that 3 of the fish I thought were males are females. I have decided to give it another year and so put in spawning mats and some plants. I am moving the eggs to the 2nd section of the pond where I just have lilies, I had just received 40 water hyacinth plants on Saturday. Some went into the stock tank filter on the large pond and the rest into a floating plant ring in with the Gin-rins.
I haven't seen any sigh of spawning in the other pond yet. I really need to rehome at least 3/4s of the koi there so hoping they behave.

 

[addy1]

Best laid plans.............go awry.

 

[DrCase]

No down sizing in the fish world...Good Luck

 

[bettasngoldfish]

That's wonderful news mrsclem

 

[Dave 54]

Brilliant new mrsclem

Dave

 

[mrsclem]

48 hours after eggs were moved- I did a water change on the pond to bring down the ammonia level and hopefully reduce the nasty smell. There are eggs everywhere. This is the area where I moved them to. Hopefully they will not be eaten by anything.

I pulled out one of the plants to check the eggs. A lot of them are white but the ones that are yellow have teenie-tiny fry! Hoping they will hatch tomorrow. I moved the underwater camera into that section. Now if I can just convince the red-tail hawk to leave my yard!

 

[addy1]

Congrats fish mommy to be!

 

[mrsclem]

I went to move camera and picked up a plant. Not sure but think they may be hatching. Tiny dark things coming off plants. It's only been 48 hours and the pics I have seen of fry show them being light colored.. I'm hoping for a good hatch from this pond this year!

 

[addy1]

I found some fry in my pond down in the shallow end, I have seen chasing going on, was surprised to see the 1/4 inch little ones. They look like shubunkin kids, multi colored.

 

[mrsclem]

I had the camera in the hatching area and kept seeing a clawed foot. Yesterday I saw it again along with a leg with scales. Thought it was a box turtle. I moved out all the plants and still couldn't find it. Captured a snapping turtle out of there this morning. Most of the plants had been eaten so not sure how many fry are left. I have seen a couple on the camera. Mr Turtle will be rehomed far from the pond!

 

[addy1]

Darn, hope you still have a bunch of fry............. I have never seen any turtles here except the land turtles. No snappers.

 

[mrsclem]

Mr. Turtle didn't do too much damage. Seeing lots of fry in the pond in the plant ring and in the string algae on the sides. And then there is the plant section where I put most of the eggs. Lots and lots of fry! Underwater camera catching dozens of tiny koi. They got their first fish food today. Ground up koi food mixed with water and put in with a squirt bottle. It's going to be so much fun watching these guys grow. Even hubby is hooked! One week from spawn and they have their fins already.

 

[addy1]

yeah! glad mr turtle did eat them all

 

[Dave 54]

I sure hope they made it through the turtle attack mrsclem "keeping our fingers crossed for you", stangely did you know that in South Africa they would be saying "we are keeping our thumbs crossed for you".

Dave

 

[mrsclem]

Thanks Dave. I managed to scoop up some of the fry that were in the main pond and get them moved to the lily section. These are week old.