Repelling raccoons & possums--hot pepper oil around a pond with fish?

[sfpond]

Hello,

First time poster here. I have a rebuilt pond in San Francisco with a few baby koi and a handful of comets, assorted plants, a pump and filter--about 700 gallon pond--about 24" deep. We are being harassed relentlessly by a whole family of raccoons, nightly. The pond has places for the fish to hide, yet we've still lost a koi to the raccoons, plus hyacinths. It costs a fortune to have raccoons trapped & removed. Alternatives I've heard about so far are coyote pee, and a motion-activated "scarecrow" water squirter. The coyote pee didn't work, and I have ordered a scarecrow squirter--fingers crossed.....My question for you: I've heard that hot pepper oil is a good repellent for raccoons & possums, but what about possible run-off into the pond? Don't want to hurt the fish. Anybody know about this? Thanks,

Patty

 

[gardengirl]

Do you keep a net over your pond?

 

[sfpond]

No net. It's a good-sized pond with some tall plants in there. How would one secure the net and wouldn't the raccoons be smart enough to lift it up and get in?

 

[addy1]

Try this stuff

http://www.lowes.com/pd_27320-60631...ant&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=repellant&facetInfo=

I have groundhogs everywhere, they are tough to get to move on............this stuff worked great! Cheap, give it a try

We had them living under our garage and under our shed, now gone for this year.

Luckily the raccoons and possums totally ignore our pond. The ground hog has swam in it a few times.