Shy fish

[Gordo]

Hi. I built my pond about 3 months ago , I put shelving a around 2 sides for the plants and left the 2 sides straight.
My fish don’t seem to like the day time and only come out when it starts to get dark.
they stay in the corner under a shelf for most of the day .
Any tips on how to entice them out.
I’ve put a picture on and they stay in the left hand corner .
thanks

 

[pondering_life]

Nice pond maybe add some more plant cover, like something marginally that can over hang and some natural oxygenators like horn wort. They might ave more confidence to venture out then

 

[Gordo]

Nice pond maybe add some more plant cover, like something marginally that can over hang and some natural oxygenators like horn wort. They might ave more confidence to venture out then

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gordo]

Thanks for your reply . Much appreciated.

 

[Mmathis]

Cute pond! All I can think of is to give them more places to hide — they’ll feel safer. Maybe a large terra cotta pot....something like that.

 

[Gordo]

Cute pond! All I can think of is to give them more places to hide — they’ll feel safer. Maybe a large terra cotta pot....something like that.

Thanks for the reply , I shall try more of what you suggested.

 

[AlyssaFish]

How often do you have the lights on like that at night? And what times are you feeding them?

I've only had shy fish issues when the fish are very new to the pond, I'm not feeding them regularly and so they're not used to me yet, or there's a predator that's been harassing them. I've never had fish that were more active at night, however. That is usually when goldies sleep (which is why I am asking about your lighting schedule).

You don't have any kids come over during the day, or any regular animal visitors (like a cat/dog) that only come around in the day, do you?

There could also be differences in their comfort levels between the night and day. How hot does the pond get in the day? Is there shade? Is there direct sunlight? Is there a change in the water flow or agitation?

Adding more hide-outs like others have suggested is a good idea, but I am baffled why they would feel more comfortable coming out at night. All of my fish prefer hang out in the most sheltered locations at night and sleep.

 

[Gordo]

Hi thanks for getting back to me.
I don’t have those lights on at all now as they soon scarper under the shelving.
I feed them usually after I get home from work , so it’s evening time, still light at the minute.
The pond has a roof on as it’s in full sun .
I do have a pond pump, a 10000 litre filter running and a spray bar to oxygenate the water as well as an air pump.
i have tested the water and theres no problem with it , I do a partial change every week and I hoover the bottom of the pond every 2 weeks to help keep it clean.
I’ve put a big plant pot in there now so I’m hoping that helps.
Would it be a good idea to change the feeding to morning before I go to work ? .
no dogs or cats that I’ve spotted whilst being home.
There are a lot of kites (big birds) that fly around here but I wouldn’t have thought they’d notice them with the roof been on.
thanks for the reply.

 

[rubyduby]

One more suggestion...you have a lot of statues that could be taken as predators around your pond. Maybe take some away from the edge temporarily to see if that helps. I noticed that my decoys prevented my fish from going to one side of my pond until I moved them away from the edge.

 

[Gordo]

One more suggestion...you have a lot of statues that could be taken as predators around your pond. Maybe take some away from the edge temporarily to see if that helps. I noticed that my decoys prevented my fish from going to one side of my pond until I moved them away from the edge.

Thank you Rubyduby. I shall give it a go and let you know how it goes .
thanks .

 

[AlyssaFish]

I think trying to feed them in the morning is a good idea. Once they get a taste for food, they seem to like looking around for any pieces that were missed. That should encourage them to explore and look for food during the day like they're supposed to.