What spooked my fish?

[JohnHuff]

So I went out this evening about 7pm-ish for a last look at my fish and they all appear spooked, hiding under leaves and not coming out to welcome me that they usually do.

I see a water stain on the rocks on the edge of the pond and wonder if a predator could have been there. Sorry about the lighting. I put the camera on auto-flash but the battery must be running out because this is all I could get. The stain like looks like a C is just wet water on rock, it's about 5 inches long.



and



I check the netting but the netting is not broken and it doesn't appear any fish are missing. There was a tiny gap between the frame and the edge of the pond but I pulled the frame back before I took the photo. Could a heron have slipped it's beak in the gap and tried to catch a fish? It's very strange, I thought a fish can even tell different people apart. Can't it tell I'm not a heron? Do you guys have any links to a DIY motion sensor setup for a camera?

 

[ididntdoit99]

When fish are spooked, some of them seem to stay spooked for quite a while as i have learned he hard way. My neighbors dog kept getting into my pond last fall, and finally ripped a giant hole int he liner, i kept them inside all winter because of the hole, and then rebuilt the pong this spring. My bigger fish are still afraid of me, the didnt like the tub downstairs, and they still haven't completely warmed up to me now that they are in the pong again.

anyway as far as cameras go... i get emails from harbor freight and i know they have a security camera on sale right now, not motion controlled, but a cheapo solution if you need to go back and look at the pond, http://www.harborfreight.com/weatherproof-color-security-camera-with-night-vision-95914.html

 

[sissy]

yes 99 I bought that camera and hooked it up to my small tv and it works great and easy to hook up .Takes a great night pic also and color is fantastic .The night vision is the best I could have imagined for a 40 dollar system .i just went to harbor freight this past week and it only took me about an hour to hook up .Going to get another one for the other side of the house .They do have a full system but it was 299 dollars

 

[callingcolleen1]

If you built it, they will come. I have had Bull snakes, Gardner snakes, big blue Heron, then once somebody's aquana came to live by the pond, that was many years ago, was wondering why my yellow monkey flower started shrinking, then I realized the aquana was eating my yellow monkey flower

 

[HARO]

J.H.; from what I can see of the pictures, it looks like the wet spot left behind by a frog. Just can't see anything but a large bullfrog really scaring the fish.
John