Fish

Another thread got a bit sidetracked with fish, and I thought it deserved it's own thread (easier to find things later) although, as always, feel free to stray off topic - not trying to be a thread cop.

I have a very small pond, one of those formed plastic ones. It has 3 plant benches around a lower base. I had 9 goldfish, down to 5. Usually when it freezes, I take the axe to the ice to give the fish some oxygen. I totally forgot to do this over Thanksgiving and was happy to see all the fish survived without my ministrations. I'm fairly certain the pond froze through, although maybe the bottom layer of muck didn't freeze solid. It's not very deep, maybe 2 feet in the center. What precautions do you take for your fish over winter?

I don't feed them very often even in summer, and quit feeding them about October. Sometimes they look interested and I'll toss hem a few flakes, but they don't do more than peck at it.

I also don't have a working pump anymore. The one I had been babying along has finally given up the ghost. So my water this winter will be still.

I just buy feeder fish at about a quarter apiece, so if I have to start fresh in the spring, no big deal. This particular batch has been with me I think 3 years so they are good sized. I even have one little dark baby that I see flitting around now and again.

Any tips or tricks?



This message was edited Dec 3, 2010 6:00 PM

I have a dog and 2 cats, and if I had even one more creature to care for I would go nuts. No fish for me!

The fish lower their metabolism in fall and winter and don't need any care. Some may die, but in spring will be very hungry. You don't even need to chop the ice! Goldfish are easy in ponds, and yours sounds plenty big for a no maintenance winter.

We also have an large farm pond fed by a salmon creek, and I often lug a bucket of big pond water up to dump in my tiny pond. Although I can't see anything, the goldfish go nuts feeding on whatever little critters I've just given them.

I've had a pond and fish about twenty years. I used to feed them in the summer but haven't for the last two years. I don't do anything about the ice in the winter either. Sometimes one will die but mostly it's the racoons that get them if anything.

My baby pond is right below my front porch, and perhaps there is enough human activity there that predators have stayed away for the most part. I have not had too much trouble with missing fish.

I've seen heron in my backyard, years back. That was at my old house in the middle of Shoreline. Those heron must leave no stone unturned, looking for fish. By Shoreline, I just mean a completely developed suburban neighborhood. The heron were a big surprise to see. I had no fish but they must have seen my pond and were checking.

We often get heron down at our big pond, and I assume they catch enough fish down there to not bother my baby pond too much. One time, however, a heron was up at the baby pond, my dog came upon it, the heron squawked and flew right past the window - yikes! I about jumped out of my chair (working on the computer at the time). They are very large birds.

I know what you mean. The sight of that huge bird in my little back yard was awesome. and I don't use that word lightly.

Fish let's see I went to the Norwegian pikeled herring fest and ate about ten herring. Then ate about 1/2 salmon smoked then ate smoked eel. LOL. AK is a good place to eat fish. Tonight at the wine tasting I ate only 2 smoked crab and 1/4 smoked salmon but most were locks. Sorry bonehead.

It is raining so hard that fish may fall from the sky today.

I'm not at all opposed to eating fish, although I doubt my little 3-4" goldfish would be much of a meal.

appetizers

With coconut...??

I've learned the hard way if you feed fish, the water temp should be above 50 degrees otherwise they can't digest the food and it decays inside the fish. A small hole in a ponds frozen surface keeps the gas from building up and being trapped. Hope your fish do well this winter.