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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Scared Fish

14 years ago

My water is now getting nice and clean, but my fish are always hiding. I have rock ledges, lillies and more than enough protection. There are no predatory birds around, coons or cats that I have seen. The pond is above ground and very close to the house. When I feed them, they wait until I go back inside before they come out and eat. I have to enjoy them from my backdoor!!

Currently there is one 7" koi, and 5 or 6 goldfish in a 200 gallon pond. I just gave away 9 goldfish that were in there to make room for another small Koi and maybe two other goldfish, wakins, or shubunkin.

Will some "seasoned" newcommers that are more used to people help bring the others around? Or will my future newbees run and hide also?

Nothing would make me happier than to have them excited to see me and be fed.

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Comments (2)

buyorsell888
14 years ago
New fish always hide at first. Having the water clear up can give them an un-secure feeling as well. They know predators come from the sky. Be patient and they will come around.

There are coons in your area even if you don't see them. Having the pond close to the house does not deter them. We watch them from our front window and they lick the BBQ grills if we forgot to shut the lid. They prowl our neighborhood every night. However, they would mess up your plants if they were visiting your pond. They will find it eventually though. They always do.

Herons and kingfishers come very early in the morning at dawn and aren't always spotted either. Both are present here in the Willamette Valley. Kingfishers make a squawking sound like a Scrub Jay crossed with a machine gun. Very distinctive. They've cleaned me out more than once.

I'm sorry to sound so negative but you've got too many fish already in a pond that small. Please don't add any more. That koi will grow to two feet long in no time with proper nutrition, most won't advise keeping koi in ponds under 1000 gallons and three feet deep.
abranv
Original Author
14 years ago
I thought about still having too many fish after giving some away. I'll just keep the ones I have, or maybe trade the koi for some shubunkin.

After my filter project and a good cleaning, the water is very clear. Even when you could'nt see two inches down they still seemed to be very shy. I know the previous owner of our home had a couple little kids. Maybe they "played" with the pond and the fish are afraid of people. Who knows??? At least its a clear pond.
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