Hello..... I have no problem with throwing anything that rots into the ground!!! I have buried my dogs,parakeets, cats, mice, fish, lobsters, and my worst enemy,and so on near my plants...Any plant living near these things that I have buried, seem to do GREAT..I buried at least 20 pounds of fish next to a dying red bud tree 2 years ago, and that thing came back with a vengance! We know for sure the ground is the place to be for these things... But in containers???? Thats my point.. I just thought that burying these things in CONTAINERS only invites trouble and a whole bunch of maggots, and does nothing for a potted plant...In fact, maggots is what I saw crawling over the top of some of his containers, falling over the edge with tons of birds having a field day on a hot day last week... Funny thing is though, the ones that have not been dug through by varmits, are doing quite well anyways or yet still....lol My backyard STILL reeks like a whole lot of dead fish by the sea. It masks out the sweet smells from all my sweet lilies and anything else that use to make my backyard smell so nice. I hope this smell goes away fast, or I will send out the cats in my local pet shelter to have a field day..Those poor poor things cooped up all day in those small cages the next block from me......I can hear them houl all night sometimes,..;-( :-(

Rachel: Please don't beat yourself up over the fish. Mistakes are part of learning to pond. When I first started ponding I picked out four of the most beautiful shubunkins in the world. The sales clerk at Trickers was very patient and made sure I had the one with the longest flowing fins. I was so proud of my babies. Unfortunately I didn't have a pre-filter on my pump and I found pieces parts of these beautiful fish in the pump where the intake valve sucked them in. I cried over these fish for almost a week. I am sure once you get everything cleaned out, and do water changes every week your pond will flourish. One thing I can testify to when you pond you learn something new everyday. The majority of what I have learned I learned right here on this forum. You walk amongst a great group of people here. Hang in there. You have been bitten by the pond bug, and it will be a never ending, rewarding hobby. Jenny

I live in upstate NY and have herons and as you suspect that's probably what ate your fish. Once they find your pond, they won't leave until the fish are gone. We have had ours covered in netting since last spring and I've caught him (and a younger heron) at least 3 times this year checking things out. He ate about 8 of our goldfish and koi - a few of them over 6 inches - before we figured out what was going on. If you got close enough you'd see how thick their necks are. Occasionally they do choke and die on fish that are too large, but they could swallow easily 4 inch fish. With the shallow edges around your pond, all a heron has to do is step in and wait for dinner. Netting is not practical for you, so I definitely agree with the plant suggestion. Plant lots of stuff - particulary lotus or other plants that cover the surface. It makes the pond more interesting and gives the fish some cover and a fighting chance.

" I bleached everything - walls, ceilings, floors - cleaned all the furniture and covered every vent in the house. Had the carpets and ducts professionally cleaned, and there it is - faint, but still it's there." One recently divorced woman never did find the cause. On the first day, he sadly packed his belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, he had the movers come and collect his things. On the third day, he sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; he put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of wine. When he'd finished, he went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow center of the curtain rods. He then cleaned up the kitchen and left. On the fourth day, the wife came back with her new boyfriend, and at first all was bliss. Then, slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place. Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time the two had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting.. Nothing worked! People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit. Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and decided they had to move, but a month later - even though they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer for such a stinky house. Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls. Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place. Then the ex called the woman and asked how things were going. She told him the saga of the rotting house. He listened politely and said that he missed his old home terribly and would be willing to reduce his divorce settlement in exchange for having the house. Knowing he could have no idea how bad the smell really was, she agreed on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house had been worth ... but only if he would sign the papers that very day. He agreed, and within two hours her lawyers delivered the completed paperwork. A week later the woman and her boyfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home . . . . . . and to spite the ex-husband, they even took the curtain rods!