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I am a new pond
owner -- 6 months. Kalamazoo, MI. 780 gallons, non-filtered,
but with 2 levels separated by a 2.5' rock waterfall and 4
ft streambed for aeration/filtration. 1 koi, 8-10 " by now,
and 7 goldfish 3" - 6". 1 lotus, 2 water lilies, 1 pickerel
rush, 1 parrot feather, 2 reeds in the short stream bed at
the base of the waterfall, 2 huge taros and a couple of papyrus
plants - the smaller kind upstairs. Water lettuce so healthy
I've been culling and composting non-stop all summer. String
alge, but nothing I can't live with. I may as well tell you
I've never tested the water, though I have the chemicals to
do it -- I have aquarium fish.
It is the best gardening I've ever done.
HOWEVER -- Those wretched goldfish spawned twice this summer
and left me with what looked like (among all the plant life)
literally 100s of fry.
QUESTION 1 --
How long would it take those babyfish to kill off my pond
(i.e. other fish, plants), if I didn't do anything?
What I did to
solve this problem (this might have been rash) was to catch
a large-mouth bass of just-legal size (not big enough to eat
the parental fish, although I have a couple of frogs I'm worried
about) and introduce him to the pond.
QUESTIONS 2/3
-- Just how rash was that? Have I endangered my domestics?
The fry are
gone, and I mean GONE after a week. My domestic fish, even
the koi, who definitely has weight on the bass, if not length,
are nervous and hiding behind the plants. They will come out
and feed, but it takes them some time of me sitting there
with the food floating. I have not seen the bass since I introduced
him.
It seems obvious
that I need to get the wild guy out, just to make the others
happy. I thought about keeping him and giving him live bait
for food, but that now seems like not such a good idea. But
it does make me curious what other pond gardeners have done
to control their goldfish population. I read the recommendation
to pump into a pool, move your desireables, cull, etc. etc.,
but it seems just as stressfull to the fish and the plants
as what I've done.
Context, observations,
beratement, all would be welcome.
QUESTION 4 --
Is there an organization you are aware of that is closer to
me than yours? are you a local or regional group?
majda
Hi, Majda! A common problem, and rather
directly solved, though not quite as I'd have done it.
To answer your questions:
1) Your current pond has a ton of natural
filtration, but your koi will stress it within the next two
or three years as he grows. The zillions of goldfish would
have done the same in one season if you had not thinned them
out. Even a small biofilter in-line from your pump to the
falls would give you a valuable cushion.
2/3) Not necessarily rash, just unwise
in your choice of predator. Your koi and goldfish are telling
you what they think of your choice. Bass are not only predators
of fry, they are aggressive predators of any fish they can
bully to death. They are also, as any sport fisherman can
tell you, elusive little buggers. You'll have to get your
goldfish and koi into a holding tank, drain your pond and
isolate the bass in the deeper areas so you can net him out
and put him back where he belongs. If you can save your pond
water in a kiddie pond and pump it back in, your fish will
thank you.
A better method of goldfish (and Koi)
birth control would be Rosies, which are hell on itty-bits,
but otherwise non-aggressive. They are good mosquito fish
too. A single bluegill would also work, but they tend to be
pretty aggressive, and I don't think I've ever seen a *single*
bluegill.
4) Mick and Cathy Hodson run a large Koi
and Garden club out of La Peer, MI. You can contact them at:
cehodgso@hotmail.com
Bob Passovoy
President
MPKS
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