yea! I'm back on-line, my computer fried...but
thank God for Phil our computer guru! He got me a really good deal on a new one, and was able to save most of my data. We traded a portrait of his wife for computer services a while back, I think this must make us even!
I've been putting my ponds to bed for the winter, it's a bit more work this winter since my leaf net disappeared since last winter, weird, sometimes I think that a black hole opens up nearby and sucks everything in :)
When I was cutting back the floating plants, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but 3 of my grand-daddy fish! I thought the heron got them. I guess they have been hiding under the mat of parrot feather all summer long. I still think that stringing fishing line across the pond helped deter the big blue too, but lets hear it for floating plants!
I put a tarp over the two shallow ends this year I haven't done that before but someone here recommended it, so we'll see if it helps, If nothing else it's cover for the fin-folk. I also put the two regular gold fish that have been in the small pond for the last few years into the big pond. They could hardly turn around in the small one any more.
I'm a bit apprehensive about this, since I have fantails in the big pond, and I'm hoping that putting the regular guys in there will be O.K. They move so much faster. There are lots of plants ( food) in the big pond, I just don't want them to out compete the fantails. I'm also a bit worried that the fantail babies will all get gobbled by the faster moving fish.
Any thoughts on that??
Robin Baratta
Art
Hi Robin,
Nice to see you back on the forums.
We also have our ponds now covered with wire that helps to keep the leaves out. Just got done putting netting over the smaller one earlier this afternoon. It is located underneath a large sycamore tree, and was it full of leaves. It was a big job to get them out of the water. The water had already started to turn a nice reddish brown color from the leaves. The fish seemed to be doing alright, have a few of this years babies swimming around with the bigger fish.
We haven't turned our pumps and filters off yet. Will wait just a little while longer. But we always do before it gets really COLD.
As I was coming back up to the house, I heard a frog in the largest pond jump in . Kerplunk! : )
As far as your fantails and your 2 regular fish competing for food, I do believe that they will be alright. We do not feed our fish during the cold winter months. As it is not good for them.
As far as your fantailed babies, were they born this season? Or are you concerned for next years hatching of babies? Just like your fish hiding from the herons, if you have plenty of plants and floating plants in the pond before they spawn, I think your babies will do just fine.
We have a few Koi in our pond along with different types of goldfish, and we always have plenty of babies to give away each year. I usually give away the young fish that were hatched the year before. That way it helps keep the population under control.
Do you have photos of your ponds? Or maybe you have posted them on here before, and I just forgot. I would love to see your large goldfish.
Have a good weekend, going back outside before it gets dark.
Jane
I don't feed my fish either, I don't think taming them is fair to do, when there are so many predators around here.
I've turned off my waterfall etc and just have a circulating pump running, the heater is in but not turned on. I have it on a Christmas light timer and only run it for a few hours a night, and only when we have a prolonged cold snap. I usually find that the insulating effect of the snow and the surface movement of the pump (bubbler effect) are enough, and it does get cold here in Canada - eh!
Actually I've been lucky with the weather, this time last year we got snow Oct 12th, and winter was here to stay.
I was worried more about next year's hatch lings, I've got lots of hidey holes for them as well a lots of plant cover, I just was feeling a little guilty about introducing another hazard, if your Koi and goldies co-exist, I guess I shouldn't worry :)
Robin,
Have you posted a photo of your ponds on this site? If so, could you tell me where I could go and view them? Thanks
Our waterfall is still going on the large pond. It isn't a real large waterfall, but it is okay for us. We enjoy listening to the water.
We usually shut our pump off later in December, then do not restart it until April. We do use a de-icer that DH hangs out away from the edge of the liner. It has an automatic thermostat, so that it doesn't come on unless the temperature gets so low. It keeps a small opening open in the ice, that way the harmful gases can escape out from under the ice.
I have never been to Canada, but do know a young lady that dated my youngest son for awhile. She moved back to Canada about 3 years ago. I miss her and her daughter very much. We keep in touch through emails, I don't think I could have loved a grandchild any more than how I loved her little one. She was 5 years old when we met. Just broke my heart when we had to say goodbye.
How many fantailed goldfish do you have? Any babies from this year survive?
I have a shubunkin goldfish that may well be my favorite fish in the largest pond. We do not have any of the fantailed ones. I was told that they don't survive in the outside watergardens as well. If yours survives in Canada, I may just have to give them a try.
Here is a photo of one of our ponds that we covered with wire , my DH just lays a few bars across the width of the pond and then we take zip ties and connect the wire to those bars. It sure does help keep leaves out of the pond. Although it doesn't look very good.
I took the photo's, but haven't had a chance to investigate photo bucket , I wish you could post right off your computer. The show season has finally slowed down, it was a very busy summer/fall, maybe now I'll have a chance to do that. Gosh I'm full of excuses :)
Your heater sounds great, I'm using a cattle tank heater, hence the timer.
I have about a dozen Fantails the oldest are 4 years old (age of the pond), and each year I get 5-6 babies that survive the first year, the heron seems to like them best when they're in their second year.
Thanks for posting your picture, I was wondering what size/type of wire you were using. Even with the wire your pond is lovely.
I think I would die if my grand-daughter was 'taken away' , so I feel for you, and I understand how fast you can come to love a small person, blood really is the smallest part of the relationship.
trying to insert photo
?action=view¤t=100 1125.jpg
well boo, I'll have to find the how to post post again, grumble
trying again
this was taken the first year (05) things have grown a lot since then, for some reason I couldn't open any files that were any younger, something to work on! I see I also have to figure out how to re size.
This is the big pond, it's approximately 18x25 feet, 18 inches deep in the shallow end (closest to the waterfall) and 4 feet in the middle. the plants visible in the bottom right of the photo are in the middle, planted in a bathtub mould up on bricks. The fish hide out under it, the plants in it have spread and cover almost the whole center surface of the pond. the end not seen is 30 inches deep, that's where the waterlilies live. The 'stream' is 12 feet long and the waterfall about 4 feet tall. That slate slab bridge is wide enough to push a wheel barrow across. The blonde bum is my son's yellow lab, both he and my Jack Russell LOVE the pond.
:550:0]
grumble, I see we only got half of the picture, there really is a pond there folks! I see that re sizing works in retro too!
Robin, what a beautiful pond you have!
Did you try resizing your pic by clicking on the green thing above the message box? You have to C&P your direct link there too.
I use 400 x 320.
Pat ~ WC WI
Thank you. We really enjoy it. In our old house we had a pond that started as a 1/2 barrel and grew to 8x10. One of the reasons we bought this house was so we could go bigger. So this one started at 8x10... I know you know how addictive ponding is
I re-sized in photo bucket, It's a bit too small, (and uncorrectable), but you can see enough I think .
Reiman Publications: Corporate | Contact Us | Advertise with Us | About Us | Privacy Policy | Publication List
Taste of Home | Taste of Home’s Healthy Cooking | Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious | Cooking for 2 | Birds & Blooms
Country Woman | Country | Farm & Ranch Living | Reminisce | The Family Handyman |
Country Store | World Wide Country Tours | Taste of Home Cooking Schools | Community Forums
© Reiman Media Group, Inc., 2010