Noobie question please...

I renovated the pond that was here when I bought the house almost 5 years ago and thanks to have two crushed discs in my back I had to pay a guy to do it. Well this is my question in the old pond it was just a liner and now it's all covered in rocks (Beautiful I might add) but I came home from work tonight to see that two of the fish (Shubunkin I believe they were in the old pond when I bought the house) were wedged into the rocks crevices and one was even stuck on its side so I moved the boulders to get them out. Is this normal for them? I think (And I hope not) that from last night to tonight I am one fish down (Plenty of birds in the area) but maybe that one is hiding somewhere too. I am thinking if it was a predator that would explain why the others are hiding or trying to. Do they sometimes wedge themselves in there? Sorry but I LOVE my fish (and all animals) and I don't want anything to happen to them. Thanks!


Billitpro

PS Here we are the next morning and one is still wedged into the rocks head first I can see it's not completely stuck in there but is this normal?


This message was edited May 11, 2007 6:13 AM

Hi billitpro, nice to hear from you. Just wondered how deep your pond is? That can make a big difference in how often the fish use rocks for cover. I've had the fish (gold/shubumkin) hide in/under the rocks for two reasons - shade and predator fear. Since they have done it for two years, off and on, I believe it is a normal behavior. I put in a floating island last year to add more shade (since the lilies aren't big enough yet to provide much) and that helped as they disappeared under it rather than trying to get under the rocks at the edge of the pond. When fearful, they definitely try to hide in the rocks. This happens most often when I'm trying to net them. My pond is 4 feet deep and so they aren't threatened by wildlife very often. There is also an ailment that causes fish to nose into the side of the pond, but I don't have experience with it. Does anyone know the name and the exact symptons? Hope this helps - Dax

dax080,
Thanks for the reply as said I am just worried about them I am going to put a net over the pond this weekend to hopefully stop any birds in the area. The pond is about 3-3.5 feet in the middle and it has shelves so it varies. I know at night when the pond lights are on (And I only allow the lights to be on for four hours from sundown so they can sleep lol) they like to go into the shallow area for some reason. I just never had the rocks before and I am worried this is an indication that there's something wrong. I will test the water tonight when I get home to make sure its good to go. As said I get a lot of serenity from them and I want to make sure they're all safe and healthy and happy too so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.


Billitpro

You can put in a few clay drain pipes in the bottom they can hide in there or get out of the sun, you can use plastic but the clay pipes blend in with the stone bottom better. Also a milk crate with a flat rock on top will work well if the fish are small enough.

I have a large piece of flat slate set up on bricks at the bottom of my pond. It blends in with the other rocks and all my fish use it for cover. I lost a shubunkin to a kingfisher this year. I can always tell when the fish are scared because they are all under the rock.
Also, my fish move into the shallows at night, too. I think this is because there is a lot of natural food, like algae, in the shallow water, which is warmer than the rest of the pond. They are safe to graze there at night. I love to watch them with a flashlight.

I lost all my kois few years ago due to O2 deprivation and when I gathered the dead fish there were some that were wedge between rocks. I am glad to hear you are netting your your pond. It is the only way to have peace of mind. happy ponding !! Bellie