As most of you know I am a new pond owner and I have had my 15 fish about 3-4 weeks and they range in size from 5-9 inches. At the shop I bought them at a few of these fish were friendlier than the rest in their holding tank so I thought they would be friendly in my pond. NOT! They all hide in the deep end (except at night and they are playing underneath the waterfall (what is up with that???) and having an all around fish party. I have tried different foods to try to coax them and they love the foods but are so afraid of me that feeding time is a grab and run and hide situation and only after the food starts to sink down in the water. Of all the fruits I gave them to eat they seemed to like raspberries the best and they fought one another and ripped pieces off of the raspberries.
I tried these fruits so far: grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, raspberries, cut up grapes and mango. They didn't get into the grapes much at all and likes the raspberries best but go into hiding right after getting a piece.
How can I get my fish to become more friendly?
I think I can answer part of your question. I have a little experience with fish. It will take some time for them to warm to you. Up to 6 mos. or so.Keep feeding them what they like and they'll keep coming closer and staying longer. Soon they'll come just with you coming by.
I had some an angel fish that LOVED to be petted. And the fun they have in the waterfall is not unusual. Lots of fish do that. I had a red-tail catfish that used to ride the wall of bubbles in the tank! He would do it for hours.
I hope this helps. Have fun!
Mine get as a special treat, plain Cherios. They love them! It is fun to watch them try and grab one as the Cherios is still bigger than their mouths. 1 per customer..once in a while. This is how I got mine to hand feed . I will try to get a picture soon of them chasing the cherios..it is funny!
I agree with kwanjin, time is what they need. They are not comfortable yet, waterlilies will help a bit to help them feel less vulnerable.
Kwanjin: In six months time my fish may be under ICE already. . . Time is of the essence in my cold environment. LOL!
What happens the following year after the fish learn to be more friendly-do they remember you or do you have to start all over with them getting used to you again after hibernating under the ice?
I no longer have a pond and I miss it something terrible. I have kept fish (mostly african cichlids) for nearly 40 years before moving into a condo where pets and aquarium are not allowed. We will be moving soon and I'll be able to set up another aquarium and who knows, even a water garden.
About the Cheerios, please make sure you soak the Cheerios in room-temperature water for a few minutes before feeding them to your pretties. Cheerios hold up quite well. You shouldn't dispense mushy Cheerios into your pond. Dry grain-based foods like Cheerios can swell up inside the fish and cause intestinal occlusions (blockages) that could prove fatal, specially in smaller fish.
I kept koi in my pond and one thing they relished was a watermelon slice. They just couldn't resist that. The lure of the watermelon treat was stronger than their instinct to flee the human presence. I would lie on the ground and dip the slice of watermelon in the water. The feeding frenzy that ensued was quite remarkable, to say the least.
Fish that have become used to interact with humans should not forget the interaction after they come out of hibernation. But again, some fish are not quite as sharp as others. Noone can guarantee their memory one way or the other.
I hope this helps.
Sylvain.
Great question mothermole, I'm struggling with unfriendly fish right now too. I think time will do the trick for you, hopefully. Mine used to be friendly, but when my pond was attacked by an unknown predator they all became very skiddish and hide when I come around. I wonder if it will take as long as it took the first time to make them be my friends!
I can't wait to have fish that eat out of my hands, that sounds like fun!
This morning I found the fish swimming all around the pond (not just the middle deep end) and they actually ate food off the surface of the water with me standing there for about 40 seconds. Then I think they decided I was someone to be afraid of so they all ran to the center of the pond and hide out on the bottom. I come to the conclusion that warm weather equals warmer pond water and more active fish. It's been such a chilly spring here in the Chicago area I can't wait to see what happens with my fish in July and August when it is really hot.
I wouldn't worry about that. They will get used to you and most will remember you. Lots of fish don't take lots of time to get used to you. It just seems that way. LOL Fish are social creatures.
Have fun and good luck!
Since the weather has been getting a lot warmer here I find the fish are spending a lot more time swimming around the pond and aren't as skittish when I am around. Unfortunately, my dog got into the pond last Friday night and while I didn't know it at the time the next day one of my white butterfly babies was dead in the skimmer with a puncture whole in its side from the dog. It was heart breaking to me! The fish hide all day Saturday (I don't blame them) but seemed to forgive and forget the trauma by Sunday. I ordered an electric collar for the dog to zap her if she goes near the pond. Until then she stays indoors unless accompanied by one of us.
Linda, Sorry to hear about Amy and her trouble making. What a shame. Bad dog! I am sure she feels very bad. Hope the collar will keep her from harming others.
Here is my gang enjoying their first cherios of the season. Their mouths have grown from last year. They can fit a whole cherio now.
They used to push it around the pond trying to get it into their mouths. Now I have broken them into quarters so the treat can last longer for them. Not sure why they love them so much..kind of a boring cereal if you ask me. Frosted cherios or multi grain are 100% better..in my opinion.. :)
They will not have a chance to try those...
BH, gorgeous picture. I enjoyed it tremendously. I miss my pond and worse yet, I miss my koi. Luckily, I found them a good home when I left Montréal. You made my day.
Thank you.
Sylvain.
Beahive-your picture was great-how do you keep your water so clear? Mine is always cloudy yet all my levels are great in the pond and the water is circulated many more times per hour than necessary for it's size. Also, I add the appropriate bacteria each week to help break down "gunk". I do not have a UV clarifyier (spelling??) Any other suggestions? I'd love to see through the haze. . .
Linda, I just had a full clean out a few weeks ago. Thanks if you think
my water looks clear, but I am very unhappy with all the fine silt that
has accumulated since the clean out and the clarity was better before the clean out. I use Aqua-one clarifier weekly and a few Barley straw bales up by the falls to keep algea away..if possible.
Do not have a UV. This pond is supposed to me an Eco-system. I think once (if) the weather warms up a bit and water plants grow bigger I will have better results. The more plants the better I have heard. I know you are working on that aspect..Another thing..keeping Amy out now will help. I bet she really stirs things up when she gets in there!! :)
I talked to my pond builder about the haze and he said that in another month's time enough of the "right" bacteria will build up and balance the pond out (as long as I don't add more fish . . .-whatever. . . like I can control that ? lol!) If in a months time it is still hazy we will discuss a UV system.
My 2 cents' worth here, if you don't mind. Mothermole, when you say your water is not clear even though you add bacteria to break down gunk, I have to ask: is your water cloudy with algae which will turn your water pea soup green? There are copper-based solutions on the market that do not harm the fish or your desirable pond plants but will wipe out excessive algae very quickly.
Do you have suspended particules in your water column? You say your pond's water is circulated many more times per hour than necessary for its size. Maybe that is one clue to your problem: suspended particles do not have the time to fall and settle to the bottom on account of all that water that is returned in there. Maybe those particles just flow through your filtration system because they are too fine to be removed by mechanical filtration.
Try this if you wish: find a tall, clear container: a graduated cylinder, a tall beer glass, anything transparent and tall: the taller the better. Fill the glass with pond water water and observe it.
Is the water "clear" when you look the glass from side to side? It probably is. Is the water clear when you look from to the top to the bottom? Maybe you'll see a slight difference in clarity. Let your sample sit undisturbed for a day or two. At the end of that time, does the sample become clearer? Can you still see through the glass' bottom? Has something deposited itself at the bottom of the glass? Using a straw or a chopstick, gently shake the bottom. Does anything re-enter the water column?
If you are facing a suspended particles problem, adding a UV sterilizer will not solve your problem.
I hope this helps.
Sylvain.
lourspolaire: I definitely don't mind your comments (I WELCOME THEM!) . I tried what you recommended and the water isn't algae but particles swirling around. What do you recommend-a finer filter to catch them?
Lourspolaire, I will try the tall glass experiment too. I also have that problem with the murky water, we cleaned it 2 weeks ago, but lost 3 goldfish afterwards. :( . So no more cleaning, although now is going back to that murky pea soup color. I bought some floating and sumerged plants and some snails to see if it would help. My pond is only 100 gls and gets morning sun then part shade the rest of the day.
I have a low tech proceedure that I am using when water clarity gets very bad with fine particles. Take a plastic laundry basket and line it with Polyester knit fabirc. Clamp fabric in place with large metal paper clips. Place the basket underneath the falls to catch the flow of water. Place weight in basket to keep it secure (rock,brick etc)
I also place a piece of nu-foam sometimes into the filter basket
to catch additional debris & particles.
I am doing both since yesterday and still having clarity issues since the clean out.
Here is a pic of the basket in place. As you can see the fabic has trapped quite a bit of yucky stuff.
Here is a picture of the nu-foam in the filter basket. Place along sides only about halfway into the filter to allow good water flow to remain.
This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 10:01 PM
This message was edited Jun 5, 2008 10:02 PM
The nu-foam can be rinsed , dried and used again as well as the fabic.
I buy the precut nu-foam used for crib bumper pad as they are the perfect size for my filter.
Pic of the product I buy.
oops..forgot the photo .
Hope this idea can help...
Your laundry basket is a very sexy pond item!!! I was actually thinking of sewing something to fit into my waterfall and/or into my basket where you put your bumper material. I am assuming you have had good results with this in the past-right?
Wow Beahive what a great idea! I have some water quality issues with my goldfish pond. With all of the rain we have been having there has been a lot of dirt washed in I think. Now I have cloudy water. I will try your idea tomorrow. I have a perforated water lily pot that should work really well.
It may not be the best looking thing to have in the pond, but it is temporary. I willl remove mine tomorrow as the water was looking much better tonight. It won't hurt to leave it as no chemicals are used. If fabric or nu-foam gets real dirty, just change it out with a clean peace and repeat the process. I had a very bad algae problem when I went away for a week last summer. I used this procedure along with some algea products and the pond was clear in 2 days. During the summer I get in the pond and trim plants. This can stir up sediment & debis. I use this basket & new foam to clean up the mess created by maintaining plants. Simple ..no chemicals ..and the pond looks so much better.
i dont have a cascade to put my basket under... :~(
If you have a filter basket , just try the using the Nu-foam in that. Should help.
As you all know, there are 2 types of filtration: mechanical and biological. Water clarity is almost always related to mechanical filtration issues. Any mechanical filtration medium used cannot filter something that is smaller than its smallest opening. The suspended particule just goes right through the filter media. What often happens is that silt from decaying plants, fish food, falling debris, leaves, etc. build up on the pond's bottom and the returning filtered water disturbs it back into the water collumn.
I have had great success using a homemade 2-stage filter made up of the following:
- a CLEAN plastic container with a tight-fitting lid (a muffin dough bucket from your neighborhood donut shop works very well - lose the handle),
- a brick or a large stone to weigh the whole thing down at the bottom of the pond,
- a quart or two of activated charcoal (from the pet shop)
- an old pair of nylon stockings (from your sock drawer, I imagine)
- a high-capacity aquarium powerhead (100+gallons/hour, from the pet shop)
- cable tie wraps (dollar store or Home Depot)
- aquarium grade silicone glue (Home Depot)
- quilt batting (available in fabric stores).
Procedure:
- Drill about 12 1/2 inch holes at the bottom of the plastic container's side. This will become the filter canister's water intake.
- Drill a hole in the center of the container's cover just wide enough so that the powerhead's water intake will fit tightly into the hole.
- Insert the powerhead into the cover's hole.
- Attach the powerhead to the cover using cable tie-wraps. Drill small holes around the power head and make sure the cable tie wraps fit very tightly through the holes.
- Seal all the holes with silicone. Let dry.
- Place the brick or large rock in the center of the bucket's bottom. Use Silicone to stick it in place.
- Place the activated charcoal into the leg of an old pair of nylon stockings. Cut off the leg at its top, tie into a knot.
- Place the stocking filled with charcoal inside the bucket, positionning it all around the bottom of the bucket, obstructing the drilled water intake holes at the bottom of the sides. The incoming water must go through the charcoal first. No hole may be left uncovered.
- Fill the bucket with the polyester quilt bating.
- Add the cover and close tightly.
- gently sink the whole unit into the pond, keeping it as level as possible to keep the charcoal "snake" from moving away from the intake holes.
- Add a few decorative rocks or potted plants on top of the filter.
- Plug it in and let it do its work.
Low cost, high efficiency; you'll be amazed. The powerhead's filtered water will come out horizontally and will not disturb the bottom's silt. An added bonus is that nitrifying bacteria will soon set up shop in the quilt batting and elimitate most of the nitrates that the fish spew off in large quantities, reducing the amount of fertilizer that would encourage an algae bloom.
This was a temporary measure in my pond that went in one day and stayed there because it worked so well. When we moved, I gave it to one of my friends who couldn't be bothered with building her own. I just checked and it's still in use today.
Sylvain.
Uhh, in a Savio system all you need to do is occasionally chuck a nylon mesh bag full of activated carbon in the bottom of bio-falls. In about 2 days you can read a newspaper through 3-1/2 ' water.
Do you have a picture of this so that I am sure I am understanding what you are describing. I love hearing about all these home inventions. I am making a quick fix right now with the laundry basket and an old (but very fine weave-400 thread count) pillow case with holes cut into the tops and attached with tie wraps.
A little while later . . .
I did it an easier way and within 5 minutes I see it collected tiny bits of pond dirt already. What I did was I rinsed out a an old white pillow case (in case any suds from the laundry were still in it) and laid it in my stream with stones inside the opening holding it down and with the "opening" collecting pond water.
That's my kind of clever inventiveness. Bravo!
I used to have a picture of this a while back on a back-up CD. That was 3 computer systems ago. I'll try to find it. If that fails, I can always see if Jill has a picture, although it will be submerged at this time of year. If everything else fails, I'll draw it for you. Do we have an abstract art forum on Dave's? I am really bad at drawing but I'll give it a try.
The 400-thread pillowcase is a good idea. You should be able to catch anything bigger than the spaces between the threads. The rest will just go through. If you leave the pillowcase in there too long, the fabric will become clogged and water will come out the top, bypassing the filtration altogether.
Take care, all.
Sylvain.
The pillowcase is already fairly clogged. I plan to empty and rinse it before I go to bed-no longer is it white but brownish. Still the water is like the black lagoon but all my levels are great in the pond. This rain makes it tough to keep clear. Nice weather today for a change (hot and muggy for a while and the fish seemed to enjoy. I noticed a lot of them hanging around the iris leaves that are toppled over with a little aggressive "frisky" behavior (maybe frisky but they looked playful).
Lourspolaire, I tried the tall glass experiment on Friday, this morning the water was still all green and nothing collected on bottom at all.
Dulcigarden, that indicates that you have algae in suspension instead of dirt particles in suspension. I would look into a copper-based liquid algaecide treatment that destroys the algae in a couple days and doesn't harm the fish or the plants you planted in there. It will say right on the bottle that it harms nothing but the algae. Please let me know how it turns out. Algae is way to fine to be filtered out. It goes in one end of the filter and comes unscathed at the other end. The end justifies the means.
Best of luck with all that.
Sylvain.