Sadness :(

[Kyshiara]

Something sad happened on Friday.
Two of my fish were eaten by a heron
It was both my lovely female goldfish, a Sarasa Comet and A Shubunkin.
Only one is left, a male common orange goldfish.

Luckily I bred them this year and have babies from both the girls, but they are still to small to go in the pond, they would be considered a snack.

Should I get my boy a friend in the meantime? I was thinking just one, because then I can keep more of my babies when they grow up.

What do people think?

 

[betta4ever!]

So sorry for your losses

 

[Naughts]

Sorry for the loss.
I wouldn't add any fish now as some fry will survive and you can add them later.

The important thing is you protect the pond with a net (or similar system) as the heron will be back. It now knows where the fish are.

 

[Kyshiara]

Sorry for the loss.
I wouldn't add any fish now as some fry will survive and you can add them later.

The important thing is you protect the pond with a net (or similar system) as the heron will be back. It now knows where the fish are.

Thank you for your reply.

I have a net over the pond now, I had read in a book that herons only really came in Spring, but I now know that was wrong.

I have had the fry since like July, and the biggest is only 2cm. I know they should be bigger but I don't know what else I can really do for them.

They are in a 42 litre tub, filled halfway, with some pond plants, duckweed, and ramshorns snails. I want to put the heater from my quarantine tank in there but I have new fish in quarantine at the moment, and they need the heater in quarantine (It's Kuhli Loaches and Sparkling Gourami). They are meant to grow quicker if they are in warmer water I think.

The goldfish in my pond is very skittish at the moment, if he was ever scared he would hide next to another fish. That's the reason I was thinking of another fish.

 

[Naughts]

The goldfish in my pond is very skittish at the moment

Does he have places to hide?
Exposed ponds sometimes have a small paving slab on top of a couple of housebricks to form a shelter.

I know they should be bigger but I don't know what else I can really do for them

As you say, warmer water and lots of food. @Colin_T recommends feeding up to 5 times a day. Live foods keep the water cleaner and are a good protein source. Maybe they just need time.

 

[Kyshiara]

Does he have places to hide?
Exposed ponds sometimes have a small paving slab on top of a couple of housebricks to form a shelter.

Yes he has some plants and a lotus to hide in. The lotus is dying off though because in is Autumn going into winter. I might give him one of my shelters though, and i'll put the rest of the plants in

As you say, warmer water and lots of food. @Colin_T recommends feeding up to 5 times a day. Live foods keep the water cleaner and are a good protein source. Maybe they just need time.

Ok, I'll look into getting some live foods to put in there. Is there anything in particular you would suggest?

Also, what should I do about all the fish and snail waste at the bottom? How would I get it out?

And one last thing for now, I was thinking of doing a 100% water change for them, is that a good idea? I would have to catch all the babies and put them in a separate tub, and I don't want to stress them, but it's the only way I can think of to get out the poo.

 

[Naughts]

Daphnia, tubifex worms, white worms, brine shrimp...whatever you can source easily really.

 

[Rocky998]

So sorry for your losses...

 

[GaryE]

Herons tend to go easy on small fish, but large ones are fair game. I managed a pond (badly in retrospect) that the previous person had madly overstocked. One hot summer week when the centere was closed to humans, a heron spotted it and must have returned several times - and cleaned out the adults. There were minimal losses in the hundreds of juveniles. But once the pond was identified, the next year the birds returned almost every day when no one was around, and the goldfish were all picked off before they reached spawning age. The owner didn't want a net and was determined that the fish would not all be eaten, however, there was no conversation with the hardworking herons to negotiate that...

 

[Naughts]

nd one last thing for now, I was thinking of doing a 100% water change for them, is that a good idea? I would have to catch all the babies and put them in a separate tub, and I don't want to stress them, but it's the only way I can think of to get out the poo.

Yes, to feed a lot you need a way of cleaning the system. So in indoor type set up with water changes and substrate cleans.

Or just put them in the pond, add a bag of food then leave them until spring. Fish won't eat/ digest food in UK winters.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'm sorry for your loss. It reminds me of the time I setup an outdoor tank here in the Northeast and discovered a BULLFROG in the tank! I have no idea how many fish it consumed before I noticed and evicted him, but I'm sure he was "living large".