# Koi Pond Pondering...........



## random3434 (Jun 17, 2011)

We have a nice little Koi Pond in the backyard. We added some goldfish and others to it, and today found some critter (we are thinking a raccoon maybe) got in it and ate a lot of the fish.

Without having to put a fence around it, how do we keep the critters out?


Thanks!


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## RadiomanATL (Jun 17, 2011)

Shotgun and a case of beer.


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## peach174 (Jun 17, 2011)

A small electric wire fence is the only way to keep critters out.
Stakes around the pond fairly close together and close to the ground and about 4 inches high. 
You can still get to the pond and have access. 
Turn off the power when you want to just sit around and enjoy it.


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## Baruch Menachem (Jun 17, 2011)

part of the natural order of things.


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## Vel (Jun 17, 2011)

You can put a lightweight pond net over it or they sell the Scarecrow motion detector.


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## Spoonman (Jun 17, 2011)

Echo Zulu said:


> We have a nice little Koi Pond in the backyard. We added some goldfish and others to it, and today found some critter (we are thinking a raccoon maybe) got in it and ate a lot of the fish.
> 
> Without having to put a fence around it, how do we keep the critters out?
> 
> ...



Echo,  

Raccoons and snakes are the two biggest problems with home ponds.  And goldfish are east prey. they are small enough and stupid.  you know what else is a potential predator, a neighborhood cat. they love to fish. 

Snakes or racoons you aren't keeping out. you could put a netting, but that destroys your view and snakes will still get through it. 

here's a little garter snake eating a baby shebunkin from my pond







here's a partial view of my pond.







oh, birds could do it too.  I had a blue heron take out at least 50 in about 20 minutes


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## slackjawed (Jun 17, 2011)

You could stock the pond with piranha.......


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## strollingbones (Jun 18, 2011)

Spoonman said:


> Echo Zulu said:
> 
> 
> > We have a nice little Koi Pond in the backyard. We added some goldfish and others to it, and today found some critter (we are thinking a raccoon maybe) got in it and ate a lot of the fish.
> ...



wow nice pond...i would love a pond like that.....takes a lot of work....a small pond is just a holding tank for predators


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## Spoonman (Jun 18, 2011)

strollingbones said:


> Spoonman said:
> 
> 
> > Echo Zulu said:
> ...



yea, it is a lot of work. as a mattet of fact tomorrow i'm draining it and cleaning it. i built a pvc fram and cover it in the fall with netting to keep the leaves out. but a bunch get  in anyway.  plus, the lilly pads grow like mad and every few years i have to thin them out. 2 years ago i pulle out 10 cubic feet of roots.  it's 16' x 24' and 5 1/2 feet deep. so everything winters over fine. it's like a built in pool.  I dug it by hand when i was young and foolish  lol


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## zzzz (Jun 18, 2011)

Raccoon's are very smart critters. I've had them around here for years and I've taken to live trapping them and relocating them several miles away along a river bank. Still have some as there is a den tree in the back yard. 

If you do try to trap them in a cage use marshmallows as bait, they love that. You may have to glue the mellow to the trigger though because a coon is very smart. Put a line of mellows in to the wire cage and when he/she tries to eat the one on the trigger ... bang you got a live coon. Then take it out somewhere and release.


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## syrenn (Jun 19, 2011)

Echo Zulu said:


> We have a nice little Koi Pond in the backyard. We added some goldfish and others to it, and today found some critter (we are thinking a raccoon maybe) got in it and ate a lot of the fish.
> 
> Without having to put a fence around it, how do we keep the critters out?
> 
> ...





I love hand feeding koi! Its just hysterical having them suck food of your hand. 


hope this helps 
Keep Predators Out of Your Pond: Stop Pond Predators. . . Day and Night


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## boedicca (Jun 19, 2011)

The thread title made me do it.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZELhd6oDek]YouTube - &#x202a;Poi Dog Pondering - Be The One&#x202c;&rlm;[/ame]


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## boedicca (Jun 19, 2011)

Baruch Menachem said:


> part of the natural order of things.





This is why we redesigned our fountain to be sans plants and fish.   It had been a raccoon magnate.  I can't stand the nasty critters.


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## Truthmatters (Jun 19, 2011)

Try building a removaeable screen that you can lay on top of the pond and secure in a removable fashion.


If you can find the right mess made of the right thing( something that will not harm the fish diue to contqact with the water) it should be fairly easy.

When you want to enjoy the pond you can remove it so you can view the fish better and hand feed them.

Racoons are very clever it may take some creative fastening ideas.


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## boedicca (Jun 19, 2011)

zzzz said:


> Raccoon's are very smart critters. I've had them around here for years and I've taken to live trapping them and relocating them several miles away along a river bank. Still have some as there is a den tree in the back yard.
> 
> If you do try to trap them in a cage use marshmallows as bait, they love that. You may have to glue the mellow to the trigger though because a coon is very smart. Put a line of mellows in to the wire cage and when he/she tries to eat the one on the trigger ... bang you got a live coon. Then take it out somewhere and release.





You're missing the point:  Coon pie.


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## Provocateur (Jun 19, 2011)

Echo Zulu said:


> We have a nice little Koi Pond in the backyard. We added some goldfish and others to it, and today found some critter (we are thinking a raccoon maybe) got in it and ate a lot of the fish.
> 
> Without having to put a fence around it, how do we keep the critters out?
> 
> ...



EZ, how long have you had the pond?  Keeping cats out is nearly impossible, and they are prone to very contagious diseases that they seem to spread quickly throughout the pond.

Yikes.


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