Does anyone have a koi pond?

[moinab]

My neighbor put a koi pond in her back yard last year. She had 11 beautiful fish that were getting quite large.

This past week, she discovered a great blue heron has been eating her fish. She's seen it out there several times. Where we live is actually a bird sanctuary, so it seems there is nothing she can do, other than netting it and calling animal control. Does anyone have any experience with this? Any ideas? I know it's a long shot, but I thought I'd try.

 

[Big Dude]

My brother has one that is really healthy. He has not run into the heron problem as of yet. I did a quick Google search and came up with this site. I hope it helps your friend out.

Adam aka Big Dude

 

[Cruisin]

I do have a pond but I have mainly goldfish not koi.

What some people do to keep herons and other big birds out is to string fishing wire, the clear kind, up high in their yards over the pond. String it from trees. poles, etc and crisscross it. Then the birds can not land, it does not stop smaller birds from coming and drinking from the pond etc. You don't notice the string too much because it is clear.

 

[Cruisin]

another thing to think about is how much surface area is covered with plant material.
If there is sufficient surface coverage then the fish are not as visible to birds and predators and they are not attracted to the pond.
Good surface coverage also gives the fish shelter from the sun and predators and makes for cleaner water.

 

[LisaTx]

I have a pond, but I've given up trying to keep fish in it. We've seen great blue herons and raccoons in the back yard. I'm not sure which one eats the fish. I've tried plants and other things to provide cover for the fish, but nothing seems to work.

 

[moinab]

You all are the best! Thank you so much for the excellent information. Big Dude, that link is great! I can't wait for my neighbor to get home from work so I can share this with her.

Thank you, again!

Maureen