Getting rid of fish

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"Chris Barnes" wrote in message $jfa$3@news.tamu.edu...
>~ jan wrote:
>>> I thought about netting them and releasing them into a lake (we are in
>>> SoCal), but that could be a mess.
>>
>> Highly illegal, and in California probably punishable by death,
>> imprisonment & fines, and probably in that order. Wink

>
> I wonder if "releasing" them would be still be illegal if done one at a
> time, using a hook and fishing line?
==================================
People here have been releasing all kinds of unwanted fish into Percy Priest
lake. So far none have naturalized. They have to stock the lake so fisherman
can catch fish.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }

Archived from group: rec>ponds>moderated

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"Joe" wrote in message %joe@bizqwick.com...
>
>
>
> dr-solo@wi.rr.com wrote:
>
>> natural birth control = orfes
>>
>
> Can't get orfes in California
>
=========================
I haven't seen them here in years. They may be illegal here. I tried rosy
reds but they don't survive for some reason. They disappear. They may be
small enough for the tiny snakes that go through the nets to pick off. But
then these baby predators should be picking off the koi and GF fry as
well..........
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

"~ jan" wrote in message @4ax.com...
> On Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:28:36 CST, "Reel McKoi"
> wrote:
>
>>Many of us made mistakes because no one points out all the problems and
>>things that can go wrong.
>
> Since every pond, ponder, materials, soil are different, I don't think
> there is a book out there that could cover it all. Especially not in the
> mid-90's. Even if you had known then what you know now, wouldn't you have
> still dug the ponds?

Most likely I would have. But I would have designed them to be more natural
and have never bought fish for them. The fish are the main attraction for
the snakes and fish eating predators. The fish are what's causing most of
the work. And their rate of reproduction is phenomenal. I tried adding
rosy reds to consume some of the eggs and fry, but they don't survive for
some reason.

>>I shudder to think what it would cost to hire someone to add these to both
>>ponds and in such a way they can be netted.

> I don't think Phyllis was even suggesting this. While you're mentioning
> all
> the cons of ponding, a few of us are pointing out the pros, and that it
> can
> be done low maintenance and low cost.

Yes, it can...... depending where you live and what you want to keep in your
pond.

After all, you've mentioned you're
> ready to pull off the nets, sell the fish, and go the lazy ponder way that
> Kathy enjoys. Wink

No one here is trying to sway you not to.

I think we all concentrate on the pros Jan, and forget that all coins have a
flip side. I'm not crazy about these nets either. They're a real PIA but
the only thing that worked. They're in the way of maintenance and of course
not natural looking or attractive although fine and black.

>>I never dreamed there would be so much maintenance
>>involved. Then, once the koi started to breed the maintenance increased.
>>There is no other way to remove fry than do a draindown and net them out.
>>A
>>dirty smelly all day job as I mentioned before.

> And I don't think anyone here is trying to talk you out of retiring from
> these chores. They're just stating their experiences. I know I dug my
> first
> pond in 1995, a year earlier than yourself and haven't had a 5th of the
> problems you've had. So everyone/pond and experiences thereof, are often
> quite different. ~ jan

Jan, the first 150g kitty-pool pond was put in in May or June of 1995, as
per the Tetra booklet that was all I could find locally. I didn't have a PC
back then. The library here had nothing on liner ponds. Ponds were not
that popular or common at the time either. No one had liner ponds or
anything other than farm stock ponds that I knew. I went by those early
books that expounded on the pros and minimized the cons if they mentioned
them at all. Finding any good info was hard.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }

Reel McKoi · Joined: 27 Sep 2007 Posts: 385

wrote in message $0$1341$834e42db@reader.greatnowhere.com...
>I built a pond for my koi. It has straight sides built using a stud wall,
>a veggie
> filter that stacks over the pond and a single shelf for getting into the
> pond that
> holds a single but large water lily. I have 22 or so koi and not a single
> fry
> anywhere. Jo Ann says I got females with eggs, but I really dont see any
> of my
> females getting bashed during spawning. My pond is very maintenance
> free.
> INgrid
==============================
I saw your pics. Your "pond" is more like a tank than a natural pond out on
a lawn as mine are. Nothing wrong with that but that's not what we wanted
when our ponds were dug.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ } ~~~ }

Kurt · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 108

In article ,
~ jan wrote:

>
> Ideally though, if they're just common goldfish, as someone suggested,
> mosquito fish will take care of the eggs and you won't have a fry problem.
> ~ jan

I have always had mosquito fish, and consequently, never any goldfish
fry. Certainly kept my pond in check.

--
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~ jan · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 276

On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:58:14 CST, Kurt wrote:

>I have always had mosquito fish, and consequently, never any goldfish
>fry. Certainly kept my pond in check.

They sure do. I had them in my koi ponds, and never had any fry. One cold
winter killed them off and finally I got koi fry. I've never had a problem
catching them though, just waited till they got big enough and slowly
worked at it. Many ended up in the filter, so those were real easy to
catch. Luckily, and thankfully, my koi don't spawn every year. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us