Yes, I am embracing retirement mode with bird feeding and now gold fish. The wife is calling them my wives.
They are funny. They know when I turn off the pumps that it is dinner time. They come out of hiding and wait for me to feed them.
Yes, I am embracing retirement mode with bird feeding and now gold fish. The wife is calling them my wives.
They are funny. They know when I turn off the pumps that it is dinner time. They come out of hiding and wait for me to feed them.
Priceless!
I have a 3/4 acre pond that has LM bass, bluegill, and catfish in it. I used to have an automatic feeder that would go off at 6pm every day. About 4pm they would gather in that area waiting for 6pm. The feeder was on a dock that later collapsed so I started feeding by hand. When I start up the Ranger at the top of the hill they head for the dam area in a frenzy. Used to have a lot of grasshoppers in the weeds around the pond and when I would mow they would jump and land in the water. Bass would hit them hard. We would catch hoppers to throw into the pond it was so much fun. To this day if I walk or mow along the dam, they follow me in a big group. Many of the catfish are 2' long and will bite bread on a hook. They are too easy to catch. A buddy of mine and I would cut the barb off the hook on a fly and catch Bass as long as we wanted. Guess they are used to people. Ponds big or small are great enjoyment.
At a condo I stayed at one-time in Florida, all you had to do was to start walking to the retention pond. By the time you got there a dozen or two turtles would be swimming to meet you in hopes that some food would be tossed their way.
A co-worker had a beautiful, shallow fish pond in his yard. He had to cover the pond with an electrified grid to keep the raccoons away.
What are you doing to your pond if anything to keep it nice? Aeration? Chemicals?
I run bubbler/aeration pump during the hottest part of the day. First couple of feet down, the water feels great. Below that it’s ice cold. The bubbler is on the bottom and pushes the cold water to the surface and the warm water is pushed down to better mix the layers. It’s too big to really use chemicals. Pond is spring fed plus drainage off a mountain. The water is very clean and clear but the bottom changes colors with leaves or weeds. Lots of snails keep the bottom pretty clean. I used to have a couple of 18” koi that ate weeds growing on the bottom.
If the bottom of your pond gets dirty, get some acquarium snails. After a while you will have to throw some snails away because they multiply quickly.
Ponds pretty much take care of themselves.
If the pond gets stable and balanced and the nitrogen cycle is working like it should. Many people need to help their ponds along with aeration, beneficial bacteria, weed control etc
Definitely a good idea to mix the water and help limit stratification.
