Unidentified fish in my pond

[Madelinew]

I have a couple of wildlife ponds in my garden, one of which is fed by a tiny stream. I was cleaning it out today as the pump in it broke down due to silt levels. While I was clearing the silt, a fish kept surfacing. It's about 6 inches long, brown/grey in colour and has a large white spot about an inch and a half along it's back from it's head. It darts under cover or into the silt very quickly if it knows I'm there.

Any ideas what it is?

[Lance Morgan]

Not sure about the white spot but it sounds like a Bullhead if it is taking cover on the bottom.

[Madelinew]

I've looked up some pics of a bullhead and this one has no whiskers and I would say it was more streamlined.

[Gill Catton]

Obvious white marks on fish are often actually injurires or fungal infections rather than natural colouration could this be possible? Also I think many fish will dash themselves into silt if they feel seriously threatened. A picture (even a rubbish one) would help I think.

[Madelinew]

Pic could be difficult I'm afraid. I'd have to stalk the pond for hours to achieve that. I've probably seen fish in there half a dozen times in 3 years

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Madelinew

Pic could be difficult I'm afraid. I'd have to stalk the pond for hours to achieve that. I've probably seen fish in there half a dozen times in 3 years

Aah tricky then! What about the feeder stream how big is it?

[Madelinew]

The feeder stream is a tiny trickle and runs through 3 other gardens before it gets to mine, is underground before that and its source is some far distant fields. We all have ponds running off it and mine feeds down into a wildlife pond on a set of private allotments and then down to a river in the valley which heads out to sea. I think eggs washed in a few years ago. I have seen some before but only fleeting glimpses and they always rush off and hide either in the silt or amongst the plants. I saw more of it yesterday because I was working on the pond and stirring up the silt but then all I saw was a dorsal fin.

My neighbour tells me she has fish in one of her ponds and I shall have a look when I go round there next week. I suspect the white spot is disease.

[~T~]

Bullheads don't have whiskers, you may have looked at the US bullhead catfish.

This is what a bullhead looks like.

http://www.leics.gov.uk/bullhead.jpg

To me thats what it sounds like or maybe a stone loach (though these do have small whiskers). Both of these species inhabit rivers and streams though stone loaches will live in ponds, bullheads tend not to do so well out of the fast flow.

[Madelinew]

I found 3 more in my other pond today and they stayed around long enough for me to get a look. I think they're just goldfish without their colour. Still - not a bad freebie

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by Madelinew

....I think they're just goldfish without their colour. Still - not a bad freebie

That sounds plausible, as several of the ornamental pond varieties are rather muted in colour, and often have irregular patches of white scales. Perhaps one of your upstream neighbours has them? In which case they may have been washed in as fry or fertile eggs. (Could even be a small Koi).

Regards,
Mike.