Missing Goldfish

[~T~]

There is the possibility that they were stolen.

[90]

Don't rule out snakes, good friend lost a similar amount over a few days. He actually saw a snake in the pond a few days too late

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by 90

Don't rule out snakes, good friend lost a similar amount over a few days. He actually saw a snake in the pond a few days too late

That's extremely unlikely, grass snakes live in very low numbers and need only eat about 1 goldfish a week their digestion is quite slow It would take quite some time to eat a significant number of fish..

Plus I'm not sure you can rule out mink especially if there's decent connective habitat (hedges, ditches etc)between the lake and the garden. The presence of scales makes me think this as herons tend to cleanly swallow their prey whole. Unless they were very big goldfish which might have lost scales in a struggle.

[tom00_uk]

could just turn the water body into a wildlife pond now your fish free

though if you have a decent amount of weed there could well be fry from last year hiding in it or some from this year as i have all ready seen a few spawning events

no mater how attractive i make my bottom pond to herons and king fishers the fish are still out breeding predation, after arriving as fertile eggs either via a plant or stuck on a visiting creature

some thing while i was away has visited with some retched duckweed on so with luck it blow out from the middle and ill have it gone before it establishes again

[~T~]

Originally Posted by tom00_uk

could just turn the water body into a wildlife pond now your fish free

though if you have a decent amount of weed there could well be fry from last year hiding in it or some from this year as i have all ready seen a few spawning events

no mater how attractive i make my bottom pond to herons and king fishers the fish are still out breeding predation, after arriving as fertile eggs either via a plant or stuck on a visiting creature

some thing while i was away has visited with some retched duckweed on so with luck it blow out from the middle and ill have it gone before it establishes again

Funny thing is goldfish are one of the best duckweed terminators.

[tom00_uk]

they dont touch it, they have enough inverts to keep them feed,
an old squash racket so skims it off when its within reach