Fish in my wildlife pond

[~T~]

Adding a pike would also not be a very good idea as not only is it possibly illegal to move wild fish from one water body to another but they tend not to fully clear out a food source (it's not in their interest) and will also prey on other wildlife such as frogs and newts.

[operanut1972]

My first thoughts were, that's not a pond, it's a lake! Then I thought wow, what a lovely setting. I have to say ya boo to your friend , but you should be able to let them co-exist. I like to think that nature will take care of it's self once we have given it a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Hope you resolve this to your satisfaction

[Frogs and Newts]

I think co-existence is going to be worth a try although I must admit that in the first post I said I had "hundreds of fish" as I didn't want to appear to be exagerating but actually as I walk round the edge it is clear that it more likely to be above the hundreds.
The pond seems to be sorting itself out for example as there are lots of trees around I was worried after reading in forums about rotting vegetation but I decided that lots of ponds in the wild are surrounded by trees, the water went very green early spring and then in less than a week became almost crystal clear and on closer inspection I could see it was teeming with water fleas. I then had large areas of blanket weed and another month later nearly all that had gone.
I always wanted a wildlife pond so having the space and the time to build one means that now that wish is realised.

[operanut1972]

Well, I'm envious of you, but hope you get it resolved, sounds like you've had quite an influx of fish eggs, sounds like it is pretty ideal part from that And I forgot to welcome you to WAB, most of the time it's fun to be here, the rest of the time it's a blast.

There are some very dry sense of humours on here, gives the ribs a workout.

[~T~]

Originally Posted by Frogs and Newts

I think co-existence is going to be worth a try although I must admit that in the first post I said I had "hundreds of fish" as I didn't want to appear to be exagerating but actually as I walk round the edge it is clear that it more likely to be above the hundreds.
The pond seems to be sorting itself out for example as there are lots of trees around I was worried after reading in forums about rotting vegetation but I decided that lots of ponds in the wild are surrounded by trees, the water went very green early spring and then in less than a week became almost crystal clear and on closer inspection I could see it was teeming with water fleas. I then had large areas of blanket weed and another month later nearly all that had gone.
I always wanted a wildlife pond so having the space and the time to build one means that now that wish is realised.

If you can net out some of the young fish then people will be interested in taking them off your hands. You could even make a small profit. If you were near me I would be happy to take some as my cousin has a large fish pond and shes always looking for new blood.

[kev2]

Unable to help with your question I'm afraid, but may I just say WOW ! As somebody else mentioned "That's not a pond it's a lake"
I am currently making my own wildlife pond and was feeling pretty pleased with my efforts until I saw your pics. Superb setting and I am soooo jealous.
PS good luck with the fish. I'm no expert, but would have thought that there is plenty room for ALL wildlife in there.

[tom00_uk]

a piscicide will resolve the situation for now, but you could find that you gain another load of fish via visiting wildlife, you will also have the issue of a lot of rotting fish to deal with. Electro fishing could be used to reduce the numbers, though you will then have to kill or rehome the fish as they will only be stunned

make some perches for kingfishers and the sides welcoming to other fish predators to make the most of the situation

[Dogghound]

You net the pond and draw down the water level to remove the bulk of dead fish. Not sure the poster would get permision or not though, which would be the first task.

Regarding the point of taking fish out, what is the point in any habitat management? its a continual process. You could say the same about hydroseral succession, continually removing excessive plants and silt is all part of basic pond management, as is removing fish. It all depends on factors such as time, money, are any protected/endangered species at risk etc. Removal of fish is certainaly not a waste of resources as wildlife within the pond will soon benifit from it. You can see this pond is suffering from eutrophication perhaps from the fish perhaps from a range of other factors too. Electro-fishing would be pointless within this pond as the bulk of fish are smaller than 12cm by the sounds of it.