What Animal Eats Pond Fish???

Fish predators…they are everywhere- sometimes more during some seasons than others. Whether you’re new to ponding or just need a new trick at keeping the predators uninterested in your stock..you’ve come to the right place for a short list of some pretty effective methods. If your fish are missing, please know it wasn't the dog or cat that hangs out by the pond. While some of the below solutions may seem odd, they all have worked for our customers at one time or another. It’s important to note that some of these work better when combined with each other.

Blue Heron Birds

Heron are absolutely beautiful birds and they happen to be protected here in Pennsylvania. Territorial birds, younger ones are shy and prefer to hunt without humans around and will take off if there’s noise. Older birds are more brave and require much more effort at keeping them away once they’ve pegged you as a reliable buffet. A heron will come back repeatedly and eventually clear out every koi it can find if you don’t act fast.  

Heron Decoys – Fake herons work well if you move them when you spot a bird in the area. During spring, we recommend moving them daily as there are more rentless birds searching for food for their babies.

Fishing Line / Net Barriers – Heron do not fly into the pond---they walk into it. Because of which, you should string fishing line around/across pond to deter the heron from getting in. When they go to step, the line will get caught in their feet/wings and cause frustration.

Mink

Mink are known to hunt in Winter when the pond is iced over and your fish are just hanging out dormant. To do so, they will use the hole created by the bubbler / heater you installed as a "Life Support" to get under the ice. If you notice small footprints near the hole or blood/drag marks coming from the hole, these are indicators a mink has come for your fish and may come back.  

Pond Dye – Mink hunt by sight and have no sense of smell underwater. Adding pond dye to your pond will make it so they cannot see what they want to hunt.

Raccoons

You may find raccoons prowling around the pond from here and there, however, normally found at the scene of the crime, after-the-fact, raccoons are rarely capable of killing koi. Obvious signs that koi was killed by a heron and not the raccoon is usually the large puncture wound in the fish.  Once the heron has speared a fish too large to eat, it throws it on the shore, and the raccoon is found with it later.  

Motion Activated Devices – Motion activated lights, motion activated scarecrows, anything that can detect motion at night can help.  

General Tricks:

Water lilies, water lettuce and water hyacinth can all help hide your fish from the prying eyes of predators during the pond season.  Koi tunnels and or koi caves give your fish places they can hide when they feel threatened. Lastly, an aerator will not only add oxygen to your pond in the hot summer months but it will also break the water surface up and help to obscure a predators view to whats beneath the surface.

So Now What???

Dreamscapes has a full service maintenance program that travels all over the Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin County areas. We also carry a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | [email protected]

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA