How to protect Pond Fish from predators.

In this blog, I am going to tell you how to help protect pond fish from predators, especially the Great Blue Heron.  This graceful, beautiful bird can wipe out your fish population if the pond is left unprotected.  Raccoons, Cats & Owls are among the other critters that can endanger your fish.

“I am gonna kill it!”  If you’ve ever shouted those words while looking into your Water Feature, then this is a must read…

We are pond people, we love everything about water gardening.  From the lazy lilies, floating on the surface to the sounds of frogs croaking in the evening.  Most of all, we are partial to our colorful fish, that call the pond home and we will do anything to protect them.  While there are many predators willing to do anything to make them a meal.

There are many things you can do to prevent the loss of your fishy friends.  The basic must haves to protect pond fish from predators are a Fish Cave and plenty of plant coverage.

Fish Caves

A Fish Cave can also be created with a few rocks and a flat rock on top.  Fish Caves give the fish a place to hide in case of predators.  If you are thinking about having a water garden with fish, it helps to plan ahead to give them protection.  An easy way to incorporate a Fish Cave in your pond is to design a gap into the outer shelf.  That way you can easily place a larger rock over the gap to serve as the roof of the cave.  A Fish Cave can also be made with a piece of corrugated drainage pipe sunk down in the bottom of the pond.  You can disguise it by placing rocks over it.

Plant Coverage

Using plants to cover parts of the surface is another good way to protect your fish from predators.  For example, Water Lilies are great to use.  They grow fast, look awesome and give your fish plenty of places to hide.  They also help with water clarity, by absorbing nutrients and blocking out sunlight.  Some other options for plants that would help with surface cover, are the annual floaters like Water Lettuce and Water Hyacinth.  Submerged oxygenators like Anacharis and Parrots Feather can also provide places to hide from predators.

Using Fish Caves and plants to conceal your fishes location is a great way to prevent them from being spotted.  If that’s not enough of a deterrant, then there are a several products you can you use to boost your defenses.  One product in particular is the Yard Gard, it’s a ultrasonic animal repeller.  It’s easy to use and has several different settings that make it useful on a range of animal pests.  Another good product is the Scare Crow, it hooks to your garden hose and is a motion activated sprinkler.  You can also use nets to cover the surface of the pond.