herons

have found this page for you

hope it helps

x x x

http://www.pond-solutions.co.uk/pjmheron.htm

thanks i like the wire idea somebody also told me to try old cd discs apparently they don't like reflected light ,i actually caught the heron eating young birds that it had stole out of nests in my hedge .

Aw, Rabbitman, that is sooo sad! It makes me feel like I could shoot the bad bird! Grrrrrrr!!!! Sorry you've had such a bad time! Hope it only gets better for you!

it took me 5 years to grow the fish to the size they was ,when we looked at the price to replace them that size i trembled the cheapest was the tench 50 quid each and the koi any thing from 300 to 800 quid each .i though about shooting the thing at the time i was that mad but i wouldn't ,i have to throw every thing plants filter media every thing in case the bug is still in them ,wont do nothing yet as ive got frogs toads newts all spawning ive got tadpoles that are starting to grow legs so it will be little time before i move in with disinfect and jet wash,thanks for your concern anyway .

Have you had the water and the dead fish properly analysed, Rabbitman? There are many diseases and sources of infection/pollution that could have killed your fish. The heron may not be responsible at all. The infection could have been airborn, brought in by a different bird or even carried by your own cats. I would want a more positive identification before I spent money on replacement fish.

waters perfect ,theres a few things that cause koi to slime up and die like that stress caused by frightening over heated water nitrogen due to rotting fish pooh or plant material ,or one of the carp related bugs that as a fisherman i read about every day and i think its the later ,i have had help of a fish breeder and he has advised me to disinfect the pond filter boxes the liner all hoses throw away the filter media etc and spray all around the pond ,the pond is spotless theres no rubbish or plant material gets left in.the cat doesn't go near pond ,i didn't get the fish analysed as i had spent enough at the vets on anti biotic food and water treatments to warrant wasting any more money on lab results i though enough was enough .

i actually think the bug came from a neighbors pond as he had poorly fish and the heron went there for fish supper before it landed in the edge of my pond .

such a shame all that happened and wiped out all your hard work

good luck for the future keep us posted with how it gets on

x x x

the heron was just a carrer bye nature.they are very skittish birds and you normaly just see what theyve done rather than catching them.i would advise a dog and a dog flap realy.dogs are always ready to protect and it doesnt take long for the bird to get the idea.the dog wouldnt catch the bird either.the heron has to see your pond so you could cover it totaly and save yourself uv lights and trying to get the green out of your water or make it difficult to stand near your pond.there are lots of possible cures like wire,cds etc .trust me though when i say my water in my coverd pond is clearer apart from a little tannin than my tap water .herons can puncture your liner ,desease,they can eat a lot plus the damage they do to bigger fish trying.i realy wouldnt presume a 4 foot heron cant catch a tame lazy kio espessialy as your going to buy small again.there perfect fish predetors .it wouldnt of landed unless it thaught it had a chance.the electronic things would bairly if ever pick up your cat as you can mount them up a couple of feet as herons are all birds.i hope ive helped take care bye for now.

Regarding protecting the pond from herons rather than the issue of them bringing disease:

We have a free form pond with planting around most of it (in and out of the water) so netting it was impractical.

We bought a false heron and a motion-sensing sprayer. Still lost fish so got up at 4.30 to watch what happens. The heron came onto the garage roof, swooped onto the lawn RIGHT NEXT TO THE FALSE HERRON, completely ignored the water sprayer and made it's way through a small gap in the planting.

I had also placed fishing line along the water plants as I'd read that they have sensitive legs but it strained against this to get closer to the clear water. I scared it off and assumed that 18st of angry fish owner charging it down would suffice for a few days .....

Luckily I didn't go back to bed as 20 minutes later it was back .... then again after that.

We read conflicting stories that they don't like going under anything as it impedes their escape route (others countered this). So we have now built a pergola covering the entire pond and have hung netting from it. This is far less noticable than I imagined and we have now used fishing line to create (pond)net curtains that we can simply slide open. This has the added advantage of keeping cats etc out yet small birds can still fly in unhindered to reach the feeders we have attached to the structure.

Only once have I seen a heron since we completed this - it actually landed on the top of the pergola, considered it's options for about 10 minutes and left - the only access now is through the top and with beams at 20 inch intervals it has no chance.

I've added a photo to my profile in case anyone is thinking of a similar solution.

well i already have .if you then put some of that split bamboo on a role or something similer your water gets clear as a bell though your lillies etc wont like it.mines clearer than my tap water and tastier.just a little bit of tannin.saves messing about with those uv alge clearers .great minds think alike .a heron did obviously try its luck under the pagoda but bye the look of the tail feathers and a little blood from the feathers my dog ended that little problem and im sure it survived but never came back lol

a teaspoon of salt a gallon is a good tonic for ya fish if there a bit down after a good water change which generaly means overflowing though i water my plants with the pond water then top it up.you calculate if you can the gallons bye timsing the length x the width x the depth and devding bye 277.there are othe mathmatic answers but thats the one i know.if you have to layers you can do the calculation seperatly then add the 2 end results.dont worry if you have curved edges.its not critical a teaspoon a gallon as long as its about right.it works out as one and a half washing up bowls.i pour it in one place then they get a strong dose but then get clear till its intergrated.dont do it to often though.they say use sea salt ie central heating salt but i use normal stuff in my tank to and its always bean great.i hope this helps take care bye for now

ponds back to normal now 7 ghost koi 9 fancy goldfish 3 golden rudd 3 orf 2roach 6 gudgeon 2 green tench 2 golden .................i large net installed and a pergola in the making ...........if the heron comes anywhere near i have installed a self propelled rocket launcher nawh joking ........i have a sonic thing that is activated by movement and it seems to work heron landed and flew off as soon as it activated .......................all fish i have restocked are injected and health guaranteed none of them are above 4 inches in length as i like to watch them grow .............

ow im glad about that mate nice one

explain to a thickon about bamboo idea i didn't quite get the jist ........what to do with it where to put it ext .....