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Joe Pelonio
05-24-2006, 1:38 PM
No, I didn't have goldfish for dinner. Someone did though. This time I had a wire mesh over the whole thing except for one end where the cattails are coming up and the water iris are blooming. Something must have gotten under there and ate all but 5 of the 14 remaining 6" fish I had.
In the past it was a heron then later racoons, I doubt that either could have gotten into that small space and been able to swim under water
to get them, but don't know what else could have done it. The sideways flower pots and 4" pvc pipe I put in there to allow them to hide must have worked for the 5, because it looked like there were no fish at all until I put out some food and the 5 came out from the pipe.

Ken Fitzgerald
05-24-2006, 1:50 PM
Joe...........One thing you might try. We have a lot of flower beds and all the local pet cats have been using them! So....a neighbor tried several of those battery operated pest eliminators. They work on motion or infra-red heat sensing and put out a ultra sound frequency of about 23,000 hz. Humans can't hear it but animals can. It stopped the cats from entering his flower beds and using them as local facilities. I am going purchase some shortly! They cover an area about 70 degrees at a distance of 30'.

Good luck!

Joe Pelonio
05-24-2006, 3:04 PM
Ken,
Thanks for the suggestion, though I have dogs and wouldn't want them to be afraid to go outside I could use them at night only, which seems to be when the fish get eaten. I wondered about those but didn't know if they worked or were just another gimmick. If you can find out the brand name
from the neighbor please post it.

Jamie Buxton
05-24-2006, 3:24 PM
One trick which sometimes works is sprinklers. You know the ones which have a single stream which they rotate slowly across the line? They make a noise like "phut, phut, phut.." Hook a motion detector to one, and if you want, put that in series with a light detector. The result is a spinkler which "attacks" anybody moving at night. Many pests (they're deer in my area) are bothered by it and leave. And the nice thing about the system is that false alarms don't bother you or your neighbors.

Cliff Rohrabacher
05-24-2006, 3:29 PM
to get under a tight cover without tearing it up might be a mustela erminea.
If you catch enough you can make an ermine coat.

Jim DeLaney
05-24-2006, 4:25 PM
A weasel is a possibility, but I'd bet on a turtle - maybe a big ole snapper, lying in wait on the bottom...

Joe Pelonio
05-24-2006, 5:27 PM
A weasel is a possibility, but I'd bet on a turtle - maybe a big ole snapper, lying in wait on the bottom...
I doubt a turtle, just because it's a backyard pond, only about 500 gallons, and the yard is well fenced. A weasel on the other hand could well be the culprit. There's a pond that's more like a small lake a few blocks away that's also next to woods, so some could live there and be coming up for a treat. I think I will look into the water spraying idea, and just keep it on when the dogs are in the house for the night.

Joe Pelonio
05-24-2006, 5:43 PM
I found the water squirting scarecrow, it's supposed to be able to scare off all creatures small or large (see pic). Also found a floating plastic Alligator head, 24" long but somehow I doubt that creatures in WA would know it was a predator.

Chris Damm
05-24-2006, 6:27 PM
and the yard is well fenced.


It may be well fenced from a human perspective, but if you get down to the small predators level you might not see any fence at all!

Lee Schierer
05-24-2006, 9:21 PM
It is probably either a mink or a raccoon. I don't think weasels go in for water sports. Neither would be detered by the water sprinkler for long. Try a portable radio tuned to an all night talk show. Put it under a box to keep the rain off and set it near the pond. It works to keep raccoons out of sweet corn. They think there are people there and they will stay away. Or chain the dogs out there for the night! :D

Frank Chaffee
05-24-2006, 9:40 PM
Joe,
Hatch some piranhas in there. They will imprint on the goldfish and protect them.

Hoping this helps,
Frank

Scott Donley
05-24-2006, 9:40 PM
How about a live trap ? Might give you an idea what your fighting ;) You could than sell tickets to your own private zoo and pond :rolleyes:

Ken Fitzgerald
05-24-2006, 9:54 PM
Joe......The pest controls my neighbor uses are called "Animal Away" Model P7810 - They bought them at Gavilan's item # 15-71341-5.....$29.00......Telephone 951-943-2022. They operate on a 9v battery and have an on/off switch. My neighbor shuts his off when working in the yard. He used to pick up over 5lbs of cat "residue" a week out of his flower beds. He doesn't have a problem any more. They work.

No connection in any way with the product or place of sale.......Just reporting my neighbors findings!

Mark Cothren
05-25-2006, 9:05 AM
Snake maybe?