winter shut down

A weird year in the fish pond and many MIA after a lousy summer. Where do they go to? Neither do they appear to have grown very much which is also quite disappointing.

In reverse order then….

We started the season with the following, current status follows

1 x white comet with red spots – 5-6 in YES
1 x shebunkin – 5-6inch - YES
1 x red and black goldfish – 5-6 in YES
2 x blue orfe 8-9 inch YES have grown slightly now more like 9-10 inches
1 bendy tail orfe – 8in NO MIA!!!
1 orfe – 9-10 inch YES…still fit.
I large ghost koi – 12 13 inche and 2-3 round the girth yes but has not grown much
2 x orfes - only one of these stil quite slim. About 4-5 inches
1 x goldfish – about 3-4 inch nope MIA1 x black shebunbkin MIA

Then in April the following were added…

2 x silver koi (1 about 2-4 inch and 1 about 2-3)

Now I *think* these guys are still with us and have grown enormously now weighing in at a fabulous 5-6 inches! That is some serious growth but I guess it just has to be them!

2 x golden rud... 2-3inch. See this is the *odd* thing…there is still one there orange with a black stripe along the top but has not grown at all compared to the koi…strange

and 2 x shebunkins... 2-3 inch... and again only one of these left

May
1 x 3-4 silver koi1 x 3-4 white koi

There is still one of these…a very white/silvery fish so not sure which one it is.

I will continue to watch the pond until it is totally shut down. Disappointed toi have suffered so much loss this year. A strange never happened summer.

Gone!

No sign of the froglet in the water barrel at all. Ah well. Don't know if he has hopped it or whether it is a toxic environment. very disappointing.

So I took the washing up bowl with the other two down the other end as I could risk the new froglet jumping out and into the mouth of Mr Koi and his greedy mates.

The final tadpole is losing his tail now and turning into a froglet but the other one is gone. At least he had a sporting chance of jumping out of the bowl and into the grass somewhere. It would be so good to have our own spawn next year.

The most amazing thing just happened!!

Just popped outside to take a quick look at the frog and I actuallyy CAUGHT HIM on his way out of the pond and on the decking...making his bid for freedom!

Unknown for him the nearest water is koi infested and he would be fish food in five minutes! So i chased this little inch long thing round the decking till I caught him and popped him in the water barrel.

i had been thinking of doing this anyway but nervous about changing their environment. But I had no choice. I hope he survives and settles there - so may even return to spawn.

I ahd just been listening to "how to save a life" by the Fray as well

the new froglet likes it here!

well the new little froglet is still with us.

we have never had a baby frog hang around so long....usually they turn into fro0gs and poof! they are gone in what seems like hours. this new guy seems to have taken up position on the stone in the bowl and like sit there!

wouldn't it be so fab if he decided to stay?

what is happening at the dark end?

check out these two pictures and compare them to april posts. haven't the reeds grown this year? There is about six inches of windy rooty territorythere which I KNOW is home to all the new fish who have been added this year. but where the hell are they? There are two shebunkins, two small koi and two golden rud. PLUS the two 3-4 inchers we added a couple of months ago. As you can see in the picture the Dark End is protected by a roll of chicken wire. My heart stopped this morning when I saw the King of the POND throw his body over the wire to get in there.

And How can you discipline a fish?

Little fuck.

So...will this year be The One....??

is the Dark end both heavily protected and populated and ready to pour forth joyeous baby tiddlers who can live in safety and grow to be big guys or will it be the opening scene from Finding Nemo?

frog crisis!

Exciting moment his morning.

Peaked into the old bowl where the first frogs had lived (thinking it to be devoid of life of course) and what did I see?

a poor spreadeagled froglet wrapped in green hairy weed.

i grabbed a stick....carefully wound the weed away and aournd the stick....liberated mr frog!

IN the process I found 2 more tadpoles with all their bits grown and gradually losing their tails -0nly about 2 days to go there I reckon.

Anyway.,....emptied a lot of the water out of the tub so the frog could get up onot ht estone easier and popped a few sticks to assits wiht the final walk to freedomw.

Ran upstairs. grabbed camera.

a sad day

so I come downstairs to feed the fish, check on the tadpoles and guess what. Yep, little tails have been shed and they have left home.

I felt quite bereft. They are only frigging tadpoles but i have nurtured them soince they were spawn! emptying out their bowl when the water got to high and trying to pick up tadpoles off the decking with my fingers (yuk!).

there are 3/4 left now.

It makes you wonder...I WISH I had had a web cam fixed on the bowl... at what point in the last 24 Horus did they go "Right guys...time's up...time to face to big wide world..." and then they climbed on to the rock and jumped for it ..into the unknown. How brave!

and so they are gone...teeny weeny little .75 inch tiddly frogs....I understand they burrow into the ground.

should find out really.

Life in the water barrel is looking good. The tadpoles I added last week all seem to be thriving.

The new little babies I added about six weeks ago are FINALLY starting to get the guts to show themselves. Saw two of the shebunkins together today. keep getting glimpses of the little white koi and saw one of the golden rudd as well.

No sign of George or Caroline's new fish.

The water garden

I have wanted one of these for ages. It's a genuine old sherry barrel which i have filled with various plants as a home for the new tadpoles. With any luck these ones might just return next year and leave some spawn

Tadpoles

A far better showing on the tadpole front this year. I have been keeping them in a bowl by the pond although I have just bought a new water tub to put some more form my mum's House in. Anyway....I appear to ahve kept around 8-10 and they are now starting to sprout little legs and arms on a daily basis. there are quite a few looking like little baby frogs with long tails. These tails will now gradually shorten until they are ready to go and then - poof - gone!

New fish

Another wet and boring and rainy bank holiday so me and the team @ 310 (Vince, George and Caroline) set off up the a23 to the garden centre. of course we did. the lodgers purchased their own fish. A very white koi for CP called Bob and a dirty silver colour called Steve for george.l

To be honest, i was slightly disappointed in their choices as I had been hoping for a couple of comets to brighten up the place. the koi get all the food and attention.

So we have to add

1 x 3-4 silver koi
1 x 3-4 white koi

to the roll call.

still waiting for the new boys

The shebunkins have put in an appearance but no sign of the others....hard to beleive a cat has got the really golden ones already, particularly as the big fat ones ar still smooching around the pool.

If you pop by my house and see someone with their arse in the air and their head under the bridge, that'll be me tryign to spot the new boys.

where are the new boys?

Whenever I introduce a new fish they disappear for a week or so. Having a swim round and getting used to the new environment I guess. Today the two baby shebunkins put in their first appearance. Everyone else is all present and correct so i don't know where the others are. Vince saw off a cat who was hanging out by the pond.

my wonderful wisteria

it must be at least a 100 years old...stretched all the way from the back of the house down to the summer house...blooms twice a year april/may and September...smells wonderful

New fish

Drove up the a27 to the garden centre yesterday and found some new fish.

2 x silver koi (1 about 2-4 inch and 1 about 2-3)

2 x goldeb rud...never had thesde before..about 2-3inch

and 2 x shebunkins... 2-3 inch...

The shebunkins are always my favourite.

bought a new filtering system for the filter. seems to be working well although the pond is a bit mucky. it really needs a uv filter but this woudl need to be wired into the existing pond pump. the guy at the garden centre has reccomended a pond doxctore bloke so woill prob get him in.

got hold of a catalogue with various water fall systems and really fancy something quite dramatic.

the pond today

life in the summer house

i like to sit here and read the papers. Frineds come round for barbies.

excellent weather

We have been having excellent weather and it is wonderful to see everything gfrowsing so well. here are a few pictures

pond life

the lily is staring to spring into action with 2/3 leaves starting to show their leaves. I had previously separated that annoying basket of grasses which kept falling over and that seems to be settle down. Down the dark end the grasses are all well entrenched.

Mum also gave me some frog spawn and this is starting to turn into tadpoles. Really teeny little ones. A few months ago there was a forg in the back garden. I like to think this was the home grown boy form last eyar. Don’t understand why there I no frog spawn in the pond though..

New Season April 9 2007

Welcome ot the new pond season and plenty of aciton in the pond!

Fish did well during the winter with very few losses.

This is how they roll up at the start of the season.

1 x white comet with red spots – 5-6 in
1 x shebunkin – 5-6inch
1 x red and black goldfish – 5-6 in
2 x blue orfe 8-9 inch
1 bendy tail orfe – 8in
1 orfe – 9-10 inch
I large ghost koi – 12 13 inche and 2-3 round the girth
2 x orfes - fairly sure the smaller of the two is a pond born
1 x goldfish – about 3-4 inch
1 x black shebunbkin

so that's 12 then