Julles asked about the predator net.
It is monofilament netting, we got it at PetSmart for about $20. It would not stop something like a determined, hungry Great Blue heron. It isn't strong enough. I pull it tight and secure it under the pond rocks. The net packaging said to secure it ever four to five feet, but since I was worried about snakes, I secured it every couple of feet. On the side of the pond bordered by the former cattle fence, I put a piece of drift wood. It covers both liner and net nicely.
Ignore the profusion of nutsedge. Also, the big flower pot in the middle is a strawberry jar. It usually serves two purposes...I had a plant on top, and the fish can hide in it in case of predators. But, it is plantless for now.
In this one you can see the size of the mesh. I thought about using bird netting since it was a lot cheaper, but the mesh size was too large. I was afraid that the fish would get hung up in it like a gill net.
The only snake so far that has gotten under the net was a small ribbon snake. All of the others have slithered on top. Again, if they were really bright and determined, they might be able to figure out how to get under it. If I do find a snake near the pond, I relocate him far, far away. A few miles at least.
This baby kingsnake made himself a big ol' mess.
I had to untangle him....he was unharmed. He was pretty cool, actually. Very patient and docile while I gt him out of the net, then he just coiled around my hand while we transported him to the back pasture.
One thing I noticed. We had large numbers of leopard frogs before the snakes found us....massive numbers of tadpoles in the veggie filter, tadpoles in the pond. Then it got to the point where I was finding a snake or two every day. The frogs all vanished. Now, I have noticed that the frogs are returning. I saw a leapard frog a couple of days ago and I have two or three very small, very loud little green and brown frogs. Not sure of their species yet.
I have seen a single bittern, grackle or egret around since I put the net. It stays on almost 24/7. I take it off once a week while clean up faded leaves and string algae. Almost every day I have to release dragonflies. Either they find a way to get under the net or they are newly emerged adults. I really don't like the way it looks, but then I dislike losing my fish 100 times more.
It is also serving the purpose of keeping the falling leaves out of the pond. The hackberry trees nearby are beginning to lose their leaves and I was kind of surprised by the number leaves already.
A friend of mine who has a pond with mature koi, comets and fantails lost a depressing number of fish to an owl. She uses a retired shrimp trawl net with a PVC frame on her pond and has had success with that.
I mentioned in the other thread, I probably invaded the snakes habitat. This is what the pond area looked like before....
Under all that wisteria, honeysuckle and blackberry is a former dog kennel. There is a slab and a little fence. There used to be a roof, but Katrina removed it and deposited it in pieces all along the back levee
Off to the right is the fencing for a former cattle chute. The middle of the pond is pretty much where Zoe dog is standing. I still have a lot of clean up and landscaping to do, but it is coming along.
