Do you hate anything about ponding??? I do.....

[tinkster]

the baby spawn are killing me... I didnt think it would be possible to hate anything about ponding but I have always had a hard time catching fishies in my big pond and this year it seems extra brutal.  I have tried everything and even minnow traps are not working. Its been become a huge chore that makes me dread going outside.

Tinkster

[sushi]

I know what your talking about.  I just resigned myself that I would have to empty the Wakin pond and pick through each fish to get the ones out I didn't want.  I did this Saturday and it was a 6 hr job. I couldn't  believe it when I just saw a single tail in there that I missed.  I have no idea how it got by me.

Good luck...I feel for ya

[Loritx]

I feel for you!!  I got lucky or my wetvac was hungry. I only have 1 extra fish after fall clean out. And I didnt expect to find any babies.  Well 2 if you count the catfish that was missing since spring!

[miguynmkoi]

I've never had the problem of too many baby fish.  I think most are consumed by the bigger fish since I do not feed my fish too often.  A few do grow up which I do not care to keep so I can catch them during the feeding time for my turtles

The thing I hate  about ponding is when I go away for a long period of time there is a good chance something of catastrophic nature, or at least I think it is.  Tubes falling off and let all the water out of the pond; electricity somehow turned off; pumps stopping; and snails that plug up water flow. 

That's pretty much my big experiences.  I have found ways to prevent some possible problems but can never stop worrying about the ponds.

[Kat]

I understand completely about the hard work & dread dealing with catching all of the extra fish you don't need/want.  I'm trying to get rid of all of the gambusia I've got.  Started with 4 & have ended up with thousands.

[miguynmkoi]

You ladies must have fertile water in your ponds!! 

[Jerry]

me too on the gambusia.  I don't get babies at all because the prolific buggers eat them all.

[LeeAnne151]

I hate having raccoons trash my plantings. They haven't gotten many fish but they tear up and destroy my water pots and smaller ponds.

I also hate that our summer is so short and spring so wet and cloudy that I get very few waterlily blooms.

[lorraine1960]

why would u suck up or get rid of the babies?? just asking why not let them grow up and give them away...lorraine

[tranquility]

the ONLY part of ponding that I absolutly hate is having to do waterchanges and clean filters during the winter months---that water shure does get cold...
Lawanna

[sushi]

I'm happy because I got mine cleaned out before it got to cold.  I'm usually trimming lilies and vacuuming when it's 40 degrees.  I give my babies away because I keep the best wakin babies and pass on the rest to good homes.  Tinkster, can you drain your pond down and try to catch them that way? 

[EagleEye]

I've been trying to think of something about ponding that I hate, but can't come up with anything. But then again, I use the KISS theory and now that I have my ponds, I maintain them, take care of and feed my fish, enjoy the lilies when I actually have some, then late fall, bring in my fish, (no babies) I'm thinking my girl fish are not sexy enough for the boys.  , then in the spring start all over again.
But I also have many other interests that take lots of my time, so I enjoy, but don't dwell on the ponds.
I really don't mind cleaning the filters and ponds once a year because they become so clear and look so good after I'm done. Usually in the spring. I've got a good month or two before I have to deal with them, then they are done for the year. The fish will be very happy inside with me and Charlie. 

Steve

[clm]

Water changes or pump or filter problems in winter are my pet peeves.  Not fun playing in water when it's freezing outside.
I don't have to rehome any baby koi until next spring, so I won't be whining about that until then.
My previous ponds had goldies and I was forever thinning out those herds, I found catching the little monsters after dark was easier.  I knew where they liked to settle for the night, so just dunk the net in that area after dark, they can't see it and I used to get a netfull every time.

Cindy

[karen J]

I put a Bluegill in the pond to control the babies, but somehow a few escape, ride their way through the filtration, and end up in the upper pond. So I still have to do the dreaded fall task of catching those fish because that pond is raised and it freezes almost solid.

The worst thing with my pond are the leaves in the fall. The trees around here are huge. What a mess.

[KatFish]

There are annoyances, sure, but the only thing I 'hate' is winter when I can't play with my pond  :'(

[lorraine1960]

AMEN KATFISH !!! i get so bored i could scream....i feel like an idiot i didn't know tink u were talking about cleaning the pond...i crossstitch in winter to eep me doing something..i hate staying inside     !!!!   lorraine

[perplexed ponder]

Only thing I hate is the cost. Can't believe no one got that one already!
we had our pump die this summer, so there was a $300 bill we didn't plan for. There are always things I want to get or need to buy, but don't ahve the money for.

[tweetybaby2005]

Clearing the green pea soup.  I absolutely hate it with a passion.     Plus the constant question from DH "Is it looking better today?" is really adding the pressure on me to clean it up.  I added 2 extra filters plus the skippy I made.  Cleaned them religiously on a daily basis for the last 4 weeks.  Didn't make much difference.  We finally broke down and got a UV a week ago.  Now the water is crystal clear.  But the weather has really cooled down at night too (in the 40s) so that also helped clear up the pea soup.

Kuan

[Pa Nancy]

I hated saying good bye to my favorite Comet that I had to put down  last week, she was 13 years old. The pond is so bare without her.  :'(

[lorraine1960]

aaawwww i'm so sorry about your comet....    lorraine

[miguynmkoi]

So sad Nancy....I just found my favorite, so friendly, ryunkin dead in the skimmer.  I probably just missed helping it.  :'( :'( :'(

[bunny56lbc]

What I hate most about getting the ponds ready for the winter is cutting back all the lily pads .
The baby fish I can get homes for . There's always someone who is starting up a new pond or just wants a few more fish for the one thay already have.....

bonnie

[Esther]

Me too Bonnie.

[Julles]

I like to stay on the positive side of things, so I hate to say I "hate" anything.  But, yes, there ARE some things about ponding that get pretty irksome.

For one thing, I hate it when you do everything right, and things don't go as they should.  For instance, the two "self cleaning, back flushing" pressurized bio filters that I spent good money on, but do NOT clean themselves "with the turn of a knob."  In fact, neither one cleans itself in any way, shape, or form. 

Every time I turn off the pump, and then manually disassemble the filter and then hose off the media inside, I am just FURIOUS that the manufacturers didn't trouble-shoot their product, and made claims that were not true, and I'm stuck with an expensive filter that is a pain to maintain.

The other thing would be joining the others who hate loosing fish or plants, especially to trespassing animals or birds.

[Jerry]

When I turn off the pump to empty the skimmer basket and priming pot, I live in fear the pump won't start
 pumping again .  That was common before i got the good Sequence pump