A puzzle

[LynneNY]

This is the 3rd year we've had our pond up and running.  Last spring I got about 50 free fathead minnows from the county - they provide them to try and cut down on the mosquito population.  I never saw a single one all last year - not coming up for food, not swimming on the surface going after mosquito eggs and/or larvae like they are supposed to, not while I was in the pond and the water was very clear.

Fastforward to today.  I just fed my fish - I have 8 six inch goldfish from last summer, and 12 small feeder fish that I bought about a month ago, plus 2 small yellow koi.  But...

There is a black fish eating with them now.  It is the size of the smaller feeder fish that I have, looks mostly black with a lighter colored underside.  I'm thinking it is one of the minnows rather than a baby goldfish?  Or is it a baby that hasn't changed colors yet?  It's hard to get a very good look because we still have some algae going right now.  And the fact that I bought 12 more feeders will make it difficult to know if this fish eventually changes color... unless I keep seeing a dark fish.

What do you all think???

[Bearb]

My bet is baby goldfish. You will probably know when the fish changes color. Here is how it always goes for me, I notice small black (actually olive drab if you catch them and look at them in better light). The bellies are usually lighter in color. They decide to change at unpredictable times but I can always watch it happen. The vast majority of my babies have changed slowly. The orange (or white) starts at the belly and creeps up the side of the fish toward the spine in a randomish pattern (usually faster along the gills). The fins and lips seem to be the last part to change. The orange is never very orange. It takes time to develop the deep orange or red.

[LynneNY]

Thanks Bryan!  I was beginning to think no one would answer here. :'(

I was away all day, but did notice this morning when the sun was shining on the pond, that the "black" fish did have an ever-so-slight orange sheen to it, so I was thinking it's a goldfish as well.  Time will tell I guess.  Odd that it would be the only baby in the entire pond, but it's all fun!

[Bearb]

You never really know about babies. Last year I had only one grow to the noticeable size. He hasn't changed color yet. . . Usually when they are at the stage yours is, I think I only have one or two but as the summer goes on, they learn to school with the others and I realize I have more than I thought.

[Kittyzee]

I'll bet it's a goldfish too.  I had two all black ones and one changed to light orange.  The other one is still all black.  I only had one goldfish survive to adulthood from last year.  How it did it I'll never know--they eat the eggs and fry so he must have hid himself really well!  Just as well I guess or I would be over run with fish that I would have to try and get rid of.   

[LynneNY]

Ya know... I was a bit concerned about babies surviving because I foolishly bought 12 more feeders about a month ago.  But... not to worry.  This evening, when I was telling my husband that I haven't seen 1 of the 2 yellow small koi I got recently, he said "oh yeah... the other day there were a couple of dead small goldfish in the waterfall skimmer basket."

UH, thanks for telling me!!! NOT!   I've also been wondering why I have been only seeing about 6 of the 12 small fish the past several days!


Oh... and tonight when he cleaned out the filters, there was a small dead garden snake in it!  Wonder how that got in there - I've never seen a snake in the pond, but will be looking out for them from now on!

[Jonna]

Darn Lynn!  Bears and snakes too??  This California kid had no idea New York was so wild.  Of course, I've only been to NYC and Long Island.  Still, it seems pretty wild and woolly for one of the original states.  I learn things here all the time and not just about ponds.   

[LynneNY]

Darn Lynn!  Bears and snakes too??  This California kid had no idea New York was so wild.  Of course, I've only been to NYC and Long Island.  Still, it seems pretty wild and woolly for one of the original states.  I learn things here all the time and not just about ponds.   

Funny Jonna!  I've come to calling our property a Wildlife Refuge.  Not only have we had bears and snakes, but also loads of deer, racoons, possums, woodchucks, feral cats, a few pretty red foxes, HERON of course now! , 5 different kinds of woodpeckers including the pileated - the one that is huge and looks like Woody Woodpecker!

Occassionally we get packs of wild dogs and coyotes running through the back too - their howls in the middle of the night send chills up and down the spine!!!

Oh, and here was a shocker to me several years ago - apparently there is a large rattlesnake population in the foothills just a few blocks from our house.  Their dens are protected by NY state, and any building there cannot be where the they are located!  I know someone who found a rattlesnake in her garage one morning - I would have fainted on the spot!Who ever thought there'd be rattlesnakes here in NY???

[LynneNY]

I spent much of today outside by the pond.  I still do not see the second yellow koi, so I'm figuring it must be gone?  I also haven't seen one of the small feeder fish that I had handpicked (I picked them all really) because it was all white with a red tail - very different looking.  It probably was one that my husband removed from the skimmer. :'(


BUT... I DID see a second small black fish today!  YEA!   Can't wait til they start changing colors - adds more fun to the pond!

[HOWELL]

Wow...snakes..I hate snakes..not really hate but cant stand to see them ...they scare me...

[PondmaninAL]

Howell, be a man!  Some snakes are good. Around here, if there is a non-venomous snake in the area, you won't find any venomous ones. I think a few fish is worth knowing that I'm safe. One house that I lived in up here with my family had a creek running through the yard. I use to sit out on the rocks and play with the little water snakes.

[LynneNY]

Bryan was absolutely correct - my 2 black fish are baby goldfish!  It's been great fun watching one turn color day to day this past week.  The other hasn't started to change yet, so I hope to get both before and after pictures of that one.

This is the changed one today - will the orange get darker, or stay this light orange?  I kinda like it this way - it's different from the rest of my fish.





And a few with some other of my fish at feeding time today...
Don't ya love the "sunbows" - my new name for the colors in the water from the reflection of the sun!
 


My one and only koi - he is a year younger than the comets from last summer, and is growing leaps and bounds and is much bigger.

[Kittyzee]

They are ALL beautiful!  I wonder what happened to your minnows?  Were they so small that the goldfish ate them, you think?  They seem to eat anything that will fit in their mouths.   

[Bearb]

It has been my experience that they will get darker as the summer goes on. They may not get to be as red as some of your sarassas but will definitely get at least as orange as the one just below it in the third picture. Sometimes my babies change right away and the initial color is a really neat coral color, but they always end up red/orange like the rest.

[LynneNY]

Thanks again for the info, Bryan!