Hi guys, I have a pond at my house (must be about

N

nicos

Senior Member
Hi guys,

I have a pond at my house (must be about 3000L) in which I originally kept two massive male kurpers (2kg and 2.5kg when first put in). I have a pump and one of the drums with the mechanical filter and those little wheels that the algea grow on, and a slow flowing birdbath that fills up nicely with algea and seems to do an even better filtration job.

Anyway, at the end of last year a mate moved overseas, and asked me to take over his goldfish, two pretty big (30cm and 40cm) suckerfish thingys (you can see how much I know about this stuff) and an eel.

No problem, chuck them in and they seemed happy. Not long after I noticed a lot a tiny fry. These turned out to be those gillemienkie fish things (again my great scientific knowledge of freshwater ichyology showing). Eggs or fry must have been in the water the other fish came in. I thought the tilapia will chow them quick quick.

But it didn't work out that way. Pretty soon they multiplied so much, that if you focus just right, you suddenly notice that whe whole bl00dy pond is filled with thousands of them, from sub-millimeter through all the ranges up to about 4cm.

I went out to the petshop and bought 4 Oscars: basically I asked the oke in the aquarium section to give me his most aggresive, fish eating fish. The chowed a few here and there, but mostly they hang around and attack the food meant for the goldfish. I'm not sure that they will survive the winter either.

I'm starting to run up a serious fish food bill here, as I have to chuck loads in the pond for the propper fish to get something to eat before the gillemientjies chows it all. Now that the water is getting a bit colder, I have kind of stopped feeding them, hoping the bliksems will die, but I am pretty sure they will just live off algea and my prize tilapia will be the first to go.

So I guess my question is, what can I throw in there that will klap them? I don't care about the goldfish and other stuff. Will a couple of small bass work? Or some other exotic species? And where would I find this fish-decimating machine?

Shot,

Nico
 
B

bravo71

Banned
Nico why dont you contact Ushaka Marine world or next time you down at DSBC ask those guys from ORI. They down at the beach every day with that Landcruiser and big duck.
Louis
 
T

tauruck

Sealiner
Bass, they will do well down there even in winter. Now you have to go catch some bass. Methinks this project is going to get out of hand. LOL.
 
N

nicos

Senior Member
tauruck wrote:
Bass, they will do well down there even in winter. Now you have to go catch some bass. Methinks this project is going to get out of hand. LOL.
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With the swell running at 3 meters at the moment... maybe I should invest in some bass tackle then :) The fresh water could only be good for my motors!
 
N

nicos

Senior Member
Carpfinder18 wrote:
If you wana get rid of those little fish why dont you get yourself a fine net and net the little buggers!
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I have, but it is close to impossible to net all in that size pond, and the fry is tiny so you can't even see them. It only takes weeks for them to multiply again, as a matter of fact they seem to grow quicker and breed more when there is less of them!
 
A

Andre Laas

Sealiner
Hi Nicos

Post some pic's of them here, then maybe we can ID them.... always easier if you know what you have got to do with!
 
N

nicos

Senior Member
Ah - fantastic idea! Will do that tonight, thanks mate!

(now I just need to get rid of my irritating dog too :) )
 
N

nicos

Senior Member
Critter wrote:
Hi Nicos

Post some pic's of them here, then maybe we can ID them.... always easier if you know what you have got to do with!
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An example of some of the buggers... I can't even try and rinse them out of the net in my pond without catching more of them!
 

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A

Ace_AFRO

New member
those are regular guppies... yeap they breed just like hamsters... or worst!

Get a few more smaller oscars to take care of them? Perhaps a few small turtles?

Even better, set up a big saltwater fishtank inside the house with lionfish in there! Amazing creatures and no problem regarding finding food for them!
 
A

Andre Laas

Sealiner
What you have here is Mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis). They probably got to your pond with some vegetation as stowaways. They were actually imported to many parts of Africa as a control measure for malaria, and they worked like a charm in controlling mosquito larvae due to their high reproductive rate and ravenous appetite. The problem with them you have now experienced first-hand….. they take over fast, and they eat a lot for their sizes!!!!!!

 

As for controlling them, well, I am not too sure what would work, and I will have to read up on the matter, but as far as I know, just about the only way to get rid of them would be to physically remove them….. which is hard work!!! They make excellent fodder fish for bass, and I guess any other carnivorous fish, so the Oscars should enjoy them, but would probably not be able to control them. A bass or two may help to control them, but as they grow, they will probably develop an appetite for your Oscars, and may harass them a lot.

 

Some aspects about their biology….

 

These fish are well developed to live in environments that is not suitable to many other fish species. The position of their mouths almost on top of their heads not only helps them to feed on mosquito larvae (and any things else that will fit into their mouths) on the water surface, but also allows them the breath in the very top, oxygenated layer of water. Even in the worst of water bodies, the  very top layer of water will have some oxygen from the atmosphere. This also allows them to survive in extremely shallow waters…. Which is a favourite habitat for mosquito larvae. They can also survive in a fairly wide temperature range, and can deal with fluctuations in water temperature that is common is shallow water. They are closely related to the guppies, and they are some of a limited number of fish where fertilisation is internal and they are live bearers. The males have an adapted “anal fin” that is actually a “sperm tube” used to inseminate the females. The females is generally much bigger than the males, and have a black dot on the side of the stomach, and lacks the adapted anal fin.

 

Well, I have not solved your problem, but hopefully you know have a story to tell about the Critters in your pond. I will let my mind go a bit about possible solutions, and get back to you! Maybe some-one on sealine will have some ideas!
 
S

SAfish

Sealiner
Can't you relocate the fish you want to keep to another place (like your bath) for a week? Get a pump and empty the pond and let the sun bake it for a few days. That will take care of the little buggers. Critter said they are live bearers so you don't have to worry about eggs staying behind.  Just an idea...:::S
 
D

DWB

Sealiner
Critter will propably shoot me for this...

Get a hi-fin pangasius from a petshop. They will easily eat 15 to 20 of those fish in a day. But they won't operate in cold water.... Chances are they grow so fast that they'll eat the goldfish too. Believe me, the one i had was 12cm and he ate two 8cm goldfish at once!!!!

Mean bastids....
 
A

Andre Laas

Sealiner
Deon Brits wrote:
Critter will propably shoot me for this...
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But why Deon?....

I really do not care much for the mosquitofish.... they are invasive alien fish that will definitely not become extinct any time soon!!! If any-one have a sure fire way to eradicate them without killing the other fish in the pond, fire away!!!
 
G

gt40

Senior Member
send them my way.i got a dam full of bass thats looking for them!just add 2 small bass.they will keep numbers down.i will take the rest.
 
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