Ize
...
This has got me a bit weirded out....
Ok, long story so here's the Reader's Digest version...
I buy my house 3 years ago this coming October that comes with a small garden pond with 8 large goldfish in it. (NOT Koi) Manage to keep fish alive thru winter and summer... Never clean out pond but clean out filter every other week or so.
Another winter goes by and fish survive.... Last summer while cleaning out the filter, I notice a much SMALLER version of the larger fish in the pond... simple math brought me to NINE fish... Blew me away. Reproduction in my small garden pond. Kewl.... Still never gut the pond to clean it, just clean out filter... Plenty o' algae, fish happy as can be...
Now this Spring... somehow, with minimal assistance from me, fish have survived yet another lovely Central Illinois winter and all 9 are doing just dandy. Pretty proud of myself.
Then I got busy with the spray bottle of RoundUp too close to the pond about 2 months ago, and wiped out all 9 in one fell swoop.... Silly I know, but it depressed the hell out of me for 2 days.... Just stupid on my part, I damn well knew better but wasn't thinking...
So tonight... I'm in the process of cutting out the STUPID F***NG Yucca plant the previous owner had planted next to the pond which is right next to the patio and the yucca grows over the pond. It provided shade for my now long deceased fish... I figure this plant is out of control, and I've had it. There's nothing in the pond, I've kept the pump running just to keep the mosquitos out, but the thing is a slime pit and I'm having people over Sunday so I want the patio cleaned up...
I whacked that sucker down to a nub, but man this thing is beefy... so I haul the edge of it out of the pond so I could figure out what the hell is holding it in place...
That's when I saw the fish...
and that's when I counted at least 8 or 9 MORE fish... all dark, but all unmistakeably goldfish....
I staggered in the house, got SWMBO to come look and she counted 12...
Nearest thing I can figure is their parents spawned before I killed them, and they ended up hatching, and without any other fish to EAT them, they all survived...
I'm a little weirded out by the whole thing, and keep drinking to see if it will settle properly in my mind but so far no luck....
So I figured I'd see what you guys thought. I've had fish in tanks etc, but none that ever bred...
To me this is just plain strange. Then again I can always blame it on beer and feed the fish tomorrow....
(sorry for the long tale)
Ize
Ok, long story so here's the Reader's Digest version...
I buy my house 3 years ago this coming October that comes with a small garden pond with 8 large goldfish in it. (NOT Koi) Manage to keep fish alive thru winter and summer... Never clean out pond but clean out filter every other week or so.
Another winter goes by and fish survive.... Last summer while cleaning out the filter, I notice a much SMALLER version of the larger fish in the pond... simple math brought me to NINE fish... Blew me away. Reproduction in my small garden pond. Kewl.... Still never gut the pond to clean it, just clean out filter... Plenty o' algae, fish happy as can be...
Now this Spring... somehow, with minimal assistance from me, fish have survived yet another lovely Central Illinois winter and all 9 are doing just dandy. Pretty proud of myself.
Then I got busy with the spray bottle of RoundUp too close to the pond about 2 months ago, and wiped out all 9 in one fell swoop.... Silly I know, but it depressed the hell out of me for 2 days.... Just stupid on my part, I damn well knew better but wasn't thinking...
So tonight... I'm in the process of cutting out the STUPID F***NG Yucca plant the previous owner had planted next to the pond which is right next to the patio and the yucca grows over the pond. It provided shade for my now long deceased fish... I figure this plant is out of control, and I've had it. There's nothing in the pond, I've kept the pump running just to keep the mosquitos out, but the thing is a slime pit and I'm having people over Sunday so I want the patio cleaned up...
I whacked that sucker down to a nub, but man this thing is beefy... so I haul the edge of it out of the pond so I could figure out what the hell is holding it in place...
That's when I saw the fish...
and that's when I counted at least 8 or 9 MORE fish... all dark, but all unmistakeably goldfish....
I staggered in the house, got SWMBO to come look and she counted 12...
Nearest thing I can figure is their parents spawned before I killed them, and they ended up hatching, and without any other fish to EAT them, they all survived...
I'm a little weirded out by the whole thing, and keep drinking to see if it will settle properly in my mind but so far no luck....
So I figured I'd see what you guys thought. I've had fish in tanks etc, but none that ever bred...
To me this is just plain strange. Then again I can always blame it on beer and feed the fish tomorrow....
(sorry for the long tale)
Ize