Alien Invasion - I want my pond back !

[Eric Salop]

Good news - All paperwork done
The good news is that the environment agency have decided it's ok for fish to be swimming in the pond and have given me a second piece of paperwork, so I can now go out and get a few fish.


Not so good news - Pond Invaded Again
This Alien Invasion thing could be turning into a sequel.
During the paper chase, new Aliens have landed and are trying to steal the pond for a second time. At first I thought it was just native duckweed, then as it changed from green to a red/purple blanket that spread rapidly over the surface, I realised it was something else entirely. Another plant that is alien to this part of the world.

I took that picture a few days back and it has kept on spreading since. Today there is no open water left.


My best guess is that this is from the Azolla family (Azolla filiculoides ?). If that guess is right, I am hoping this may be familiar to some of you, as I understand this grows in North America.

 

[hunt4570]

Are there plant eating fish you could put in there? I'm getting ready to add some grass carp to my ponds.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Maybe try looking here?
AQUAPLANT

 

[Depmandog]

Eric, It sure looks to me this that you have pegged the correct genus. Here is a informative site Factsheet - Azolla filiculoides (Red Water Fern) It sounds like physical control is pointless as it propagates by fragmentation. The use of biological control might be you best option: "using the weevil Stenopelmus rufinasus can be extremely effective in controlling infestations as both adults and larvae feed on the fronds"

 

[Depmandog]

Duplicate post

 

[Eric Salop]

With all the willow trees now cut down, the wind has done a good job of disrupting the second wave of alien invaders, pushing them into the far corner. No doubt that fight will start once again as things get growing in the warmer months and we have a few calm days for the water fern (Azolla filiculoides) to multiply. One way or another I'm fairly sure ways will be found to keep enough of the surface clear to let oxygen in, so as 2016 came along I decided it was time to get on with finally stocking some fish.

Fortunately there is a very good fish farm less than 10 miles away. A phone call and email confirmed they had the species and size of fish I was looking for and I was happy to take delivery any day they liked, as long as it was this winter. Today was that day. The fish farm owner came up first thing this morning with his pickup truck full of tanks of fish. Not great conditions for me and him as the rain came at us sideways in a cutting wind, but I'm sure the fish didn't mind that at all and at least there was no ice on the pond to contend with.

The big concern was to not allow any of my alien infested water to come into contact with any of the fish farm equipment, or else it could get transferred to the next customer, or his rearing ponds. My gear is permanently contaminated, so the easy way was for me to do the wading. That and the weather limited my chances for taking pictures and I only managed a quick snap.




[Picture of a net full of fish would be here, however, TBN doesn't want to play tonight and I can't wait for another day to give you this news !]



As I may have told you before, I grew up in the city of Sheffield, where the main rivers were so poluted by industry that nothing could survive in them (not counting the students, who each year would risk all by taking to the oily water in an annual raft race). As children we found ponds to fish and escape from life on the huge, local authority owned, housing estates. In those days I never anticipated there would be a day in my life like this, when I have, out in beautiful countryside, my own pond full of fish. I am such a lucky man.

 

[Navasot]

We fight a lot of underwater and topwater grasses here... learned to love the lilies but the American pondweed and salvia is terrible.. the lilies help choke out all life below them and helps fish grow big.. just a pain fishing it sometimes

 

[Larro Darro]

[Picture of a net full of fish would be here, however, TBN doesn't want to play tonight and I can't wait for another day to give you this news !]

Eric, I have been forced to post the picture to Face Book, or some other site first, then copy IP address and post to TBN that way. I started a thread over at MyFitnessPal I called Testing123 that I often use for that purpose. It is full of supper and garden pictures.

Glad you got your fish. We have been having lots of rain, but my pond is barely holding it's own. It was stocked the last two summers, but I'm not sure if it's going to last this year. It went from 5 acres down to less than 2 in a few months.

 

[Xfaxman]

-------
The big concern was to not allow any of my alien infested water to come into contact with any of the fish farm equipment, or else it could get transferred to the next customer, or his rearing ponds. My gear is permanently contaminated, so the easy way was for me to do the wading. That and the weather limited my chances for taking pictures and I only managed a quick snap.

[Picture of a net full of fish would be here, however, TBN doesn't want to play tonight and I can't wait for another day to give you this news !]

-----------------------

Pictures now need to be less than 1000 KB or they will be ignored. I don't know if there is a pixel size limit, so I will try to upload one of your previous pictures that is 493 KB and 2559x1919.

Well, that pixel size worked. :thumbsup:

 

[clemsonfor]

Eric, I have been forced to post the picture to Face Book, or some other site first, then copy IP address and post to TBN that way. I started a thread over at MyFitnessPal I called Testing123 that I often use for that purpose. It is full of supper and garden pictures.

Glad you got your fish. We have been having lots of rain, but my pond is barely holding it's own. It was stocked the last two summers, but I'm not sure if it's going to last this year. It went from 5 acres down to less than 2 in a few months.

what is myfitnesspal?