At this time of year we often get enquiries from customers concerned about a decrease in protection for their fish from predators due to plant life dying off. Disappearing lily pads, hyacinth leaves and other plants often provide handy hiding places and protection from potential pests and predators. People who have suffered problems with those kinds of issues in the past might be concerned at this time of year. Luckily there are some very practical steps you can take to remedy this issue.

1. Create fish habitats and hidey holes – It’s part of fish’s natural behaviour to hide in crevices in rocks, underwater holes and hollows and other sunken debris. You could of course buy some underwater ornaments that incorporate such hiding places, but you could also create some yourself with a minimum of effort and expense. If you can get hold of some unused slate slabs, discarded bricks or similar material it’s a simple matter to prop them up against each other to create lean-to’s and other spaces. Or even just some clever rock placement can really increase the amount of places for your fish to hide away safely.
2. Make use of old pond and garden equipment to create shelters – You could also make use of everything from old plant pots to discarded connection or discharge pipes to create actual shelters for your fish to hide in. In the colder months fish will intuitively head to deeper water as it’s warmer and safer from predators. Our Aquatic Planting Baskets might do the trick too. Putting items like this on the pond bottom gives your fish extra protection and so, less stress as well.
3. Crank up your aeration system – As your aeration system does its work it’ll create bubbles on the surface that your fish can hide beneath. It of course will also add extra oxygen to the pond which is always a good thing. When things get really cold an air pump will even help keep an area of the pond surface free from icing over (as would a pond heater too). This is essential in freezing conditions as it will allow new oxygen in to the pond and allow toxins to escape.
4. Install a pond protector – There are of course also a whole range of pond protector products available. You could try something like the hugely popular Netfloat Heron Deterrent Panels which sit on the surface of your pond and are extremely effective in keeping herons and other predators away from your fish, but are still quite unobtrusive and barely visible from a short distance away - or for a flexible budget option you could try our Pond Cover Nets.