kyle,

If you can see right through the water, so an a predator. Birds eat fish.

Feed them in the morning, you will see how many you have left.

I have one fish left, and my pond isn't see through all the time, those birds have eaten alot of my fish, I am not buying any more. The one I have left is the last one. LOL

That is perfect for raccoons and anything else to have a fish buffet. If they haven't found it now they will eventually and it will be easy pickings. Critters can wade into that and get the fish. To avoid that you should always make a pond that drops off a ledge at least 2 feet deep. 3 feet would be better. At 2 feet and a sharp drop off I have no problems with anything catching my fish. And I've caught lots of raccoons trying. But they never get them. No way anything will last long in pond when it's that shallow and that mild of a slope.

I honestly don't think anything has taken them OUT of the water. The fish have never shown themselves since being put in, let alone come within a foot of the surface of the water. Also, I have NEVER seen raccoons in this city even after living here for seven years. I'm sure they are here, but I have never seen them, even after seeing thousands of deer, turkey, squirrels, birds, porcupines, and rabbits.

My question is, OTHER THAN WILDLIFE, what factors could contribute to my disappearing fish? Maybe they died and sunk into the rocks? Maybe they are hiding in rock crevices?

The pond is 20" deep, although the first six inches around the edge slope from 0-6" and then there is a 12" deep planting ledge. The 20" deep portion of the pond is probably about 30" wide.

Also, when I feed them, they don't come up to eat. Even if I CAN see them they don't respond to the food. There is a fine layer of algae across the pond rocks that I am assuming they have been eating.

Two of them are alive and well, but very elusive. The other two are either REALLY good hiders (they are calico-colored shubunkins, and camouflage with the pond rock) or they are dead. Thanks for the advice! I appreciate it.

Just like almost all garden related posts, it would be good to know where you are! And yes, I suspect you might have lost a couple fish to birds. I don't think their small size would cause any chemical issues. Fish naturally hide at first, so they might still be around. Do porcupines indicate warm climate? If not, you may have freezing issues. Plants will really help protect these or future fish. Really beautiful pond; nice work. It will be wonderful after you get some plants established at or near the edges.

I live in Spokane, Washington. this time of year the high is generally 80-95 and the low is generally 50-60.

My fish would go into hiding, or play dead at the bottom if they have had a predator after them. Most of the time it was egrets and blue herons. I lost a lot of fish (goldfish and koi) in the beginning, when they were smaller. I have since rebuilt my pond and it is now 4 feet deep. It's a good idea to provide protection for the fish so they can feel that they have a safe place to hide, if need be. I built an overhang that they could go to, if they felt scared.

I should also add that I had to put a cover over my bottom drain/water intake, as the pump was so strong, it was pulling in fish/frogs etc. and killing them.

Karin

We have two ponds with falls, both with skimmer that hold the pump. Some of the fish will get in the skimmer, and unless we find them right away, they will die in there. The smart ones seem to know to stay away, so what we have left is the skimmer smart fish. ;-)

Success!!! I added four more fish yesterday, and since I have added them to the pond, the other three survivors that were hiding seem to be out and social. I think there were just so few that they hid from each other all day. now they swim I'm little groups and actually come up to eat. I don't want to add any more, though. eight is plenty for 500 gallons

That's great news!

Very good, I love a story with a happy ending! Nice job on the pond it looks great.