Gravel-vacc'ing around baby fish?

[Jennie Beth]

Hi all,
I wrote awhile ago that I had babies in the pond. Hadn't seen hide nor hair--or should that be fin nor scale-- of anyone in the last month, so I figured mom and dad had sushi for a few meals and that was the end of it.

Went out today to pick dead leaves and generally putz around, and when I was scooting the water hyacinths away from the filter, (they like to hang out right over the filter...) what do I see? Little fishies! Everywhere from an inch or so long down to mosquito wiggler-size! White ones, polka dotted ones, (methinks there may have been a shubunkin involved there somewhere ) the usual grey-brown ones...probably 10-12 of them, though it's hard to say with them darting in and out of the hyacinth roots.

SO, after all that, here's my question...
I need to rinse out the filter pads and do some maintenance on the pond bottom..right under the baby fishy hangout. If I gently scoot the hyacinths around the corner, can I safely mess with the filter and do some gravel vacc'ing without fear of sucking up or injuring the little guys? Bear in mind, I have never used a gravel vac, mine just came in the mail (python ulti-vac). It runs on the hose, but is not supposed to allow untreated water back into the pond, and I guess it works the same way an aquarium vac works. My pond is under huge old firs, and I want to do a little tidying up. Would I be better to do the filter maintenance now and wait a bit for the bottom? It isn't totally disgusting down there, just hasn't been touched since spring...

Sigh...will I ever learn to just say "can I gravel vac around my baby fishies?" and call it good? Doubtful...

Jen

 

[Tastey]

I'm gonna say from watching my babies in the tanks that there are probably more hiding other places... possibly even near the bottom of the pond. I generally have a bunch that like the top, some that like the bottom and some that stay real close to the plant. you could always scoop some of them out wth a reg. aquarium net and put them somewhere safe until you're done with the maitenance. Atleast them you'll have better chance of survivors.

lemme know if you end up having some halfies that look like their tail is fused into a single fin. I'm just curious cause I have a few like that. They end up not being such great swimmers when they get about this |--------| big. up until then, they seem fine.

 

[Jennie Beth]

lemme know if you end up having some halfies that look like their tail is fused into a single fin. I'm just curious cause I have a few like that. They end up not being such great swimmers when they get about this |--------| big. up until then, they seem fine.

Fused into a single fin? So the tail looks like a triangle instead of having two lobes? Fine...now I'll be forced to spend more time out there with my head in the pond Oh no, please, anything but that!
Jen

 

[Tastey]

Oh believe me, I keep getting reminded that I have 2 human children and a k-9 child cause I keep staring at the fishy babes. but yes, they look like they have little triangles at the end... sometimes other shapes too. but they don't look like they were bitten off... maybe a mutation? seems to be more common on the ones that look like they have a little Shub in 'em.

I need to get more pics soon!

 

[Lupin]

The fused tails do make it harder for the poor goldies to swim around, much like the tosakins.

 

[Tastey]

My fused tail babies may end up being tank dwellers... if they look too miserible, they may end up being Convict food....