I've deleted the original message on ponds, so hopefully this will
get back to the person who originally asked . . .

The best suggestion I've heard for planting fish in your backyard
pond is mosquito fish. They're tiny little fish that blend in to the
water, so the birds can't find them and eat them as easily. The best
thing about these little fish is that they'll slurp down mosquito
larvae like Merlins eating house sparrows, a bonus since the
first thing to find your new pond will probably be mosquitos. And,
if you're in a place where your pond will freeze in winter, it's easy
to transplant the fish into an aquarium for the season (koi will need
a much bigger tank!)
jw



> Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 10:00:10 -0800 (PST)
> Reply-to: iwanner at u.washington.edu
> From: Irene Wanner <iwanner at u.washington.edu>
> To: Gayle Benton <gbenton at thesanjuans.com>
> Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: Re: Bird ponds

> I have a wet back yard and talked to some landscapers at the garden show
> last weekend about ponds. Some people suggested lily pads and koi; the
> koi, they say, eat algae. Of course, herons and such find out about your
> koi and slurp! But you migh check ideas out at the library, arboretum or
> with landscapers whose specialty is yard ponds. - Irene, Seattle CD
>
> On Wed, 11 Feb 1998, Gayle Benton wrote:
> > >
> > We have a small concrete pond built especially for the birds. They love it
> > but it is a royal pain in the neck. It leaks (and we can't find the leak),
> > but the main problem is algae....
>
>
Jane Westervelt
Moscow, ID