Pond netting

Hi. Not quite aquatic plants but has to do with my pond. I have fish in my pond so I have to net it to keep my cat (he already ate one fish )and a heron (he ate one too ) out. For the first time this year two frogs so far have had their legs tangled in the mesh...horrible to see...They were all swollen and red and I had to cut the net, hold the frog (not easy they are very wriggly) and very gently try and snip it away from round the leg. Has anyone found a solution to this? Maybe a particularly netting that they don't get tangled in so easily. I am considering giving the fish away so it won't be necessary to net it as I can't bear seeing this happening to my frogs. They return every year to spawn and I can't bear the idea of one getting tangled and not noticing it. Just too horrible to contemplate.

I hope this helps, Jekka. I saw a show about wildlife in urban areas & a lady in the UK loved the raccoons that would come to visit as she lived near the edge of woods. But she also loved her fish in her pond so she erected a barrier (like you) but used galvanized chicken wire. I can draw out a picture later & scan it to include if you need to see it but I think you'll likely be able to visualize what she did.

Her pond was circular but say you have a pond that's 5 metres x 5 metres square & the water level is 25 cm below the edge of your pond. You want the barrier to be maybe another 25 cm below the water level. You'd then cut a piece of chicken wire 6 m x 6 m (2 x .25 m +5 m = 5.5 m plus extra to tack down under rocks or such). Bend the wire around the edges so some will be anchored under rocks to hold it firmly in place (you can also tack it down into the soil with long pins) & snug against the sides of the pond so it's not easily viewed. With the rest in the water, it won't be easily noticed. The rocks & plants will hide any showing around the edges on top of the soil.

She did this so the raccoons could still wash their food but the fish stayed out of the reach of their paws. It depends on how deep your pond is - you may gave to modify this idea. We have lots of herons around here & they don't like standing on the chicken wire. They also have trouble striking their long beak into the water & missing the wire each time.

Frogs & fish should find it fine to swim up & down below the spaces - too small for many predators to get at them but large enough for them to maneuver between. The wire is stiff & water life doesn't seem to get tangled in it. If you can't find wire wide enough, you can easily join some together & it should still be sturdy enough if joined properly. (Not sure how wide it's sold in in different countries.)

Perfect!