Loch Ness Shiro spotted in Horseshoe Pond!
A friend spotted two 5 inch shiro's in Horseshoe pond, which is where I recently introduced the showa and kohaku fry.
At first, I struggled to rationalise how this could have happened. I used the pond for shiro's at the beginning of the summer but drained it down after harvesting the pond and searched each puddle meticulously for escapees. There were a few puddles, but they really were puddles - not pools. There was one puddle that was a bit larger than the others and I was sure no fish were left in there after the harvest. Then I left the pond like that for a couple of weeks - to allow the sun to bake the bottom of the pond, and then I filled it straight from the tap without applying any dechlorinator.
So tell me - how have two(or more?) shiro's survived this? And how have they grown to atleast 1 inch larger size than the shiro's I harvested and am growing on in the polytunnel, without being fed?
Although their power of survival is strong and it makes a nice story, it is another problem for me in terms of the project - because they will be feasting on the fry I introduced which will significantly reduce the number of 1 inchers I harvest in a few weeks.
On the upside, the pond is teaming with daphnia, and with a bit of luck they will take the edge off the loch ness shiro's hunger to give the fry a fighting chance.
When I saw one, I quickly drew my mobile phone and took this short video to capture the moment and independently verify it's existence. You can just about make it out in the center of the picture.
Oh well. Anyway, there are still plenty of fry in the pond although there seem a less on my observtions this evening compared to a few days ago. But the ones I've seen are much larger, and this good growth may bring on first selection a little earlier than I expected. They are already the same size as the shusui fry, despite being 1 week younger.
At first, I struggled to rationalise how this could have happened. I used the pond for shiro's at the beginning of the summer but drained it down after harvesting the pond and searched each puddle meticulously for escapees. There were a few puddles, but they really were puddles - not pools. There was one puddle that was a bit larger than the others and I was sure no fish were left in there after the harvest. Then I left the pond like that for a couple of weeks - to allow the sun to bake the bottom of the pond, and then I filled it straight from the tap without applying any dechlorinator.
So tell me - how have two(or more?) shiro's survived this? And how have they grown to atleast 1 inch larger size than the shiro's I harvested and am growing on in the polytunnel, without being fed?
Although their power of survival is strong and it makes a nice story, it is another problem for me in terms of the project - because they will be feasting on the fry I introduced which will significantly reduce the number of 1 inchers I harvest in a few weeks.
On the upside, the pond is teaming with daphnia, and with a bit of luck they will take the edge off the loch ness shiro's hunger to give the fry a fighting chance.
When I saw one, I quickly drew my mobile phone and took this short video to capture the moment and independently verify it's existence. You can just about make it out in the center of the picture.
Oh well. Anyway, there are still plenty of fry in the pond although there seem a less on my observtions this evening compared to a few days ago. But the ones I've seen are much larger, and this good growth may bring on first selection a little earlier than I expected. They are already the same size as the shusui fry, despite being 1 week younger.
