Tony Buzolich
05-01-2017, 10:35 AM
Last summer I took my grandson over to Ellis Lake in Marysville for a little bobber and worm fishing. Expecting bluegills, we planned on bringing a couple home in a bucket and putting them in the Koi pond in my backyard.
Surprisingly the bluegills were not to be found, but, we did manage two very small black bass each about three inches long. Home they came and in with the Koi and goldfish they went. Acclimating quickly they became pets and now I had to feed them something besides goldfish food.
Whenever my grandson would come to visit, it became his job to dig worms in the garden and feed these new pets which were growing rapidly.
Around November the pond water outside was getting cold and I usually slow down feeding the goldfish as they can't digest much during winter. But. the bass were still wanting to eat. So, what does grandpa do? Yep, buy an aquarium and bring them inside where it's warm.
We get the aquarium set up with our two bass and a couple of the smaller goldfish and Koi and everybody is happy. We can see the fish a lot better. The bass are still eating worms and raw shrimp, and the Koi are eating their flakes and pellets. And with the warm indoors all winter the bass continue to grow quickly.
Now, getting bigger, I decide to buy a few minnows at the pet store and see if the bass might like a treat. No hesitation here at all and a half dozen minnows disappear in a blink of an eye. Great fun for my grandson to watch the chase and carnage that happens so naturally in the wild. And so the story goes. I continue to feed the bass mostly raw shrimp, the goldfish the flakes and pellets, and everybody in the tank is happy,,,,,,, so it seems.
Last week I decide to give the bass a few more minnows and feeder goldfish as a treat. But at the same time I buy a couple more goldfish and a small Koi to add to the tank. Mistake. As expected the feeders were all gone, but so were a couple of the new goldfish, and the new Koi was hiding in a corner.
I failed to mention that the bass have grown quickly over the winter and are now almost 12 inches in length. Remember, 3" last summer when caught, now 12" in a indoor tank. And they've become quite voracious with anything dropped into the tank.
Another day goes by and ALL of the new goldfish are gone, and the Koi only has half a tail. He's almost 5 Inches,,,,,,,, or was.
Yesterday Bill Siler comes over and looks at the tank and say's "What's that sticking out of your bass's mouth ?" Yep, sure enough, one of the bass had eaten the Koi and the tail was sticking partly out of his mouth :( .
So now, what does a guy do? I can't turn my grandson's two bass loose, and, I can't afford to continue to keep feeding his pets $9.00 baby Koi. Uugh! :)
Tony
Surprisingly the bluegills were not to be found, but, we did manage two very small black bass each about three inches long. Home they came and in with the Koi and goldfish they went. Acclimating quickly they became pets and now I had to feed them something besides goldfish food.
Whenever my grandson would come to visit, it became his job to dig worms in the garden and feed these new pets which were growing rapidly.
Around November the pond water outside was getting cold and I usually slow down feeding the goldfish as they can't digest much during winter. But. the bass were still wanting to eat. So, what does grandpa do? Yep, buy an aquarium and bring them inside where it's warm.
We get the aquarium set up with our two bass and a couple of the smaller goldfish and Koi and everybody is happy. We can see the fish a lot better. The bass are still eating worms and raw shrimp, and the Koi are eating their flakes and pellets. And with the warm indoors all winter the bass continue to grow quickly.
Now, getting bigger, I decide to buy a few minnows at the pet store and see if the bass might like a treat. No hesitation here at all and a half dozen minnows disappear in a blink of an eye. Great fun for my grandson to watch the chase and carnage that happens so naturally in the wild. And so the story goes. I continue to feed the bass mostly raw shrimp, the goldfish the flakes and pellets, and everybody in the tank is happy,,,,,,, so it seems.
Last week I decide to give the bass a few more minnows and feeder goldfish as a treat. But at the same time I buy a couple more goldfish and a small Koi to add to the tank. Mistake. As expected the feeders were all gone, but so were a couple of the new goldfish, and the new Koi was hiding in a corner.
I failed to mention that the bass have grown quickly over the winter and are now almost 12 inches in length. Remember, 3" last summer when caught, now 12" in a indoor tank. And they've become quite voracious with anything dropped into the tank.
Another day goes by and ALL of the new goldfish are gone, and the Koi only has half a tail. He's almost 5 Inches,,,,,,,, or was.
Yesterday Bill Siler comes over and looks at the tank and say's "What's that sticking out of your bass's mouth ?" Yep, sure enough, one of the bass had eaten the Koi and the tail was sticking partly out of his mouth :( .
So now, what does a guy do? I can't turn my grandson's two bass loose, and, I can't afford to continue to keep feeding his pets $9.00 baby Koi. Uugh! :)
Tony