Tench question.

[awaaar]

I bought a couple of Tench a while back for my Mothers pond...I told her they wouldn't eat the floating bait she uses for the Carp, and would probably need to get something that sinks.

 

The Tench kept well out of the way of the Carp in the corner of the pond...when I went round, I would go the tackle shop first and get a tub of worms for them. These were fed into the corner where the Tench hung out.

 

They didn't eat them while I was there, so I assumed they ate them once I'd gone.

 

Last Tueaday, both the Tench were floating on the top dead

 

There didn't appear to be anything wrong with them (apart from them being dead obviously), could they have starved?...

 

anyone else had this happen?, and if you keep tench, how do you make sure they feed?...before the Carp nick their food that is?

[John S]

Used to have a tench a few years ago, bought about 3 inches long, finally went belly-up at about 8-9 inches. I didn't feed it anything special, but it would be amongst the last to get for the food. Basic food was a mix of 3 different floating pellets and a sinking pellet. However, the 'fact' that they only feed off the bottom is not really true - with the floating pellets, after the orf and the mirror carp had their fill the koi and the tench would be able to eat. If the carp eat all the food, put more food in

 

Take care

[davidP]

My tench quite happily take food from the surface, and they spend a lot of time sucking round the edges of the lily pads as well. Like most animals they'll go where the food is. I would also doubt that they'd have starved to death as what would be the chances of them both going on the same day? That to me would suggest something in the water killed them.

[chesters1]

maybe your pond is too clean ,if they arent feeding from the surface then they will be rooting about in the margins or bottom ,if the pond has little silt then probably theres little natural food to find ,carp are very greedy and well may be nudging the tench out of the way to get any sunken floating food and ofcourse eating any natural food as is their habit.

tench are a strange fish for a pond ,most "wild" fish are designed by nature to be camoflaged from above so little will be seen of them ,carp we all know are not the norm and if they could would happily climb out at the hint of a freeby

 

[ 14. June 2004, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: chesters1 ]

[Ed Matysiak]

My tench feed on the surface with the goldfish happily. Tench (being in the carp family) will make use of any food source. After a while they soon learn that food is on the surface and they will feed on it like any other fish.

[RUDD]

I have caught tench on the surface with bread and a foot or two under the surface on maggot.

If keeping Tench in a pond you need plenty of room to give them their own space away from Koi.

I know a bloke who also keeps Crucian in his pond.

I have seen him feed them by hand!

His pond was 10ft by 5ft by 5ft deep.

[awaaar]

nice one chaps.....to be honest, the pond aint the biggest, and yes chesters, it is quite clean.

 

maybe stick to the carp me thinks

 

cheers

[Bradford Angler]

I put tench in mine 6 years ago, they are all still there and occasionally feed under the lillys or hide on a hot day. Apart from that I do not see them much . . mine is 20 x 16 and 5 deep at one end . .

 

It you have never tried feeding by hand it is a real pleasure . . I have a 5lb common carp that not only takes the bread but a whole finger too

[butiaboy]

tench live quite happily on pond pellets you don't

have to use sinking food

[Guest Ferret1959]

butiaboy:

tench live quite happily on pond pellets you don't

have to use sinking food

Having preds in your pond do you have any baby fish survive?