From a new pond owner:
I have just gotten my brand new pond and already egrets and raccoons are eating my fish and plants. Help, what can I do?
Pondlady sez: We build beautiful backyard resorts for critters like fish and raccoons and then we don't want them as guests. We want our ponds to be gated communities.
I don't know of any way to keep the fish eating critters away from the pond. I advocate never feeding the fish at all and giving them a balanced ecosystem in which to live. That way when predators arrive, the fish know that they are predators so, they hide in the natural plants and rocks that are in the pond and they don't get eaten. Or at least the smart ones don't get eaten. The smart ones have smart babies, the dumb ones get eaten.
For a raccoon deterrent, try planting prickly stuff around your pond. Asparagus fern is good or a holly of some kind. Remember, that prickly stuff can bite you as well as the raccoons.
