The first spawning of the season!

Bumpkin, my midnight blue shub, was chasing Sparky, a white watonai, all over the pond this morning, poking and prodding her. She swam sideways into the bog plant baskets along the margins of the pond, and he followed her there as well, resting beside her on the rocks!

When I took another look at the pond this afternoon, things were back to normal. I fear the eggs were eaten, but I am even more fearful that some survived - what would a shubunkin/watonai mix look like?

Check out the X rated pictures on my blog.

Nice ponds in your blog. Lovely color green. And your fish look and are behaving happy

I grow awesome algae.

I used to scrape it all off, a habit inherited from my aquarium days. Now I realize it is part of the pond environment, and plants can keep it under control while it provides a nutrition source for the fish, one that really keeps them healthy and beautifully colored during the winter. I have to do a lot of skimming during the spring algae bloom, but it's worth it.

The fish are really going to town this spring. This is the first time I have overwintered them, and the spring exuberance was an unexpected bonus!

Your blue shubunkin is GORGEOUS!! My hubby wants to get a blue shubie to keep my Dot company. I've never seen coloring so beautiful as Bumpkin's!! How big is he??



Debbie

He's about 6" long. He was in a tank of mixed shubbies, and his color caught my eye. Here are some pictures from last year:

Thank you for more pictures! What a color!! Did you get him at a regular lfs?
I'm sorry!! I should also say that ALL of your fish are beautiful!!! I don't want them to feel left out - because they were all pretty fish. And a nice pond, too!

Debbie

Thanks. I found him at a local pond store. They had a tub of "Premium Shubunkins" 4-5" for $10 each. I had never seen a pure blue one before, so I had to have him. He was the only Midnight Blue in the tank.