I really like them. Hopefully in the future I will be able to put in a bigger pond and I can try again with the Golden Orfes and do it right by getting about 5 or 6. For now I am going to pass on them as I see the advice the guy in the pond store told me that one was good, was wrong. Meantime I rewarded myself by going back to the pond store and buying two new fish. I got a stunner of a butterfly koi in a strange metalic almost mustard old gold color. I know that might not sound attractive but the fish is lovely. Also a most beautiful deep almost red "goldfish" with the most long, long, long tail and fins.

Herons sometimes spear fish, leaving holes and marks on them, but other times will snatch with those ugly beaks of theirs. The only way it would have dropped the fish would be if something startled it away or the fish was too big to consume. I'm thinking the fish are probably jumping. Fish will jump for a variety of reasons. They will jump if parasites are bothering them (i.e. flukes, etc), but they will also jump if there has been a sharp change in ph, which irritates their skin. Test the water and see what your readings are. If the ph is low, add some baking soda to bring it up. I also use koi clay, which contains beneficial minerals. I had jumpers this spring, which stopped when I adjusted the ph and used the clay.

Wondering what you mean by "treat for ammonia"? A healthy pond should have a good nitrification cycle going (which converts ammonia to nitrite to nitrate which is then used by plants). Your ammonia and nitrite readings should be zero - these are toxic in any amount, lethal if it gets high enough. You should not be having to add things to lower the reading (except possibly to add beneficial bacteria in early spring to get the cycle going). Cant really comment further without knowing details of your set_up, no of fish, what kind of filtration etc. Poor water quality and/or crowded conditions can cause jumping.

Amynthas agrestis, or crazy snake worm, is an invasive worm that will deforest an area and eat every bit of organic material in your compost and garden till you have nothing left but sand. I have them. They came in a bag of some garden additive like manure. Do a google search and read about them from a reputable site such as a cooperative extension. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://erie.cce.cornell.edu/resources/article-59-crazy-snake-worms-november-2017&ved=2ahUKEwi5m6Cs2NbdAhUJT98KHRk1BjwQFjAKegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw2Nr8eVEFJC24zszO-UeLKB The only control I use is hand picking them when I see them and dropping them into a can of soapy water. When they're dead and decomposed I throw them in the trash (or bury them in a woodchuck hole. Heheh). These worms are bigger than regular worms, have a white egg sac around their middle, and will violently jump around in your hand and break in half and drop to the ground to grow new body parts. In spring you can find them in the soil and in compost as tiny earthworms that wiggle more than regular worms. By end of summer they are easily identified by their size and white egg sac. They love mulch. By the way, earthworms are not native to the USA. They have been imported in various ways. Also, they are carelessly left on the ground by people who fish. These crazy snake worms have invaded the northeast in the last few years.