Oh darlin', how stressful for you and the fish. I thought about lots of woo-woo that could be going on but do you suppose they are hiding in plain sight when they see what they think might be a threat? Or perhaps Shark just still needs a rest once in awhile in a spot he thinks is safe and Spectacles is commiserating? Prazi is pretty potent stuff. Do the math again to eliminate all the stuff in the pond. It may be closer to accurate than you think. If nothing else it will keep you busy and not obsessing. I needed to use it only once and remember being a nervous wreck about getting it right but it worked like a charm. Now after all the warnings they used to put out, they say it is gentle and you don't have to repeat it. Guess it has been a long time since I used it for the pond. I'm not sure why you used it though. Do you know for sure they had parasites or was it prophylactic? If that was it then a lower dosage might have been called for anyhow. Since I'm not a Vet I'm probably just blowing smoke. There are so many newbies here. Maybe it is time for a discussion about Praziquantel. I know I needed a refresher. I attached a link signed by Dr. Johnson. Here is a link that might be useful: tips on using Praziquantel.

Craig, Thanks for the reply. all my goldfish died last winter :( > My pond is 3000 - 3500 gallon 20 x 12 foot oval pond 2.5 inches deep. I never had to use anything over the winter. no cover, deicer, aerator - nothing. every year the fish were still alive and happy. Then last years Im still searching for the best reliable deicer, pond breather and or livestock tank heater etc. i can buy for total of $250 -300. This year, i spent the last 3-weekends building a 20 ft x 14 ft wood frame over the pond with 2x4 and 2x2. I then raised it 20âÂÂâ high using 2 x4. I bought some hanging brackets for some of the 2x4 for additional support. I created 2 (for now T expanding gutter vents with 45 degree 4â wide ends to add more ventilation to pond. They are supported with 2â pvc pipes hammered into the ground (NOT YET IN GROUND ) I only have a net over the pond right now. I will cover with plastic and tarp. I saw home depot has large styrofoam sheets for about $11 which i am going to try to place between plastic with a garden tarp cover over part of the frame at night / heavy snow - frigid temps. when it is sunny out i ll just keep the plastic on to try to create the greenhouse effect. BTW I absolutely loved the pondexpert covers but they were over my budget as i need to still buy a deicer, stock tank heater, pond breather / aerator. My dad has several of thees steel pipes already but they are really heavy that i feared they would collapse if i alone installed them without concrete or something similar. iâÂÂm sorry to hear you experienced the winter pond deicer problems as well. did you go with the pondexpert cover?⦠Sam ..

oh my that is beautiful!

Patty - what you describe is exactly what my SS was doing last year. Picture the long canes wirosarian has in that great photo (lovely garden scene wirosarian), just bunched up under the trellis for safekeeping. 3' high ad 4-5' of floppy cane is what she had last year. This year it's more like 8' of floppy cane, but that definitely seems to be her growth habit. I can't see her being a hedge (even though mine might look like one) unless you had a set of hoops under it to prop up all those floppy canes at the desired height. Yep, land sakes alive - she's a sprawler - nothing happened except she was feeling happy and verrrrrry relaxed. Annececelia- you think I'd FEED that monster? I'm not getting within a foot of it until it stops eating the landscape. Seriously, I rarely get around to feeding my roses anything but alfalfa most years, and I don't think SS has ever gotten any. You must treat yours right to keep her mannerly. At least until your back is turned (da-DUm, da-DUm, da-DUm...) Cynthia