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  1. This is a very nice solution to raccoons destroying ponds. I had a pond in Altadena for 5 years with zero raccoon problems. I did some research and found the method described.

    In a hot climate like LA it is recommended that a small pond be at least 2.5′ to 3′ deep so the fish can swim below the heated surface on hot days. Placing a pond in shade to protect from heat is not a good solution, ponds need about half day of sun for a healthy environment. So dealing with heat will be necessary.

    Digging your pond with strait sides and no ledges is the most important point to prevent raccoon damage. Place the water plants up on stacks of bricks or a similar base with the pots just below the water level.

    Raccoons are very smart animals, if a raccoon cannot reach into the pond from the edge and feel the bottom they will not go into the water. In the 5 years years I had the pond, at most the raccoons would knock the plants off their brick stack and they would sink to the bottom and I would put them back in the morning. I never lost one fish.

  2. I built my first pond with sloping sides to make it look natural and for years I was fine, but once the raccoons found the pond, they did not stop until the got every single fish. I tried water cannons with motion sensors, I tried lights on motion sensors, I tried blocking their access with plants, nets, I tried chemical deterrents – nothing worked. Some days, I would find fish bodies in the pond with their heads bitten off – they wouldn’t even eat the entire fish. It made me sad to get up in the morning.

    So I had the pond rebuilt professionally with concrete so I could get straight sides, rock overhangs, and 3′ deep throughout. And it’s been a year and half, and so far so good. Every once in a while I will find evidence of a raccoon, like a corn cob in the waterfall, but they can’t reach my fish because of the straight, deep sides.

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