Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Stocking pond from other farm ponds??

To sort of add on to Daves comments about stocking there are other advantages that go with stocking the fish. If you add in the larger fish right away you do not see or get as much ownership of building up the eco system and understanding the interactions. Thus IMO you would have a pond full of fish but not understand the interactions and the issues as well as if you took the time and built things up from the forage all the way up.

I thought I wanted to have a pond that I could fish for YP and SMB right away. I was educated here to take the time and start the forage fish then the YP and then the SMB over a 3 year period. Now I truly truly value the understanding of the fish and interactions between all of the inhabitants in the pond. I have been able to add on to the pond the structure and specific needs that I have learned by observing the eco system. I have grown to appreciate the pond for something more than a hole with nice large fish in it. I understand what it takes for it to get to that point and how I can help make it even better.

I also know if I put larger fish in there right away for me to catch, I would have run into some major problems later on that I would be harder pressed to fix. I truly believe that because of the time I have spent understanding the pond and the needs of all in and around the pond I have been able to say I have not lost a single fish yet, I have 3 YO YP that are now in the 12-13 inch range and 2 YO SMB in the 12 inch range. My pond still holds a nice forage base while being able to sustain about 75-100 YP and 25 SMB in a 1/10-1/4 acre pond. I don't have stunted fish and I have every type of wildlife visiting my pond.

In short I know I would not have been able to say those things if I had started out with larger fish and not experienced and grown with my pond. I sort of liken it to why women go 9 months before birth, they ( males too ) for the most part need the time to learn to become parents. I think the time it takes to get to the larger fish is more than time well spent it is the journey that makes the end worth while. I think if you dont take the journey you cheat yourself out of the best part of the pond.

For my $0.02 that is the true ZEN of pond/eco system building.