OK, here's where I am at today... First, I need to thank Meadowlark for stickin' out his neck, by my request, and kinda buckin' the status quo. He's my friend and I respect his experience and opinion. I have to admit, tho, that I am strongly leaning toward the SMB/YP/RES opening act. I like the idea that some other options may be available down the road; like BG and HSB and/or LMB. I think that the opening act noted gets me started where I think I want my goals to be. The subsequent options are a bonus, should they ever be required or acted upon. This includes introduction of robo-fish-LMB. The spec's Ewest posted above, along with Dr Dave's and Bill Cody's valuable experience and opinion, give me some comfort that I have sincere hope in spurring a SMB spawn. It sounds like the cribs and the saucers I installed are right at the correct depths, ranging from 2' to 7'. I am still banking on the saucers, so there will be some additional landscaping around each unit. Their spacing seems to go along with Bill's experience that SMB like a little separation. I am going to add the snow-fence curtains around each, and at least one double-basketball sized rock at each one. I am scheming to come up with some kinda slip-shod treated lumber or PVC structure thing, too. This would be designed to meet the "log" zoning requirement that Ewest notes. I appreciate the simplicity of a log, but I want structure longevity. Ya know, I still have a bunch of that 6" PVC pipe from my E-bay purchase for the pond drain. Maybe I cut that stuff up into 3 ft sections and bury 1 ft into the bank like a pipe organ...? Hmmmm....maybe 2 of 'em, side-by-side? OK, now the rock. I have gotten preliminary approval from the boss to spend the bux on a tri-axle load of rock (I keep pushin' her red cow-girl boots further down the priority list...I'm runnin' outta paper). I think I see this 24 ton load over at the other end of the pond, between the dam and the beach pier. I see this because the slope is a little flatter and I don't have squat for structure on that end of the pond. I know the driver that they are going to send. He's a young kid, heart of gold and hard worker, but not real good at splitting loads. I will be lucky to get him to drop it in 3 separate piles. I'm thinkin' that if somehow we have a really good day and the load is sliding right, maybe I can conserve a couple of tons and have him drop it over the edge at the cribs on the way out. I think I want to concentrate of the dam-beach zone first, tho. Oh yeah, the saucers. I'm gonna put in 1-1/2" river rock. No sand or soil...just the rock. It will provide the aeration and circulation you guys say is necessary for egg survival. Right?
