I messed up with my bluegill production pond this year. I should have drained it just before I refilled it and fertilized it to prevent any macrophytes from getting started robbing nutrients needed for the algae bloom.

Anyway I have gin clear water with macrophytes on the bottom. :-( Even with weekly fertilization the water stays gin clear so apparently the macrophytes are using up all the nutrients. No problem with low alkalinity here as the alkalinity is well over 300 ppm.

So the question is what should I do? Accept that bluegill survival may be really low this year hence fewer fish, or drain, remove the broodfish, and let the pond dry a few days to kill macrophytes, and then refill, restock with broodfish, and fertilize again to get an algae bloom going.

One thing in my favor for the latter option is I did not get reproduction until July last year and I am only seeing on and off bedding. And I'm pretty sure I would get a second spawn even if there was already one.

Thoughts?

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/19/09 11:06 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.