Ok, the barramundi have been in the pond for 2 1/2 months now. I now see baramundi every day, probably conservative count of 50 or 60, the largest is about 3". They are now the same size as the smallest tilapia, the tilapia were 1 1/2" when the barramundi were stocked at 1". They seem to eat every living thing except water sliders and their eggs. I have no tadpoles, dragon flies or any fish fry. Before stocking I had up to a 1000 tadpoles every 6 weeks or so and fry every week. The barramundi are also eating pellets, or at least trying. They patrol in small groups of 4 to 10 and are extremely fast. They are mingling with the other fish at feeding time so when they become large enough to eat the others they will know where to go.
I have a question, now that the barramundi have wiped out several generations of other species, when will the other species fry start to survive and create the food chain?
A poacher has upset the balance in the pond, first by taking the largest tilapia and now the fingerlings, so I am planning on stocking many more tilapia in the next week or so in an effort to return the balance and provide additional food for the growing barramundi.
I read that out of a hundred small bass stocked only two would see the end of their first year and second all of my tilapia are sold as 99% male. With that in mind I am over doing the stocking. It will be another three months at least before I will be living at the pond site. So I must also plan for the poacher(s).
