The info below is a copy and paste of an older post of mine detailing my experiences with fertilizer:
Pond is 1 acre and is a hole in the ground, not fed by anyones drainage, it is fed by well water and rain water. Pond holds water real good and filled up quickly.
February 2003
Add 800 Bluegill and 200 Shellcracker, start fertilizer program with granular fertilizer, no problem getting or maintaining the bloom.
June 2003
Add 100 1 inch Bass from hatchery. Start training fish to feed on fish chow, by early summer Bluegill are feeding well.
Late fall early winter of same year have a small fish kill consisting of very small fish "fry" found dead. Otherwise very pleased with Bluegill and Bass growth.
Spring 2004
Install Vertex Diffuser system figuring that last falls fish kill is turnover related. Start fertilizer program again. Maintain a good bloom, all is well. On July 3rd, 2005 catch and keep 75 medium sized Bluegill, they are very healthy and bite well, on July 5th, after several cloudy days in a row, I have a small fish kill(DO related) that kills 15 of my best Bass. Discontinue fertilizing program. End up the year with no more fish kills and fish are growing good, all is well.
Spring 2005
Early February during the first good warm up I catch some Bass, the seem to be biting well and healthy except they have red lips, Search Pond Boss to learn that I should not have ran my diffusers all winter, turn them off till April, all is well red lips heal up quickly, just added undue stress for my Bass.
Get a late start due to colder than usual temps and begin fertiziing program again, determined to do it right this time, Early March start fertilizing with liquid fertilizer this time. That goes good, start and maintian a good bloom. I watch this bloom with much dilligence. Use boat, trolling motor, and schechi dish to keep bloom at proper levels, (fuzzy at 18 inces , completely vanishing at 24 inces). In June I fish and catch some happy, healthy Blugill and again keep 45. A week or so latter news of cloudy weather and rain that's remnants of a hurricane headed this way, oh shit! Get schechi disk in hand, check's out same as above 18 fuzzy - 24 inch vanishing schechi disk, can't convince myself to add any more fertilizer so I'm going to ride the storm out. On the fourth day of cloudy weather my bloom crashed hard, vanished and killed 100-130 on my best Bluegill. Discontinue fertilizer program.
I'v left out the introduction of Tilapia on May 30, 2005. They survived the DO crash and are doing well. They have spawned many times and my Bass are much thicker than they used to be after just 2 months of adding the Tilapia. On the other hand I had cut way back on my feeding hopeing the Tilapia would eat up all the Algea, they have done a good job controling it but I still have some around the shallow areas. I have recently started back feeding every other day.
I never had an Algea problem till this year, I had some very small areas of Algea all winter and early spring, I think maybe this was caused by running the areators all winter???, anyway I fertilized again as stated this spring even thought I had the small areas of Algea and that helped it grow even more, ofcourse.
So as of now I'm back to feeding the Bluegill regularly and not fertilizing due to the Algea I have in the shallow areas.
Since makeing this post earlier in the year, my lastest observations are:
Tilapia have done a gret job of reduceing my alge levels around the edge of the pond, they have also fed many bass with their offspring. I maintained a weak bloom the rest of the summer even after adding no more fertilizer.
Next spring will be a big decision time for me! If I have no Algea visible when the water gets to 60 degrees I may introduce a bloom with water soluable fertilizer then back way off and not fertilize much the rest of the summer unless the water gets real clear.
Or: I may not fertilize at all but will definitly keep feeding fish chow and add Tilapia.
Tilapia will definitely be added either way!
