Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations New Pond in Ohio - seek advice

Scott:

Since we have have tens of thousands of posts by thousands of members, I can't say it has never happened. But you may be the first to complain that you can't figure out how to spend enough money on a pond.

Seriously, I think around that $150 minimum wrt every actual and potential fish order myself. IMHO you will revise next year's order in your head more than once before you make it. I have personally revised a stocking plan for a pond I don't even have yet three times in the same day. If no other solution presents itself, you could bump up the size of some of the fish one notch to make it over $150. I think with a full year head start, the forage fish will be able to handle some predators larger than the smallest size.

As far as feeding goes: I feed regularly, but I do not have an automatic feeder. If one lives at or close to a small pond, the expense of feeders is not IMO necessary to enjoy many or all of the benefits feeding brings into the pond management equation. I am not sure from my reading of your posts whether or not you live at the pond, but it IS small enough to hand feed, I believe.

There are certainly benefits to using automatic feeders, and there are great, reliable feeders made and sold by outstanding people who post on the forum and advertise in PB magazine. God bless them, because it would be virtually impossible to handfeed large ponds (think of the workforce it would take to handfeed Richmond Mills !), or ponds that you can only visit on weekends, or if you work some weird shift hours on your day job (which most of us need to support our Ponditis affliction). But to feed a small pond and see if you will enjoy it and find it as relaxing and soul satisfying as I do (I got interrupted in the middle of watching the fish eat last night and it may have been the last straw that ruined my mood for the whole evening), all you need is a $15 or $20 bag of feed and 10-20 minutes time. If you stock CC and HSB next year, you should have two species that will take to the feed PDQ; give handfeeding a try.

Your ponditis may require a bigger budget as you discover the need for automatic feeding 'round the clock!