Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Alternative to FHM

as a follow up to this thread...
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=280246&page=1

I am planting the below fish from a suggestion in the previous thread, as it was warned the FHM would not last more than a few days or weeks with the current population of fish in the pond. Does any one have any esxperiance with these alternatives in southern or coastal regions?

Gulf Coast killi fish AKA Mud Minnow/Top Minnow/Cocahoe Minnow
(Fundulus grandis)
http://www.thejump.net/id/cocahoe-minnow.htm

and the

Sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus
http://www.aqua.org/animals_sheepsheadminnow.html

I have been able to catch them by putting a minnow trap in a local creek that is pretty full of them.

I have no experience with Gulf Coast killies, but they are from the same genus as banded killies and mummichogs, which I do have experience with. They most likely have similar predation resistant. If given suitable spawning areas with vegetation and shallow areas to take refuge, they may do well. I suspect they would do far better than FHM.

Sheepshead minnows are very pugnacious. So aggressive that is almost impossible to keep any other species with them in an aquarium. They are are mostly a brackish water fish, but can adapt to freshwater. They do not get very large, only about 3" but are more rounded than FHM, so probably would be about the same equivalent as a snack. They are fractional spawners meaning they spawn throughout the warmer months, for you in FL that may mean year round. How they would handle predation in a smaller pond, I am really not sure. I suspect if you had a lot of vegetation and shallow areas, they would have a far better chance than FHM.

Several sandy flats that are shallow, working on adding the vigitation refuge....In fact adding the cages this weekend and planting lillies and eel grass in them. I have the plants potted in peat moss pots and will simply plant the entire pot, being peat moss it will just decay leaving the roots free to spread.

They are very quick swimmers and I agree better at avoiding oredation than the FHM. Best for adding to a pond that has things wanting to eat them (Lots of HBG), thanks for the advice. I would have only been feeding the FHM with no chance of reproduction.

I will continue to add them as I catch them on my minnow trap, I am getting about a dozen or so each time I check it. I have close to 100 minnows now rady to palnt. Thing is, nothing in the pond right now really big enough to eat them with the exeoption of the one redfish. This I think gives them a good chance even though I am stocking relatively low numbers of them at one given time.