All the fish I've stocked in my main pond have come from Dr. Frankendello, AKA Dr. Condellostein, et al. I've never had to worry about ANYTHING - nutrition, genetics, whether they were pellet trained...as I already knew well Bruce's processes and that he was the ultra trusted source. Done deal. I'm a spoiled pondmeister.

I will be stocking 500 1-3" RES next weekend and thought it might be a good idea to contact the hatchery prior to picking them up to perform a little research. However, when I thought about what questions to pose the hatchery, I was empty handed. I would like a good list of questions to pose to the hatchery and am hoping some of you can help me compile one.

Thanks in advance.

I guess Bruce neglected to mention the plutonium. Oh, well, what you don't know ...


TJ, I don't know how to be sure to get straight answers on these questions (although I'll give an idea below), but here are a few things you will want to know:

Are these RES from around here, or hauled in from elsewhere (read Arkansas)? (Are they used to Nebraska Winters?)

Are they out of a rearing pond with other species? (We have seen cases where the fish guy normally sold a BG/RES mix, so there was a chance BG would be in a RES order. Other species might get mixed in as well.)

Have you had any contamination of you fish ponds/tanks with rough fish?

What is your replacement policy if many/most/all of these fish die after they go in my pond?

Here's my idea: Once you know who you are thinking of dealing with, if a search of the forum yields no recent info on their performance, post who you are looking at and ask for (PM) comments. Good hatchery experiences, I think everyone would be happy to share. In the case of bad experiences, some of the nicer or more cautious forum members may be hesitant to open post their problems. But I bet anyone would PM you their bad experiences for a heads up.

Good luck with those Redears; don't tick them off.

How old are the fish ?

How long have you had the broodstock and where are they from ?

What have they been eating ?

What is or has been in the pond with them ?

Any water quality problems ?

Who has bought RES from you (same brood stock) ?

Great questions Theo and Ewest - thank you. I will keep these on hand for future reference. Hope this helps some other hatchery newbies too!

Is the hatchery delivering, or are you picking up?

Actually here's the deal: A country store, like a Tractor Supply called Orshleins in Lincoln gets fish three times a year. They are sourced from a hatchery in Arkansas. Unfortunately this is one of the only places locally to get RES so I was going to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm calling them today to pose some of your questions and will report back.

Ye 'ole fish truck.

Keep your expectations low.

You still might hit a home run, but just keep expectations in check.

That fish truck must really make the rounds! The store that I picked up my AquaMax at also has a fish truck from Arkansas stop by. I believe it's the 2nd weekend in April.

In all fairness, Arkansas probably has more than one truck.

Ye olde fish wagon - classic. Sigh....Well, I was following a recommendation from Bruce, so I'm holding onto that!

Perhaps I should contact some other Redear hatcheries in NE and see what I can accomplish.

If Brucille knows about it, it is most likely good to go.

Arkansas Pond Stockers....Mike Denton. Anyone's bells ringing for better or worse?

I honestly could give two hoots whether I ship them in or pick them up - I even have some tolerance for price increases...I just want HEALTHY and EVIL RES!

Bruce or Shorty - check in here.

I would not put Ark RES in a Neb pond. I would only buy fish off the fish truck if I had no other choice. Bruce and Shorty found RES from a Neb or Iowa hatchery that were home grown.


Matt Clark


Bruce:

Got my RES from Kloubec's as they do a fish route spring and fall around here (I'm only 30 miles from them). Last spring, they only had smaller ones (1.5-2.5") instead of the the 3-4" fish I wanted. They claimed it was because of a poor spawn in the hatchery. Took that to mean their own hatchery...not a southern one. Seemed like pretty decent people to work with. Kloubec\'s fish farm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

by Bruce


Well, I was sittin' at work...

and I was, like "I should call that Kloubecs's in Iowa".

so I called 'em and they were, like "we've got redears".

so I was, like "really"?

and he was like, "really"!

so I asked where and when and he was like, "Crete, Nebraska in March".

and I was, like "Dude"!

and he was, like "Dude"!

so I was, like "I'm there"!

and he was, like "O.K."!

So I guess I've got a pretty serious lead. They're even raised from Iowa broodstock.

"Sweet"

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=13712&fpart=2




another one
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=80185&fpart=1

I like totally understood that last post, Dude that was most awesome. I'm usually like, Dude turn the volume down on your verbage, all those syllables are most heinous.

Now lets go catch some tasty waves.

And cool Heybuds?