Am I ready to start early stocking FHM? I have seeded from recomendations found in forum from Carolina Biological Supply a few weeks ago. Current level is from 4 recent rains. Total pool will be around 1.25 acres.
My concern is forage level for FHM...but willing to feed to establish.
Any other comments welcome.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/g6ksak758ighwx1/IMG_20130412_142923_173.jpg Farthest point from dam.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ohgsig4t4itk6tx/IMG_20130412_140332_529.jpgCurrent water level.
I don't think it's ever too early to throw in a pound or 2 of FHM as long as you have water. Now it's time to start placing cover in the pond basin before it fills up.
For ideas, there is a great thread in the archives.
Thanks for your response.
Arkansas Pond Stockers will be in my local area on Tuesday and I was planning on adding 300 to 500 FHM as a starting point.
I have about 10-12 old tires and plan to build 3 structures by bundling together. One vertical stack, One horizontal stack, and one triangle configuration. Each filled with gravel for bedding. Placing these in the upper end of pond along with the stumps left and adding a few cedar trees is my current plan.
Please... Hand sort any FHM bought from them and for that matter most other suppliers.
There have been so many instances of stock contamination and those FHM end up having some GSF, BG and others mixed in. Then you end up messing your pond up long before you get any of your game fish in.
Thanks for the heads up!
They just happen to be one I found coming close by the area. If any locals have any suggestions of a quality hatchery suppling the West GA area please let me know.
Either way I will sort thru them before the release.
Also make sure you actually get the amount that you paid for. A few years ago I paid for 10# and only got 8# when buying from them.
If I lived in Ga. I would be calling Greg Grimes to see if I could get on a delivery schedule.
http://lakework.com/
I have spoken with them and will try to do business with them also. I like supporting locals.
Delivery is the main issue since I live on the opposite side of GA from them delivery kills me.
I am considering them for stocking when pond is at full pool.
You can certainly stock the minnows now. Fatheads could stay alive in a nuclear waste dump. As you have stated, there's nothing for them to eat in a muddy pond. Buy some Purina Game Fish Feed. It has plenty of protein for minnows.
Yeah I was beginning to wonder just how much protein that Georgia red clay silt contained. Any idea how much food per hundred or pound of FHM they need? About a cup? every couple of days sound anywhere close?
My rule is to feed fish until they lose interest. The fatheads will gang up on a pellet and nibble until it's gone. The trick is to figure out where the fish want to hang out and be fed. They don't go to the most convenient place for you.
BTW, hunt up some pallets and weight them down is shallow water. They will lay eggs on the underside of the boards.
Thanks for the pallet suggestion as a spawning area for the FHM. I aquired some nice ones today and sunk into several shallow areas of the pond.
1 had a solid plywood top so I attached atop a slatted pallet and sunk making a double stack spawning condo.
Now all they need is some dim light & some music and its a 70's free love Woodstock pallet. :-)
The biggest problem is keeping the love nest in shallow water when whopping rains hit.
If a person where to take a 2' square pc of plywood and toss it in the pond, would the FHM be able to use it. Would it bother them that it floats wherever the wind blows it?
Leaving it float into deeper water makes the Male that is guarding the eggs an easy target....
I had that same thought when I put in the solid plywood top pallet... it wanted to float.
I guess you could anchor so it could only float within a certain area and then reposition anchor as the water rises to keep in shallow waters.
As long as the riff from the water was not to turbulant.
Put a cinder block on it. They will also spawn on the block.
Yes, my thought is to put a leash on it.
However, most folks stocking FHM have no predators in the pond when doing so. In this case, would turtles and snakes still be a problem to it floating out in deep water? Still makes me wonder if the FHM would not use it because everyday their environment would change. That is, one day on the north shore, the next on the east shore, etc....
edit-
I know it isn't hard to just weight it down and keep it simple. The notion of changing water levels had me wondering how to cope with it. Is it better to let the water levels change around the spawning surface, or keep it at a constant level and let it move around.
I'm a Rookie on here but my first thoughts are that since the male FHM guards the eggs, I would assume that keeping it in a relatively confined area would be better.
That little guy is going to be like a Mom chasing her kids at the playground if its a several acre pond.
Not to mention the whole family might float over the Big Daddy Bass home like an ordurve platter.
Without predators you will be shocked at how quickly the fatheads multiply, you may lose some to turtles/snakes/birds but nowhere near enough to make a dent in the population.
I kept my pallets weighted down with rocks and cinderblocks.
You could always tie a rope to the plywood and the other end to the cinderblock......
That way they wouldn't have to chase the eggs so far depending on the length of rope.
FYI Caleb will be delivrying out I 20 west to Bowdon area next week. He is going to Wallace Feed store to meet a couple of clients there. If you want us to bring some FHM let Caleb know. caleb@lakework.com. We have a $100 minimum order. He can get you fertilizer etc at the same time if that interest you. Also Wallace feed store started carrying our fertilizer and has the Purina products in stock.
Greg,
Wallace is the closest local place in West Georgia where I was able to find Lime and Fertilizer. Thanks for the information.
After watching a solid top pallet float around the pond for a couple of days (it got away from me upon placement..) I retract my thoughts that the male would have to chase it around continuously.
It floats at such a slow pace you have to watch it for an hour to see it move a few feet even on a windy day. I'm not sure how smaller structures would react.
.........your on the way!!!!!!!!
Goodwin Conserv., the fish in the video are golden shiners spawning, not fathead minnows, FYI.
Yeah I figured that out afterwards.
Even though FHM was what I purchased it was not what I recieved. I'm learning ...so this education was learned the hard way.
Seems as though a hatchery and ethics are not always what they are perceived.
I will be more careful when stocking the BG, LMB and CC.
The farm supply was happy to aknowledge and take care of me due to the mistake...said the hatchery was to call me back...never heard a thing from them.
So looks like what could have been a long standing relationship will be a very short lived one.
GSH are not a bad species to have in your pond depending on the goals you have...
From reading here on Pond Boss I realize it's not the end of the world and all will be ok. But I like getting what I expect when I make a purchase. My request was for FHM my receipt said FHM in my container was GSH. But lesson learned to inspect next time.
In other news: I did not feel as bad when I saw the first Crane ever on my property who flew off when I pulled up today. Obviously he had helped himself to a few of them. LOL :-)
As a note, I added a few pounds of FHM to my brand new pond in the fall of '11. Without feeding I have a bazillion of them now! Since they feed on microscopic life for the most part, your pond is likely already loaded with food for them unless the water is very clean. It doesn't hurt to help them along though.
Luckily I am blessed with a lot of rocks I have been tossing in over the past year or so in heaps for good spawning sites. Lots of flats set on rounds and small piles of rounds. Pallets look darned ugly when the water lowers in the summer, so I yanked them.
I added a cedar tree recently and they flocked to it. It always has movement going on in there.