Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fish Disapearance?

Is it possible for 2,400 fish in an acre pond to die and sink to the bottom. I always assumed fish die and float, or sink and build up gasses then float. Im getting nervous. Here in south georgia it is plenty warm enough for fish to feed and be taken on rod and reel but I can't accomplish either so far. I fed them in fall before cold weather. The population consists of 1,500 HBG and 900 CC. Anybody have any ideas on what could or could be happening?

It sounds like you might have gotten some pretty strong stocking recommendations.

2,400 fish in an acre sounds like some possibly suspect advice. Where did you buy the fish?

At any rate, I doubt you would have had a total fish kill, but with those higher stocking numbers, you might have needed to have aeration, and could have been subject to failing water quality.

What size were the fish that were stocked, and what technique are you using to try and catch them?

Usually fish sink first and then come to the surface later after gas builds up from decomposition. However some fish never come to the surface. My WAG is those fish rupture and release the gases before they float up. Some species are more prone to float then others. Trout are more prone to stay on the bottom than other species. They are a denser fish flesh wise.

I agree with Cecil. I have seen some fish dead on the bottom that never do rise to the top, even after a few weeks. Then there are others that pop right up.

Oilman,

I too have a 1 acre pond and there are times I been out there and swear I have no fish left! I am beginning to realize that these small ponds have a lot of charecteristics of bigger lakes as well. Yes there are times where it's easier to catch fish in a one acre pond, but all the fish still react to cold fronts, barametric pressure, full moom phases and all of that. Example. Last week here in Arkanas we were having low temps in the lower 50's. Then all of a sudden on Friday the low by my pond was 42. I fished most of that day on my pond and only caught 2 decent LMB. My point is, is fish are effected by a lot of things when it comes to feeding. Now with that said I have always been told stocking rates for a 1 acre pond should be around 1000 CNB and 100 LMB if you fertilize and if you don't fertilize these numbers should be cut in half. I am not sure about CC stock rates. I agree with the guys above you may have gotten just a few to many fish in that pond. It is weird that you haven't caught anything though???

Are we to assume it is a new pond? HOw big were the fish when stocked? Were fish eating pellets well before winter? I repeat Sunil's question: Where did you buy the fish. Stocking density was unusually high especially if pond did not have bottom aeration.

They were 4 to 5 inches for HBG and 6 to 8 for CC. The high stocking rate is based on I dont plan to keep them in there that long. It will primarily be a fish out pond for school and church fundraisers, Boy Scouts. I figure having 40-50 people fishing there 4 or 5 times this summer might reduce the numbers. That is why I stocked the HBG and CC's at fairly advanced sizes. They are easy to catch and don't take long to be big enough for young fishermen.I have bought the larger pond next door to me that I spoke of on another thread (Bar Pits) and plan to stock it in a more conventional manner with BG, CC, and LMB. Apparently my worry was unfounded, as it turns out my fish just don't like me or my fish food! They do however, like bugs on the water surface. I watch them feast at night about 20 minutes before dark. By the way, the HBG-CC pond is deep and was advised by the local Vertex rep to go with a diffuser for aeration needs. I will be adding it soon, in strict accordance to his instruction of course.

Sorry Sunil and Bill. I bought the CC from local guy and HBG from Kens. I know Ken's salesmenship has been discussed on this forum as well as other sites many times. I can assure Kens has no idea how big my pond is or what rate I stocked at becouse I never discussed it with them. I simply buy my fish and leave. They have a product I like and have been using for 10 years with success. They advised my father years back that one needed 5,000 HBG and 500 LMB per acre! And those numbers where to be maintained for 4-5 years, killed or caught, then restocked. That's the day I stopped taking the advice and just took my fish and hauled tail. I just have a pond and some extra money to play with so I thought I'd experiment. I can do dumb stuff all by myself. I don't need Kens help! I am an addict, I love the high of stocking day. That's why I read this forum, it's like my Pond Boss intervention. Sorry if I sounded touchy and defensive, I just had a hunch at what was headed my way when I wrote "KENS".

No need to apologize. I don't know about Sunil and Bill but I didn't get that drift in your posts. I'm sure like me, they are just glad it's working out for you.

Personally I was skeptical that many fish and all of them could disappear without a trace.

No need for any kind of apologies on my end! An educated buyer is best ingredient for a win-win situation.

Glad to hear the fish are back on the job!

Dont know what kind of feed you are using. It has been written that 32% is good enough for CC. But, if you have the extra money, you will be way ahead of the game to order some Purina Aquamax 500 and 600 from the local dealer. They will like it much better that catfish food.

A piece of weiner fished under the feed always gave good results on my uncle's CC pond years ago.

OK, I am getting frustrated to the point of tears almost. It's mid May and I've yet to catch a single fish or see them eat any food. What I thought was fish eating bugs on surface was actually bubbles rising to top of water. This bubbling has increased to the point that at any given time I can see bubbles from bursting every few seconds. I assumed this was trapped air escaping from when the pond was dug but it now seems to be too much to be that. Does anyone know what this could be? Could it have killed my fish and me not ever see them dead? The only fish I have seen with my own eyes were two bream that had followed my bait to the shore as I reeled it in. This is really starting to make me nervous as I assumed I'd be catching fish by now. Does anyone know what this bubbling could be caused by? There is no smell to it either.

How long ago did you see the fish following the lure? For that high of a stocking rate, I'd have your concerns as well.

How old is the pond, and was anything in there before you stocked it?

At the very least I'd take a floating minnow bucket, toss some Fatheads and shiners in it and see how long they last in the pond. FHM are hardier than the shiners.

I saw these fish on separate days a couple weeks ago. One followed a yellow rooster tail and the other was nibbling on a cricket. The pond is almost a year old now. Fish were eating food, sparingly, up until winter last year. I just assumed if that many fish died I'd at least see one or two float up. I have had a pond that "turned over" before. I saw more fish than I would have ever imagined float up. This pond is at my house. I see it everytime I leave or return home so I couldnt have missed a massive fish kill. I put 5000 gambusias in last fall and over a few weeks they all disapeared. I assumed the HBG ate them because at the time there was no cover. I am just wondering if there is anybody out there who has heard of that many fish dieing in a small pond without any being seen?

Do you have an alligator secretly living in your pond?

Seriously, that is a really odd sounding scenario and I can appreciate your frustration. That would be driving me nuts. Have you had your water sampled? Are there any factors you can't account for like trespassers fishing at night or wildlife such as otters or other fish eaters? How about getting an electrofishing survey done?

I'm not making light of your situation nor am I discounting the possibility that something bad did happen to your fish but, I know I've been through spooky times with our pond thinking that there was nothing left alive in it. No signs of fish activity, weeks without a single bite...turns out that the fish just weren't interested in feeding on the days/times that I was fishing. They are all there and breeding and starting to bite again just like normal.

Here in GA, we're in spawn for a lot of species - they spawn over a period of many weeks so, the early spawners are back to biting and the late spawners won't bite anything you throw at them.

Maybe they are just exhibiting a preference for sex over food at the moment. Happens to critters every year - sometimes even the 2-legged variety.