Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations catfish feeding

I have been feeding my cats off and on the past year, they were easy to train and they would eat alot. Even after 2 weeks off they would come back quickly. Then i tried something different, i started using "net profit" fish food instead of dogfood, yes dogfood. They didnt feed as agressively or as long. Then they stoped feeding all together, it seems now that they are still there but they have learned to feed off the bluegill that also come arround at feeding time. I think this because i can still see big swirls and they stir up dirt from the bottom, also the bg are alway scattering while feeding, some ever jump out of the water. Is this common? The fish food smells different, i know its higher in protein and better for them but was i spoiling them flavor wise with ol roy.The fish food is smaller also. In the begining the bluegill would stay arround only until the cats showed up, does this make sense, help!

Predators taking advantage of forage fish while the latter are busy at the feeding station is pretty common. I know my LMB and other folks' LMB do it; catfish doing the same doesn't surprise me too much. Some of my cats may be doing it now, though most just eat pellets. I get BG and GShiners scattering every time I feed and they get chased out of the water probably 2/3 of the time.

Three possibilities I can think of to get your cats eating real fish food: 1) give 'em time to learn to like it, 2) gradually switch over from what they're used to to what you want them to eat, or 3) try a different kind of fish food - there may be a brand they like better.

I had been using cheep dog food (mini nuggets)for several years, and this year the cats just lost interest. Some of the BG would peck at it, but nothing spectacular. $15 / 40 lbs. I guess not so cheep.

Anyway, I switched about a month ago to Aquamax which is made for farm raised catfish and tilapia. I get a spectacular feeding frenzy everytime I feed. The cats are up in force, and I mean all of the cats, even the big boys. I noticed the smell of the feed. It's slightly fishy. Aquamax works for me...