Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations how to stock RBT

i think everything is ready to go for the RBT to get introduced to the pond.
the hatchery said their water temp is 58 degrees, my pond is mid-60s.

when the fish are delivered, how should i best introduce them to the pond water?
the hatchery guy said just throw one in, you'll know in a few minutes if it is okay.
not sure what to do then if the fish is 'not' okay?

would it be wise to mix pond water into a bucket to let the fish ease their way through the transition to the new pond?

anyways i would appreciate your thoughts, really excited to stock the fish, really want to ensure their success.

thanks, adam

You have understood the main idea - do not let that fish feel uncomfortable. When you bring some fish to pond (lets say that you carry them in a bucket) then compare temperatures. A scientist once released brown trouts in a river and he said that fish needs 1 minute per 1 degree (Celsius) to get used to the new life.
I mean that he added some river water and waited a bit. Then added some additional water and another minute of waiting until temperatures were equal.
[In case something's wrong and your fish are suffering from lack of oxygen during transportation process, you better release them immediately. Fish might get some temperature shock but at least they will get enough oxygen.]
After releasing fish might get confused and don't be surprised if your trout shows no will to swim away. It needs some time.

Some wise guy once said that he never releases trouts that seem to be feeling bad. Some other fish may recover but trouts are more sensitive and they probably will die.
I don't know about scientific proof of this - do it or not on your own risk.

By the way, a video about releasing small brown trouts (http://www.nomad.lv/?p=4826). It's in Latvian but the language isn't that important. Simply watch and see how this guy does releasing (from about 16:30) - add a bit water, wait and do it again.

I am new to the site. wouid like to stock a pond , my concern is water quality. where could I send sample to be tested. there is a decent amount of fathead minnows in the pond and they have been there for years . they seem to do fine so i am not sure if water quality is a issue.

thanks for the link Grundulis!
if a picture is worth a thousand words then how much is a video?
looked great seeing the kids mixing river water into the buckets with the fish.
i now feel fully confident to put the RBT in the pond, tomorrow!
beautiful river that was in Latvia too, thanks for sharing.
adam

Adam, I hope your fish will feel OK and will grow healthy

Jeffs, I will share my opinion. Usually water quality is not an issue except special occasions. You better worry about other parameters of your pond. For example, if you'll stock fish in a shallow pond then it might freeze till bottom during cold winter. If it's too deep then average water temperature won't get high enough and so on...
That's only my opinion and I hope that other guys will comment this.