Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Maintenace free/low maintenance HSB pond

Is it possible to have a low maintenance pond with HSB?

If so what would that look like in a 3/4 acre pond in northern Alabama?

When you say low maintenance, what is your definition of that?

I'd like to create a food chain cycle and avoid manual feeding, but like some of my other posts mention I want to stay away from the bluegill.

build a large forage base for them to feed them selves.

start at the bottom.
shrimp
crayfish
BNM and FHM
several differant types of shiners
TFS possibly

once you can walk across the water on bait fish stock your HSB....
thats just my idea...Im not a pro, just sharing my opinion

BRice has a good recipe. Since the HSB do not reproduce you should then be able to have fairly good control of the amount of fish they consume and better able to maintain a reproducing forage base. Keep in mind that as HSB grow they will eat more fish or larger fish per year so you will likely have to occasionally reduce the number of predators. Regularly monitor the density of the forage fish.

Nathad, someone more experienced and intelligent should respond shortly but FWIW here's my 2 cents.
When I was developing my pond I put in #10 of unsorted(consequently ended up with some CF, not really sure what kind or how many) FH. Then added YP, WE, and 40 HSB. You'll probably get a chuckle from this but I suffer from the "I think I know better" syndrome we all have from about the age of 5. My pond is only about 1/4 acre. Needless ta say but I will, the HSB eliminated ALL the slow, dumb(which was ALL of them) FH in a matter of weeks. Immediately called and whined to Dr Perca and was told "I wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer" and then advised to add some plants and then SPS and BNM. and to remove around 30 HBS. I did and those forage species have spawned and thrived.
It's not hard if ya know what yer doin or listen to someone who actually does.
If this advice has already been posted, please excuse me as it took several hrs for me to complete this response. I am very busy and had to squeeze this in between lunch, Jerry Springer, Dr Phill, Judge Judy and re-baiting the minnow trap.
Good luck, Busy Bob-O

If you wanted a couple different catchable species, Hybrid Striped Bass and Hybrid Crappie using golden shiners, fathead/bluntnose minnow Redear Sunfish and yellow perch would be very near maintenance free, replacing any HSB and HBC removed, when needed.

+1 for adding the RES, especially if you will be swimming in the pond.

RES when spawning will bump swimmers who wade in the beach area among the spawning nests.

My tilapia in my pond were nibbleing my back while I was in the pond doing some work. One even was tugging on a flap hanging from my trunks...

They have eaten evey little bit of every thing and are hungry.

this is off topic , but I went from manually removing FA in the spring to having to feed them as I see some that are looking skinny becuase they have eaten all the natural food the pond offers. (This is my forage pond with no predators)

Would HSB and RES be a working food chain? I believe I understand the RES to not be fast enough reproducers for a LMB pond, but since the numbers of the HSB would be defined, thought the RES might work for them.

Please correct me if I am wrong about RES not being a strong enough food supply for LMB or even SMB as that was a route I had hoped to go initially.


Thanks for all the advice and ides thus far!

If you don't use too may HSB per number of RES then that is a workable stocking combination. Add and remove HAB based on numbers of small 1"-4" RES that are present. It would probably be a good idea to let the RES spawn at least once before adding any HSB. Adding golden shiners may allow one to stock a few more HSB per acre. The main problem that I see with the RES-HSB combo is a pond may not produce enough mollusks and favored invertebrates to grow lots of big RES.

Unfortunately in my pond I may have a RES, HSB, and GOLDFISH pond. I have FHM but my limited number of put and take perch have taken them out (started with 100 perch in 1/3 acre pond). So I'm left with controlling perch population with angling or predation, removing eggs if possible, lots of GSH and fry as a forage option, and by next spring a scenario where there will be nearly unlimited number of goldfish. RES are in low numbers and no spawn yet after stocking 1.5" size. Next year when I decide on my apex predator I'll have to keep in mind that they need to like GSH and goldfish too

I'd love to see folks do a GSH, FHM, RES (or low output sunfish like pumpkinseed) and use HSB as the apex predator either in a southern or northern pond.

I do have a month or two in the fall when the spring stocked tilapia have lots of babies which will fill in a little niche for additional forage but by November they disappear.

Your southern pond probably has a little different spin on things.

If you could hand feed your RES the OPTIMAL brand fish food, then the snail shortage may be solved.