Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations fish hatching time???

Can someone please tell me about when the fish eggs should hatch in my pond. My water has already dropped about 3-4 inches in the last couple of weeks and i'm worried that it'll drop below where the bass and coppernose eggs are laid before they have time to hatch out. Last year it got pretty low and this year when it gets low again i'm gonna have the top soil that i allowed to wash in when the pond was new dug out with a trackhoe and raise my spillway and overflow pipe and get about 2 more feet of depth out of it. i just hope the eggs will hatch before the water drops too much. Thanks for any help.

I can't remember the exact number, but LMB and sunfish eggs should hatch within 7-10 days after being fertilized (length of time varies with the water temperature).

I would not worry about your loss of 3"-4" in two weeks dropping below nest sites in 2'-3' (or more, for LMB) of water during the hatching interval. IF you have prepared, fixed location nesting sites (e.g. pea gravel in tires, or the like) and those are the ONLY suitable nest sites in the pond, I could see where the water loss could overrun them. But otherwise I think nesting male LMB & BG would start at their preferred depths below the current water level, giving enough headroom for the eggs during the hatching interval.

THEO WHERE IN OHIO ARE YOU FROM IM AROUND TAPPAN LAKE,IF YOU WOULD TELL ME ABOUT YOUR POND.

Hi HOSTY,

I'm from 2 miles South of Granville - that's 35 miles East of Columbus.

The "true confessions" about my pond can be found, mostly in the 2nd and 3rd posts I made, in this thread: Theo talks about his pond and learns about alkalinity and hardness from the Pros

Keven,

I wouldn't worry. The eggs weren't that shallo to start with. I'd be more concerned about that track-hoe operation stirring all that mud in your water. If you have the option, you might want to consider raising your dam height and avoiding broiling up the water. Generally, it is cheaper and you might even be able to expand your pond in the process. I've done it that way myself.