Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose summer stocking

Our pond filled up on June 27th. 2 tons of lime was put in on June 20th. Water test was taken July 2. Alkalinity is 9.76 very low. No soil test was done. Question. We are thinking of stocking bream and bass together next week but heat index has been over a 100 degrees off and on for several days. Should we wait until this fall or do it now?

Welcome J Smith.

You need to wait till the water temperatures drop back to the mid 70's.

On your stocking plans. What sizes of Bass and Bluegill are you going to get. Before you put in the Bass you need to make sure that they will have enough to eat. I would stock Adult Bluegill this fall so that they will be ready to spawn in the spring. You will then be able to stock Bass in June.

I was told the bream and bass would be the same size. Bream 2 to 3 inches and bass 2 to 2 1/4 inches. I've also read that a pond should be stocked as soon as it has water in it. I think you are right about the temp. but I was also told by a hatchery that bream and bass could be stocked any time of the year.
Thanks Chris for your reply.

Welcome J Smith.

I agree with Chris, and it would not hurt to list your goals for the pond. Sounds like your off to a good start with the lime.

J Smith, if I was selling bass, I might say the same thing. But I would certainly be doing my customer a disservice.

Chris is 100% right. Stocking predators before the forage base has a chance to become established is a recipe for disaster.

So is stocking fish prior to having a fertile water environment. Your low alkilinity after liming could be an indicator that your pond needs more lime and then fertilizer. You can check your fertility by a simple test. Sink a white disk on a string (weighted of course) and see when it disappears. Assuming non muddy or turbid water, it should become invisible from 18" to 30". This is an indicator of a healthy planktonic base. Without that, your smaller fish will get pretty hungry.

BTW, Chris isn't selling fish and the hatchery is.

Thanks for the advice guys.
Son is going to make a disk tomorrow and check the fertility. We did have an algae bloom. Our pond was filled in approx. 4 hrs from a sever thunderstorms and was muddy but it appears to be clearing up.

I would go ahead an put in a few FH. They are cheap and tolerant of bad water. Then add some BG this fall. If you can get 2in and 4-5in BG in the fall you can add 2in LMB as well. Otherwise add the LMB in the spring.

Will FH take care of the unwanted creatures like back swimmer etc.

FH food items

amphipods unidentified amphipods Canada adults
zoobenthos benth. crust. n.a./other benth. crustaceans unidentified crustaceans USA juv./adults
zoobenthos benth. crust. ostracods unidentified ostracods Canada adults
detritus detritus debris unidentified USA adults
zoobenthos insects insects unidentified USA adults
zoobenthos insects insects Chaoborus sp. Canada adults
zoobenthos insects insects unidentified chironomids Canada adults
zoobenthos mollusks n.a./other mollusks unidentified mollusks Canada adults
zoobenthos other benth. invertebrates n.a./other benth. invertebrates Bryozoan statoblasts Canada adults
zooplankton other plank. invertebrates n.a./other plank. invertebrates unidentified cladocerans Canada adults
zooplankton other plank. invertebrates n.a./other plank. Invertebrates unidentified USA adults
plants other plants benthic algae/weeds unidentified USA adults
zooplankton plank. crust. plank. copepods unidentified copepods Canada adults
zoobenthos worms n.a./other annelids

WOW. Now I have to find a translator.

Translation: Just about anything that will fit into their mouth.

Dave, thanks for the translation.
Now I need to find some FH. None Of the suppliers close by has FH. One does have shads but has stopped deliver until Oct. Wonder if I can buy them on line and have then shipped.

At this time of the year, most fish sellers aren't doing a lot. With the exception of fish like fatheads, mortality rates are pretty high in hotter water.

Know something? You are just like every new pond owner wanting to get some fish in right now. Not a real wise move but I couldn't stand having barren water. I hope the enthusiasm never ends.

You're right Dave. Common sense tell me to wait until the lime has done it's thing for water quality and to wait for cooler weather. Sigh. The pond is in my front yard approx. 1 and a half acres. We know the old pond was capable of producing bass etc. My Father built it about 40 years ago and it was stocked with wild fish thru out the years. No lime or fertilizer was used. We did not know there was leaks in it and it was only 2 to 3 feet deep and had FA so thick you could not use a boat paddle in it. Every year it got thicker. At least now after digging, it is 10 to 4 feet deep and really pretty to look at. Grass is growing around the levee and the water is clearing.
PS I did find one site that will sell live FH. 56 dollars for a 100. Does that seem steep.

If you are saying $56.00 for 100 fatheads, yes, that is robbery.

If that is what you were told by a hatchery, I can safely say to never buy a thing from them again (if that number is accurate)!

Yeah, I usually pay $8 to $10 per pound for fatheads. Depending on size, thats about 350 to 400 fish.

That guy must be selling to the aquarium people.

RUN, FORREST, RUN!!!

Absolutely "Run Forrest Run" on those fathead prices. My supplier here sells them for $8.49 per pound,and thats usually 2-300 fish. The next "fish day" is the first week of October, so the water temp can get back into the mid to low 70's. I'm like you - new pond, want to get it working, but need to learn the "patience thing" to get it done right. My new pond is .75A, and I plan on about 8 pounds of FH, 100 3-5' BG, 100 3-5" Hybrid Sunfish, and about 250 RE. I'll let them spawn next spring, and then next Oct. add my HSB and a few (10-15) CC. I'm thinking of adding about 5-8 mature male LMB. SOOOOOOOOOOOO - from one new pond owner to another, does this sound like a solid plan?? I am under the impression that your water PH needs to be about the same as a fish's Ph - about 7.3-7.6. Correct/incorrect?

I would switch the number of Bluegill and Redear but other than that it looks like a good plan. The pH just needs to be between 6-10(I believe) to stock fish. When stocking, add 1/4 of the total volume with pond water to the bags that the fish are in every 10 minutes. This will allow the fish time to adjust the pH in thier bodies and also for the body temperature to be close the pond tenperature. The process should take about 30 minutes.

Thanks Chris. I'll take the RE to BG numbers in advisement.
That is logical when you think about it. I really want to get a good forage fish (FH) build up before I add to much of anything. I plan on feeding the BG/RE, and will do a ph/acid test on the water prior to stocking. I think I have plenty of structure (8-10 cedar trees strategically placed) and seveal pallets weighted down with large rocks, and about 15 tones of creek gravel for spawning. The vegetation seems to be taking care of itself naturally. This is an exciting project and I'm sure I'm messing it up more than I think, but I'm gonna stick with it. The guys on this site are phenominal in their knowledge and willingness to help ANYONE!!!! Good luck with your project. Jim

Guess I won't be getting any FH. We do have snakes, turtles, birds, bugs etc. that have return to the pond sense it filled up. Maybe they will decrease the bad critters.
My PH seems to be in range but with the low alkalinity I know there is a possibility of wide swings. Am also thinking that the water test that LSUA Ag Center took was mostly rain water and of course runoff water. The water test was taken 6 days after the pond filled up. We plan to get another test done in Sept. Hopefully everything will be OK by then.
Thanks everyone for your help. I've learned a lot from reading this forum.

Why not just order some from FH from Andersons? If you have a few die to the heat no biggy.. order the small fish and you'll get good growth started. Or, pick up some rosey reds from your nearest petsmart for $.10 a piece? They're just red fatheads.. It's a shame to not have fish swimming around!

http://andersonminnows.com/fish_farm_species.htm

Thanks Aaron for the site. I checked it out and will call next week. I think there is a Petsmart near too. How many will I need for 1 and a half acre pond.

that depends when will you stock the bass, and what other fish are you stocking?

Guess we will stock bream this fall and bass next spring but I am intrigued with the idea of stocking both at the same time. Two suppliers I called said they do it both ways. I also found a Dunn's fish Farm that has FH year around and delivers in La. Their web sites suggests 10 lbs per surface area. Their price is $9.95 per pd. 250-300 FH per pd. Does that price sound reasonable?

Can we take a step back and ask what your goals for fishing are down the road? I'd definitely not stock them at the same time, no matter what a supplier says - unless you have very specific goals. Bass are little eating machines, and if you want a good bass fishery you really need to get the food chain built right. 1.5 acres is big enough that you want to get it right the first time, because changing it isn't easy.

So what are your goals?