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Just wanted to make anyone interested aware I did end up buying 10 lbs of FHM from Arkansas Pond Stockers fish truck. Paid $8.50/lb and stocked them last Saturday.

Lost maybe 10 minnows...tops. I hand sorted these as I have never had any experience with APS and I found ONE BG, and probably two dozen fish that looked almost identical to FH but were significantly larger [4"]. Not sure if they were bull males [if they ever grow to that size] or more likely a chub of some kind. Otherwise, considering the high qty of fish stocked AND their source [Ye Olde Fish Truck] I was very satisfied with my purchase.

Just thought I'd put in a good word for APS - in this case they did a solid job and I'd do it again [but would also hand sort!].

TJ


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Good news, TJ! You'll be glad you took the time to hand sort.


"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
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 Originally Posted By: davatsa
Good news, TJ! You'll be glad you took the time to hand sort.


I have to admit, although I'm pretty meticulous, I really enjoy the process.

Bags into the pond to acclimate slowly to pond water temps

Slowly introduce pond water and mix well

Do that again

Do that again

Do that again

Begin with half scoops - visual check - then into bucket with 3/4 pond water - 1/4 original water

Then scoop from bucket and hand sort into another bucket, 100% pond water

Then immerse myself just an inch or two above my boot waders so I accidently fill with 45 degree water, then get to the process of coaxing my fish to leave the safety of the bucket to do their thing.

I made this process far more time consuming than I needed to - I imagine I could have dumped each bag right into the pond and walked away, but I really do enjoy playing with my FH kiddos a bit before they leave the nest.

My wife watched this process for five minutes, declared me severely impaired, and went home.

Ah - silence at last!


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Did you take pictures of the possible mystery minnow? I am curious what it may have been... I do not think FHM get that large, even a fully grown male. Bluntnose minnows which are closely related do, perhaps some bluntnose minnows were mixed in. If they were, you're lucky, personally I think they make better forage than FHM.

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CJ

I didn't even think to bring a camera bc I was solo [wife blazed on me] and have dumped several digital cameras already doing the one handed thing.

I can say they looked identical to a FH in terms of coloration but did have more bottom oriented mouths and were much broader and longer. I'd say about 4" long. I'm disappointed I can't provide pics - with the mouth orientation in my limited minnow identification experience I thought it looked like some species of chub - but who knows. To be safe they ended up in the Little Bluestem and not in the pond.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Hard to tell, better to play it safe like you said though...

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They were probably common carp!!



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 Originally Posted By: Shawn Banks
They were probably common carp!!


Yes, my fisheries management guru, Shawn Banks, recommended them along with Black Bullhead and Longnose Gar. Think that's a problem?


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Throw in the GSF and lampreys while you're at it and you'll have one fine fishing hole! HAHA

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hi guys, since you bring it up TJ, and since I will be stocking on Saturday the 11th, just how long does it take a bag of oxygen induced "hatchery water" (?) to acclimate to a pond? I'd hate for the neighbors cat or dog to drag off several of my hard earned dollars and devour some helpless fishes. The last time I just waited a few minutes and let 'em rip, I lost a handful of BG, but when you consider they rode from somewhere east of here in a cargo van, and there were to 1200 of them, I felt a handful of deceased was not too bad (I have small hands)! Thanks.

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The part about placing clear bags of fish into the pond and let sit, should not be followed; especially if the sun is out and high. The water can warm up way too quick. The adding of cupfuls of water every couple of minutes acclimates them to the changing chemical conditions and temps.


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Okay, suggestions on how to do it the right way? Recommendations? Advice? Helpful tips?

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Strizzo

I let the bags sit for about 15 minutes, supervised, and it was a cold and cloudy day. Mainly I let them sit there while I got my buckets filled and ready for acclimation. Then I opened the bags and slowly introduced my pond water - adding about 1/4 of the volume with my pond water and doing so again every 5-10 minutes. Temp differences were only about 8 degrees, so I was more concerned with the chemical differences burgermeister indicated. The guys I've spoken with at hatcheries thought I was going through far too much time and effort - maybe it's just because they've gone thru the process a million times - but I like to err on the side of care.

I've stocked 2000 fish the last six months with no morts I can verify...and the slow introduction of the pond water has been the one consistent measure I've taken.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Alright TJ, thanks for the lesson, I'll try it out and we will see how it works. I hope to have some pictures of the event as well as some "fry flowers" I created today to post later, if I can remember how I did it!

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Strizzo

Im no a stocking vet - so I'd talk to your hatchery and see what they suggest too. From what I've seen thus far it's not exactly rocket science...and I've had no problems stocking in 45 or up to 80 degree water.


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Thanks, I'll be sure to ask them what they recommend.

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TJ just saw this thread. I find it ironic you recommend arkansas pond stockers after receiving undesirable fish. This is the kind of thing that if I did this I would be out of business. I have never had a single fish go to a pond other than what they ordered. It is the cardinal sin in pond stocking business to have species that was not part of the plan. Glad you took time to go through the order but after hearing this no way would I suggest anyone getting fish from them.

Burger your right I had a client years ago say don't worry just sit them in the pond we will only be a few mins. We ran water quality on pond few hundred yards away. Tons of questions he kept asking and I said lets get to fish. Came back to dead fish. He blamed me and I had the fish alive for a 3 hr trip and did not get paid. He got free pond advice and I lost 6 hour day and cost of fish. Lesson learned the hard way.


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 Originally Posted By: Greg Grimes
TJ just saw this thread. I find it ironic you recommend arkansas pond stockers after receiving undesirable fish. This is the kind of thing that if I did this I would be out of business. I have never had a single fish go to a pond other than what they ordered. It is the cardinal sin in pond stocking business to have species that was not part of the plan. Glad you took time to go through the order but after hearing this no way would I suggest anyone getting fish from them.

Burger your right I had a client years ago say don't worry just sit them in the pond we will only be a few mins. We ran water quality on pond few hundred yards away. Tons of questions he kept asking and I said lets get to fish. Came back to dead fish. He blamed me and I had the fish alive for a 3 hr trip and did not get paid. He got free pond advice and I lost 6 hour day and cost of fish. Lesson learned the hard way.


As I've indicated on several occasions this was my first experience stocking from a "traveling fish truck", and I thought one BG out of 10 lbs of FH was acceptable. Not to mince words, but I don't recall "recommending" APS, I just thought it helpful to everyone if I related the details of my experience with the "traveling fish truck" and that I thought one BG was not a big deal....especially since I already have them stocked. So I said I was satisfied - considering the fact I was told to harbor low expectations, I was pretty happy without a bullhead, stickleback or carp in the bunch.

I really like hearing you say that even that BG was unacceptable. Too bad you're in GA and not closer to NE. I've been reading a lot of threads about accidental stockings and quite frankly assumed it was an inherent issue with any stocking. I was warned to have low expectations...so figured it was the reality of stocking. I've made no bones about this being my first experience with nearly everything I've done regarding ponds from concept to fulfillment, and I'm glad to have feedback like this to help establish expectations for future stockings.

In terms of allowing bags to acclimate to pond temps for 10 - 15 min in a pond being a sin - guess that's a lesson learned. I was instructed to do so by a couple of hatcheries and have never lost a fish to date following the practice. I would certainly never distribute an ounce of advice I had not followed myself successfully. Guess you and Burger have a divergent view - and I appreciate your experienced guidance.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Hey, Strizzo...don't allow your bags of fish to sit in the pond.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Well, don't let them sit indefinitely. Provided they were filled with pure O2, the stockers will be good for the time it takes for the bag water to come up (or down) to match the pond water temperature. Say 1/2 hour or so unless there was a huge difference in temp to begin with.


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Gosh, that sounds vaguely familiar. Some days I'm just a clay pigeon. Guess there are indeed divergent views on the subject...now I don't know what to do in the future.


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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ONCE AGAIN, THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS, GOOD AND BAD, ANY ISSUES WITH MIXING RECIEVED FISH(FROM THE SAME SUPPLIER, BUT DIFFERENT SPECIES)? SAY I GET 10 LBS OF MINNOWS AND 300 RES, CAN I DUMP BOTH TYPES IN A COOLER AND THEN SLOWLY, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, ADD SOME POND WATER AND THEN TRANSFER THE WHOLE COOLER TO THE POND?

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When I place bags of fish into water to equalize temps, I also cut slits in bag to let pond water seep into bags - then adios - no morts.

I don't examine fish - don't need to - I trust my supplier.



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Had a successful event today, no "morts" as you guys say. I did have one rather large minnow(could have been a gold fish LOL) seemingly in distress, but I let him go seperately and he seemed to do okay. There were several odd ball fishes of different varieties, so maybe these folks aren't the best at sorting. There were some regular FHM in the mix as well as some crawfish.
Check out the pics under the "creating forage base" forum, since most were minnows. Thanks for the advice fellas. Happy Easter!

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 Originally Posted By: STRIZZO
Had a successful event today, no "morts" as you guys say. I did have one rather large minnow(could have been a gold fish LOL) seemingly in distress, but I let him go seperately and he seemed to do okay. There were several odd ball fishes of different varieties, so maybe these folks aren't the best at sorting. There were some regular FHM in the mix as well as some crawfish.
Check out the pics under the "creating forage base" forum, since most were minnows. Thanks for the advice fellas. Happy Easter!


Strizzo - that's great to hear the day went well with no floaters. But I'm not sure how to interpret "lots of mixed fish". You mean your fish delivery included fish species you didn't order? I had one bluegill/thousands of FH. According to Greg Grimes even this margin of error was unacceptable and hatcheries should be held to a higher standard. I hope you didn't far worse than this????


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

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