Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain fatheads in wildlife pond?

I started digging my 2nd pond today (the "wildlife" pond) in an area we are in the process of reforesting. It's on a sloping hillside and I had planned on it being 2/10 acre or so, wanted to make it pretty deep and possibly put crappie in it. I grubbed the ground and dug a keyway, but then a whole lot of large limestone rocks started popping up. It was obvious the site wasn't going to work for a pond of any size, so I put the topsoil back and dug a tiny little wildlife pond that is about 40 x 40 and 5' deep. 3 sides are steep and I left the upper end sloping very gently for wildlife, the pond will be completely surrounded by trees. This little pond is not far from the main 3/10 acre pond, and I'm thinking it might be good to put fatheads in the little one. I was thinking that I could seine some fatheads out a couple times a year and put them in the main pond to replace what the predator fish eat. Will this little pond work for fatheads?

Thanks,
Eric

Yeah, it'll work. I've done it with both bluegills and fatheads. However, keep an eye on it. Both are quite prolific and can foul water if you don't seine often enough.

The gently sloping upper end sounds seine-able. You may want to run minnow traps all the time for a steady stream, no help needed FH population harvest.

Eric- Also watch this pond in the winter and maybe mid summer for oxygen shortages due to the heavy amount of tree leaves. Large amounts of Decaying tree leaves will consume lots of oxygen and when conditions are marginal the loss may be enough to cause fish kills. However if this happens annually a spring restocking will soon provide ample fatheads.

I have a local farmer who has an old cattle manure pond that will not support sportfish for more than 1 - 3 yrs and then he has a large or total fish kill even though he aerates regularly in summer. However, he can raise high numbers of fatheads in this pond and at least some seem to survive year round. Every week or so during spring and summer, he sets a large clover leaf unbaited minnow trap and transfers 1-2 gallons of fatheads into the nearby sportfish pond. It works well for him.