Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations New pond owner

My grats to you guys for a really cool community!

I apologize if this thread is off topic. Im not sure where it should go. Also if I ramble.

Just bought a place with what I reckon is .5 acre pond. It is 10' deep in the middle full. No rain this summer and is 2 feed down.

1. Bluegill are great. Fat and sassy.
2. There are white and black crappie. They are very small and skinny.
3. Copious minnows of some type.
4. No bass, no catfish.

The crappie:



I understand that crappie are undesirable in a small pond, but I really don't want to sterilize it with the BG doing so well.

I think that part of the crappie's problem is the water isn't clear. 10".



I have 200 lbs of Aluminum Sulfate ordered. Will apply half one week and half the next to try and clear the water.

Also planning to add about 50 bass fingerlings very soon.

If the water is cleared do you think there is hope for the crappie situation to improve? Or should I just cut my losses and sterilize and start fresh?

Also can someone tell me what this is? It just showed up about a month ago.



Thank yall so much.

Welcome to the forum first off... You will certainly find this place is full of both friendly and very knowledgeable people who are very interested in ponds, but have specific interests within that interest. Let me see if I can help answers your questions.

I cannot tell for sure from your photos, but the pictured crappie(s) appear to be white crappies but there may very well be black crappies in your pond as well. They show classic signs of being stunted. From looking at the photo of your pond, I do not thinking aluminum sulfate is going to solve your issue in water clarity. It appears to be a bloom and not suspended particulate. Your pond may be a bit too fertile... Do you get a lot of run off from agricultural areas or yards where fertilizer is spread?

White crappies in particular are very adapted to foraging in low visibility waters, so that is not the issue. The issue is you have far too many crappies in your pond. Crappies unfortunately are boom/bust when it comes to reproduction and your pond has experience a boom and thus way too many crappies. Hence, your paper thin 4"-5" crappies.

A quality BG fishery can be created quickly after renovation, just 2-3 years so if it was my pond, I would renovate and start over. Unless there is a pond or another body of water above your pond where unwanted fish are able to reenter your pond. Then I would look at another management method.

What are the goals for your pond? Specific species to be focused on? Are you willing to feed your fish, installed aeration?

Ok well thank you for your opinion on the water. I don't have the experience to know if it is bloom or mud...

Its interesting because (oddly) for this part of the country there has been almost drought like conditions.

Little rain, no run off entering the pond since the early spring, no rooted veg in the pond... no live stock. No crops near by, certainly no fertilizing on the property. That is why I thought it was suspended particulate causing the problem. On the other hand there is a daily film on the surface that usually goes away at night so I guess Ill have to look at that as the clarity problem.

My goal is to have a BG, LMB pond. Im really excited about learning how to manage it properly. I do intend to set up aeration, and feed the BG. Also put in some pea gravel spawning beds.

Thank you. Looks like I'll be draining it first though. The dry weather might take care of it for me lol.

I would pump it to almost dry, hit the remaining wet areas with hydrated lime and let it sit over the winter. Hopefully it'll begin filling in the late winter and spring. Then you can start a stocking program.

An alum treatment should reduce phosphorus levels and ultimately the strength of algae blooms. Aluminum sulfate has been used here in Nebraska on some of our smaller public sandpits as a treament to prevent toxic algae blooms as aluminun sulfate bonds with phosphorus and takes it out of the water column.

http://www.deq.state.ne.us/Newslett.nsf/...07?OpenDocument

http://watercenter.unl.edu/archives/2009/2009%20Fremont%20Lake.pdf