Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Snails crap!

Ok it's fish truck day. So what I should be getting to control snails is around $50 RES? One more thing. I do not have a problem with aquatic plants yet, but should I go a head a throw a grass carp in while I'm at it? Thanks everybody.

Get the largest RES you can....if it was me, I wouldn't put in too many, they'll be able to eat a ton of snails as they grow, and if you limit numbers, you'll have the chance to have some really large RES going forward. However, if all the fish truck has are 1-2" fish, you may want a larger number, even 100 or so, as your smallies can't distinguish between Devils Spawn [F2 HBG] and Golden Children [yoy RES].

In many instances the RES available may be pretty small...especially when buying them off the truck. Do you know what sizes they have? It's hard for a 2" RES to avoid predation in an already established pond. Size of the RES will of course determine the price you have to pay.

I've heard two schools of thought on the GC, one says to stock in advance of the vegetation, as a preventative measure, while the other advocates waiting to see if a problem arises before stocking a fish that may denude your pond of ALL vegetation. Personally, I don't think one would hurt, and I'm so paranoid about vegetation that I probably would try it. If it's starving, muddying the bottom, or eating pellets intended for other fish, you should be able to remove ONE.

Dang it...Yolk beat me to it!

Testosterone level's almost back in the normal range, Sparkie.

You da man, Yolk....

I'm not sure what size they will have but I will get the biggest I can get. So if i can only get 1 to 2 inch i should get a hundred? I do not have any source of tilapia unless Rex is passing through and my pond is only a quarter acre so it's hard to order some in small numbers. I may just go ahead and throw one GC in. Like spark said I could always bowfish it out.

I would. I think you would lose many, if not most of the RES that are 1-2". Especially with no, or limited vegetation present.

I'll post some pics later as I stock them. Thanks spark and Yolk.

PM sent.

Ok, I got a hundred RES in the 1 to 3 inch range. Mainly inch and half range. These things look exactly like the fish I'm trapping and dumping over dam. They might be an expensive snack for SMB and HSB. Gonna have to build me a condello cage fore spring I guess. Is it possible some redear got mixed in with HBG during stocking?



I bought me 20 albino CC and end up with 30 after counting during release. I noticed some had white spots on them. I hope this isn't something serious. They were very lively.




You can kind of see white spots on fins below I'm talking about.


I should be able to see these feeding I paid a buck a piece for 20 but got 30. I'm pretty sure my hundred CC I stocked last fall died over the winter. They have not been feeding on pellets anyway.

Those RES sure look like BG to me.

Don't fret if you don't see your albino CC are feeding time. It took weeks before I saw any of mine and even then they come and go. It amazes me with how many albino fish I have in my pound, how rarely I see them.

Look like BG to me, too. You should see a little red on the tip of the black gill flap.

Err, now you have BG in your pond?

Bluegills Crap!

Crap! My put and take pond has went up in smoke. I might as well stock LMB now. Crap! Crap! The truck was farmcats.com. I'm PO'ed. I thought when I was putting them in they looked just like the ones I was taking out. Now what? This is the biggest monkey wrench yet. Let the suggestions start. CNB were being sold on same truck. How can I fix this? Will my HBG just breed back to regular? I'm lost. I'm never buying fish from a farm store truck again. Prob where the snails came from too.

Just got back from the river and I'm still at loss of words that I can say on here. I'm calling farmcats.com at opening and giving them an earful. What can I say on here, but dad gummit!

I paid $69 to ruin my pond goals too!

Keep trapping them and removing them and maybe you SMB and HSB will help you out. You might get lucky and none will make it to spawn. you can fish through the winter with small hooks for them too. I guess if you have two or more make it to spawn you could be in for it.

Pray the BG became snacks.....

Also, don't stock the Tilapia....Illegal in Missouri!

Jwwann-
All's not lost, even if those are BG.
In a predator heavy pond such as yours, with YP,CC, SMB and HBG, you'll have a lot of allies in controlling BG numbers. Being BG, they'll still reproduce and recruit-but nothing like they would without adult smb after them.
So, although you can drain and start all over again, I'd really focus on having an extremely active predator base for the near term, continuing all your efforts to remove smaller lepomis species [anything that's not a definite hbg or RES], and see how it goes. You can still stock put and take HBG, HSB, and YP at a size where the smallies won't be able to eat them. If it were me, I'd continue to add bucket stocked, nonpellet eating SMB, perhaps some really large perch if you have access to them, then focus on removing any BG you catch.

Thanks again guys. Maybe the CNB will grow on me like the SMB did. I still need some redear for the snails though. I may wait till spring before going any further. I will try to load up on more SMB in the mean time.

Catfish might help out some on the snails...........?

Don't worry about it too much, I'd take a wait and see attitude until next year, trying to catch some RES next year from the pond. Then and only then if I didnt' see any would I get agressive in removing the BG.

Another reason why to purchase fish from a reliable supplier if you don't have RES.

Wait, you said CNBG were also on the truck? If a true CNBG, they might not survive the winter in your pond, so it might be a moot point.

The only bluegill they were selling on truck was CNB. They were selling lots them too! The only fish they were selling was CNBG, RES, LMB, CC, GC, FHM, and bullfrog tadpoles. I was going to get a GC, but they sold out almost instantly. They said they would be back in 4 weeks and he would bring more.

If you are in an area where CNBG won't survive the winter, then I wouldn't worry about what you got from them at all.

There's a fish truck that comes up here and also sells CNBG. I'm going to get some, put them in a cage and see if they make it thru the winter.