Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Hello, my name is Ed

Thank you Bill Cody for the additional considerations on TGC. I won't rush into adding these. Another vote for the SMB. This helps! Thanks Bill C.

Since nobody else has said it. Hello, my name is Earl.

Ed, if you are worried about regular FA in the spring and want to go a natural route versus chemical , you might consider tilapia.

Also, to your stocking plan, it might be fun to throw in a couple HSB at the time of stocking predators.

I am definitely concerned about FA in the spring and certainly would be interested in getting some tilapia to help control the FA as a natural solution. I can take over the entire pond very quickly. Have you tried to use tilapia for this purpose, and if so, was it successful?

Thanks again Fish n Chips!

Ed

Yes. Tilapia has been proven to be very effective on FA. Lots of old threads discussing it.

I have been thinking a lot about my pond plan and re-reading the many suggestions I have received to my posts. I think our plan will be to primarily hand-feed our fish and let them grow, restock as necessary, while holding off on the predators. I particularly like your suggestion of limited reproduction and feed trained (which is what we like to do). I assume you meant HB to be HBG. I think I will hold off on the CC and maybe put in tilapia and HGC next year to control algae and plant growth.

(Note: I have been fishing the pond for the past week with worms on small hooks without any bites to help confirm I don't have any fish, except the FHM I added a month ago).

Fall stocking:
HSB
HBG
RES
feed trained YP
feed trained SMB
RBT
FHM
GSH

Spring Stocking:
Tilapia
HGC
FHM
GSH

CJBS2003, thanks for the suggestions! Fish n Chips also suggested the RBT (fun fishing).

I could use some suggestions on sizes and quantities for the fall stocking for my 0.1 ac, max depth of 7'. Help please!

Well, I still think you need to proceed cautiously on stocking ANY Grass Carp. The GSH need vegetation, so you might be counterproductive between the two fish. What do others think?

In regards to stocking numbers and sizes. I would imagine your going to have to find out what sizes are available from suppliers. Most of the time you just can't go to a supplier and say I need this, and they have it. You need to work around what they have. Having said that, the two that will probably give you the most trouble finding are the pellet fed YP and SMB. Right now, Fender's have YP 4-6" pellet trained, but not the SMB. They have 3" SMB, just not pellet trained. Jump to next year when you need them, and it may be totally different. Perhaps it may not be that big of a deal if the SMB are feed trained, the pros will have to help you with that. Then of course numbers stocked are based on size of fish available.

PS... I assume your stocking dates are;
spring of 2014
fall of 2014

Some might accidentally think you mean this fall.

I was thinking this fall, 2013 and spring 2014. Would that be a problem?

I don't know. Esshup, CJB, Bill C, Ewest????

Typically you let your forage spawn like mad, and then add predators 6 months to a year later. However all your stocked predators "might" be feed trained, so perhaps it don't matter as much.


Here's my "guess"

Fall 2013:
FHM
GSH?
RBT

Spring 2014 after RBT are gone:
FHM
GSH
Tilapia
RES

Fall 2014:
HBG
YP
SMB
HSB

Minnows this fall will likely be mostly trout food with maybe 25% being survivors at spring spawn time depending on habitat and how much and how often trout are fed. Trout will be very active during winter and other fish will be slower and easier prey items.

My experience is if you add the following in spring after removing most of the trout it will work reasonably well: FHM, GSH, HBG, pellet trained perch and tilapia. HBG and pellet trained perch (2"-3" or 4"-6") will not eat significant numbers of minnows shiners. I stocked this spring (0.2ac) adult pellet eating YP (8"-10")with minnows and late Sept there are lots and lots of small minnows and tilapia that were apparently ignored by the welfare YP. This way you get some good growth from the HBG and YP before the predators are added. YP & HBG will them spawn in spring 2015 and provide added forage for the fall 2014 stocked SMB,HSB. If you can't get pellet trained YP then wait until fall for the perch, SMB and HSB. You may like the put & take trout so well you forgo the other predators. Trout are fun and grow fast during cool-cold waters.

Thanks Bill Cody and Fish n Chips for the stocking suggestions by seasons (2013, 2014, and 2015) and sizing guidance.

As suggested, I will be stocking the RBT this fall, and stocking FHM, GSH, HBG, pellet trained YP (yum) and tilapia in the spring. As Bill suggested here, I may really like the put and take of the RBT, and forego the predators. I also recall Fish and Chips' suggestion in earlier posts to stock the RBT in the fall.

Thanks for helping me with my stocking plans!

Please keep us advised as to your pond adventures and stocking results.

I keep coming back to your response to my question. What are our goals... I initially thought rainbow trout, but after discussions with my family, it will not work out for us. YP is our current direction/goal.

That said, a dedicated YP pond has everyone's interest. We all love lake perch!!! I have read here on PB that it may be best to stock all females. What would be be the recommended path forward for an all perch pond (0.13 acre/7'deep)? I only have a few dozen FHM in the pond now.

Do I stock YP now?, or do I wait until spring to stock YP?

For all females you want to stock in spring before they spawn. At that time females will be bulging pig fat and males will be easily squirting white milt. Stock only those belly bulging perch and ignore obvious males and all those intermediate that you are unsure of. When in doubt leave it out. If you are not buying pellet trained perch and the stockers will live on bugs and minnows, then in 0.13 ac initially stock 15-25 YP. I am doing the same thing in a 0.2 ac pond. In March I will catch by angling and trapping 20 females 5"-8" (100/ac, max 150/ac) and put them in an all natural food pond.

If you can by pellet trained female perch, then you can start by adding up to 200-300 per acre for beginners. Aeration allows higher stocking densities. Many fish farms will not sell just females. I often buy mixed YP, raise them in a cage until the next spawn season, sort and stock females and fillet the males.

Bill, thanks for the advice. BTW, since you asked, I do have aeration (Vertex).

I found a lot of additional information on "YP only pond" on this thread which includes your responses as well as others. Great thread.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=337773&Board=5

Thanks! Ed