Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Who is the latest victim of bucket stocking?

I believe I once read on the forum that fathead minnows would chow down on blocks of alfalfa or something like that.

Could be something to try.

kskid/DNickolaus- Thanks for the advice on feeding, going to start and see what happens.

1) Home water quality test again and see where the pond stands
Secchi- 18"
pH- 8.4 (max)
Alkalinity (KH)- 300 ppm
Hardness (GH)- 300 ppm

2) Send out a water sample and have it professionally tested
Sent to TAMU today

3) Fish with live minnows for one more day to ensure I am clear
Caught nothing all day, left the poles in the water overnight, minnows were still alive in the morning.

4) If everything is good, purchase another round of FHM and proceed with original stocking plan
Going to wait for the TAMU report then stock more FHM and RES.

Thanks to all for the advice and words of wisdom, it was/is extremely helpful.

What time of day was the pH reading taken?

In the evening @ 1930

I'd think about adding agricultural lime alum, not ag lime to drop the pH. pH is highest at midday, so the pH in the pond could have been higher.

Isn't ag lime alkaline and would raise the pH more? Thought about adding alum but maybe I am confused.

Dang it, you are correct. I've got too many things bouncing around between my ears this morning!

I'll change my reply so as to not to confuse anybody.

Thanks for catching that!!

Scott, thanks. Kind of makes me happy you were wrong as I would then be completely off on my understanding of water chemistry, which is not that great anyway.

My assumptions and questions.

1) The higher the alkalinity the more stable the pH. If my home test kit is even semi-accurate @ 300ppm, is there a curve on adding alum based on alkalinity? AKA is it harder to lower the pH if you have high alkalinity?

2) Would adding alum be a long term fix or do I need to worry about it going back up?

3) Do you think I should wait until I get the analysis back from TAMU to ensure I am adding appropriate amounts of alum based on true numbers? My test kit maxes at 8.4, it could be at 12 for all I know.

Thanks again.

I had been worried to death about bucket stocking or fish kills after stocking FHM, BG, and RES last fall in our new pond. I saw no sign of any of them until late spring. I first saw 2 FHM a couple times. I still haven't seen many adults. I have masses of fry now though so they are somewhere I just can't see. I'm finally seeing BG jumping. Still no sign of the RES but I'm sure they're there. I have no predators other than birds so it seems the fish really are relaxing out of sight in the center. I'm sure they're in there somewhere. I hope it works out for you. I know how you feel since I was paranoid myself. I drove my wife nuts.

For us we didn't see any FHM stocked the first year. Just a couple of dead ones from stress. It wasn't until the next season until we saw schools of babies swimming near the surface.

With that many stocked FHM, there would likely need to be more than one predator in there to clean them out. You surely would have caught one by now as they would be hungry once the FHM were consumed.

I would bet they are still in there. I have been trying to trap FHM in my pond to transfer a couple into my garden pond which is a mosquito heaven right now, and having zero luck with bread. I see them occasionally swim right by the bread and trap. I am starting to think the traps only work for ponds with so much life density that the minnows trip and fall in.

My next try will be putting some fish food in a piece of thin material the fish can peck at. Bread isn't working at all for me. Otherwise bait shop here I come.

Not all fhm are pellet trained. I recently stocked 10g in my bg/yp pond last fall and found it very odd they were not coming to surface to feed. Kept trying for weeks until I called the hatchery. They explained these minnows were harvested from a 200 ac marsh they own and these fish never see a feeder, therefore aren't trained. Bruce Condello also stocked some of these in his res pond and noticed the same thing. Fast forward to this summer and their clouds of offspring have all naturally trained themselves. My point: try to resist worrying and allow your fhm time to do their thing. Strongly doubt a few bucket stocked predators could extirpate your entire population and don't forget fhm are very hardy and will likely find a way.

I would post signs around your pond stating use of live bait or stocking fish is prohibited. Or I'd state fishing is only allowed when you are present. Few ideas for you.