Eric:

Thanks. I realize that the standing crop will be relatively static (in pounds) if everything else in the pond never changes. We all know that will only happen under labratory conditions, never in my BOW! That's why I was asking for a % ratio of fish species of the standing crop.

I would rather think in pounds of fish species, rather than numbers of fish because pounds of fish will give a more accurate answer.

For instance, I ran across this as a stocking rcommendation for a new 1 ac pond: (no mention of acre ft. of water)


Fathead Minnows 1-3"
20 lbs.
Golden Shiners 2-5"
15 lbs.
Largemouth Bass 3-4"
200
Hybrid Striped Bass 3-4"
50
Bluegill Sunfish 2-4"
400
Hybrid Bluegill 2-4"
200
Channel Catfish 3-5"
100
White Amur (Grass Carp) 10-12"
8
Bullfrog Tadpoles 1-3"
250
Redear Sunfish 2-4"
200

If all those fish were adults, the pond would be overloaded. But, in say 3 years without any interference from the pond owner, what would that pond look like, in terms of standing crop and carrying capacity?

I'll be looking forward to your posts later on today.

Thanks!

DD1:

It's a steep learning curve for sure! I'd like to approach maximum standing crop in the pond, but never go over it. When you really think about it and put numbers on paper, we all have a significant amount of $ tied up in the pond, and a tremendous amount of time. If I were to crash everything and kill a bunch of fish, just think what it would cost in both time and $ to get it back to say 10% below the crash level? One of my friends told me about his boss who has a nice pond at home. He went on vacation and had his father watch the house while he was on vacation. His father thought that it was a waste of electricity to run the aerator in the winter, and pulled the plug. The next spring I was told that an order was placed with Jones for ovr $10K of fish.....

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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).