As far as I know the RES have not taken to food. When I feed, I do use both some floating and some sinking, so in case the RES are eating they can get some. I need to get some better quality feed when I start back up again this spring. There is only 32% stuff available locally and so my plans this spring are to order in some higher protein feed. With the large number of FHM, they will clean up anything on the bottom pretty well. I've also caught a few PK shrimp in the minnow (fish food for bait) trap so I suspect the shrimp are utilizing the fish food also.
I only have a small number of RES in the forage pond (since it is so small). The idea is for them to spawn then as the new fry begin to grow take them out when they reach 2-3". The pond is way too small to grow them out, so if I can get them to reproduce will use the sediment pond to grow them larger. It is kind of an experiment.
The crayfish and PK shrimp might get along fine together. But my experience with crayfish is that they are very aggressive. I only bought 400 of the shrimp for this small half of a tenth acre pond. The RES fingerlings and FHM were already in the pond when I learned about the PK shrimp. If I were doing it from scratch would put the FHM and shrimp in together in the beginning, then add any other fish I wanted later after the shrimp were established. If I am finding lots of shrimp this summer, will harvest them as they become available and transfer to the sediment and main pond. After I raise enough to get them established in other ponds where I want them, then may start thinking about the crayfish again. I just wanted to give the shrimp all the advantage I could to get them established, and I already had the RES as predators so did not want to add crayfish also to add to their difficulties.
So that is kind of where I am at. Wait and see. Last summer I saw a couple small nests and RES 4" guarding the nest. I don't know if they were just practicing or if they were successful. I kind of doubt if they had a successful spawn because the male was constantly running off the FHM. Hoping this spring the males will be bigger and be able to keep the FHM better at bay. The RES were not big enough to eat any significant size FHM, so the FHM's had no fear of the RES.
I will likely know a lot more by about early summer. Hope I see several RES on the nests. Then maybe capture RES fry by late summer with a cast net or seine.
Good luck with the new married life. My wife has always given me good advice concerning other women and I have followed it religiously. "Look but don't touch".
Took me a second try to get it right, but a good woman is one of the best things that can happen to you. A bad one............... well not a topic for PBF.
