I am not a pro, but IMHO I would think if you want to start with only 10 fish, I would try to isolate them into a much smaller area than a 1 acre pond for two reasons. One to assure the fish successfully find a mate. The second so you possibly don't have to wait a long time to know if they successfully spawned as you will be able to observe progress much more effectively.

Edit: Thought I should maybe explain my thinking a little more on my reason two. When I stocked 300+ FHM to my pond, they were the first fish into a brand new pond. It was not what I expected. I was thinking I would see a school or two of minnows in the shallow water as I walked around the pond. Wrong. They disappeared. In retrospect, I am guessing in the absence of predators, they were comfortable in deeper water and did not need to seek the safety of the shallow water.

I did not know whether they were all dead or not until I built a bunch of what I call "Flintstone houses" (Based on the old TV show)in a foot or so of water. My "Flintstone houses" consisted of 3 round rocks placed in a triangle pattern with a flat rock on top for the roof. I had not found PBF yet so this was my feeble attempt at creating spawning habitat. Two or three days later my FHM appeared. Pretty much every house had a male inhabitant. With only 10 fish in a 1 acre pond, it could be months before you know whether you are successful if they stay in a little bit deeper water.

Last edited by Bill D.; 02/07/15 07:51 PM.
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