The fish growing booklet has many opinions and the authors are entitled to their opinions. These are some of my opinions. Note that the above "Kit" is suggested for any pond 0.25 to 1 acre pg6. Wrong IMO on several topics. As I again read through this familiar and updated booklet, there continue to be IMO MANY biased statements used to sell their products. Not enough time now to cover all of them.
All fish farms realize carrying capacity and to recommend the same "Kit" for a 0.2 ac and a 1 ac pond is pure salesmanship. Be very wary of someone promoting this philosophy.
Firstly - impounded water has a natural carrying capacity that determines how many pounds of fish it will grow/support, very similar to the practices of agriculture or your garden. The capacity can be increased several ways - by technical correct defination of eutrophication "polluting" it or eutrophication as they stated in the above Fish Farm Booklet pg36- manually adding extra copper sulfate and harsh chemicals. Technical definition of eutrophication includes mainly the addition of nutrients that are also present in fish food. Zetts booklet highly promotes nutrient fertlizer. They distort the true meaning of eutrophication.
Secondly- On one page they say southern bream (pg4) which technically includes bluegill are not beneficial in northern ponds and then later they strongly promote their BG in the "Kit". What does this tell you?
Thirdly - There are several "holes" in their philopsophy (pg6) of yearly adding their Daphnia culture which is similar to adding fatheads each year to an established fish community - not productive. This philosophy largely benefits the seller and not the buyer. Basic animal or wildlife management is - provide the proper habitat the the community will reproduce, thrive and not need annual supplimental stocking unless the goal or plan requires it. Similar to using Bg as forage. If your pond does not maintain perpetual populations or fatheads or Daphnia then something is missing from the habitat or from your plan if your goal is to always have or need fatheads or Daphnia. If there is a ecological balance in your pond, your fish community does not always need short term additions of fatheads or Daphnia for the sportfish to thrive. Other items can serve the purpose of fatheads or Daphnia. Maybe your pond is out of balance thus adequate forage is in short supply?
All ponds have a natural zooplankton community. The structure and species composition of the zooplankton community is largely governed by the predators and habitat i.e. fish - vegetation - chemistry. Their hay bale concept is weak. Daphnia and larger crustacean zooplankton do not feed on the straw-hay. Hay is an organic material similar to tree leaves that will decay and create a bacteria-protozoan culture. All ponds have myrids of organic materials in various stages of decay that create the conditions for bacteria - protozoa and ultimately "Daphnia" type foods. Bacteria are primarily decomposers while protozoans and zooplankton are primarily micro-particle filter feeders.
Fourthly - Trap door snails (pg 29) are and exotic species, an invasive species, and provide little if any benefit to a regular sport fish community. Trap door snails have many more disadvantages than benefits in a sport fish pond. IMO they are turning their invasive trapdoor lemons into lemonade that actually is doing overall harm by helping spread this exotic invasive nuisance snail species that the fish farm received in a shipment of fish. They also sell red swamp crayfish that are not allowed for sale in their own state of PA. PA does not allow them to sell crayfish to customers in PA.
Fiftly the booklet says people that write aquaculture books never raised fish for a living and sell stupid unnecessary dishonest equipment to people pg 37. They go on to say to have healthy fish they must be raised in soil bottom ponds. Wrong, wrong.
Lastly for today -Their spawning disks (pg50) are a good concept if the fish require a special substrate for spawning, especially when the pond is full of muck, sludge, or unconsolidated silt and the pond lacks a firm bottom or sand, gravel for fish spawning. An economical kids snow saucer or bottom of a barrel filled with proper size sand, gravel, stone can serve the same purpose.
I could spend all day elaborating on the biased statements in the fish farm sales booklet. Be cautious of what you blindly believe. Get second opinions from proven facts.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/21/16 03:51 PM.
