Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Previous lurker from Dayton, Ohio!

This is an unorthodox suggestion so please take it as such. I don't recall ever reading where someone has done this.

If I have it right, the goal is swimming/snorkeling in nice clear water, observing interesting fish and other aquatic wildlife but would prefer not to have to fish much to maintain balance.

For plants to help with clear water, IMO I would consider going with, at least to start, redtip eel grass and a few hardy lilies. These plants should utilize a lot of the excess nutrients in the pond and provide good habitat for zooplankton to help control phytoplankton. The redtip eel grass stays relatively short so should not impede swimming.

For fish (and this is a real unorthodox thought!) I would consider HSB and PS. The HSB will not reproduce so no need to fish. The reasons I suggest PS instead of something like GSH...

1) Arguably one of the prettiest North American fish so nice for snorkeling. This is the number 1 reason why I am suggesting them with your goals in mind.

2) While BG, HBG etc. tend to nip swimmers, I can't find anything that says PS have this characteristic. (Maybe they do)

3) PS grow slower and stay smaller than many sunfish such as BG or RES. Perhaps the HSB with their limited mouthgap can still control PS numbers? PS fall somewhere between BG and RES with respect to fecundity which MIGHT keep the PS from over populating if the HSB are stocked at appropriate numbers to get the job done but I suspect you would still need to harvest PS occasionally. The good news is PS are excellent table fare! Maybe you could take up spearfishing!

For diversity and to help control the PS, you could also maybe consider 1 or 2 CC.

Again, I don't recall ever seeing anybody follow a plan like this but, you have unique goals so......

Hopefully, the pros will be along to offer up their experience as to why this may or may not work. At least it is perhaps food for thought and discussion.