I watched a school of FHM cloud up the water around a pile of feed. Dropped in a coffee cup full of sinking fish feed then watched with Aquaview camera and they stired up the bottom till I could no longer see. Done this several times and places when the pond was new enouh to still have a large FHM population.
But there would have to be something on the bottom they wanted to eat, I would think, for them to stir it up.
I would go scuba diving late summer first year of pond after FHM had time to spawn so lots of them in the pond. Would lay on the botton anywhere above the thermocline (no aeration at that time) and within a minute or two a school of FHM would be grooming all the hair on my legs, arms and head trying to find something to eat on my body. Feels really weird to having dozens or maybe a hundred tiny fish trying to pull all the hairs off your body. If FHM had a single tooth, they would be dangerous. Wife and daughter would hang legs off dock and let the FHM give them a leg massage/tickle.
If the water is warm enough for them to feed, and if you had an algae bloom on the pond bottom, and the FHM were hungry, I can see where they potentially could stir the bottom up if you have a good population of them.
Try this. Pre soak some feed so it will sink (or use sinking catfish food if you have any). Place it carefully in about six inches to a foot of water in a pile (don't spread it out). Observe for 5 minutes. If there becomes a muddy cloud around the area, they are feeding. Do it mid to late afternoon when water is warmest and fish most active.
Maybe they are just hungry and eating algae off the bottom.
Last edited by snrub; 02/10/17 08:06 AM.
