Tracy that is what I found in my tiny "pre-sediment" pond. Just too small for the huge flow through of water creating so much water exchange that it stress the fish something terrible. The small fish seemed to survive but any time I got some RES above about 5" in there a rain even would create the flow through and large water exchange and they would be belly up.
A tiny pond can be managed. But I have learned that if you have a tiny pond you better have a tiny watershed to match it because multiple water exchanges rapidly and it is a recipe for disaster for the fish in said tiny pond. Tiny ponds and big watersheds flowing through them just stress the fish too much.
