Hey Bill,
I am at home right now (just got the baby to bed), but will pull the report tommorrow. [Sidekick about babies: isn't the news about Greg great. Boy his life will be forever changed] Back to the report, it was about 50-75 pages (or more) if I remember correctly, so I can't paste it to this site, but I will check things out for you all and try to find a link. Yes, the heavier stocked, the more aggressive they are. But like anything else you can overdo it! On an average 1 acre stock we set it up as follows:
3000 GG
600 channel cats
5000 gambusia minnows
600 large mouth OR 600-1000 smallmouth (6 months to 1 year later)
1 Aqaurius aerator
1 Bug-O-Matic Feeder
1 Automatic feeder (38% protein/22%fish meal pellets)
1 quart ocean blue pond dye (per acre 4 foot deep)
Then we monitor every 6 months with free water tests. We test for pH, ammonia, hardness, and alkalinity. If a customer is having a problem we will test more frequently. When this program has been followed correctly we have had no problems. It is when a customer strays from the original program (no predators, no dye, no testing...) that problems arise. Usually these are the customers that someone has had to "go back on". Not that we do not take responsibility, but you yourself are a testimony to a good program, right? I personally NEVER suggest higher than 3000 to the acre, but some people cage raise for commercial reasons and need more fish. In that case aeration and feed need to be kicked up a notch with the increase in fish stocked. I heard from a customer out of Illinois just this past spring that is catching 4 1/2 lb GG out of a pond he stocked (properly) just four years ago. I will also try to find his name and number and try to get him to post on this thread.
Have a good evening!
Deb
