Must have missed a puddle when I killed out the bluegill hatchery pond after harvest last fall. Lime wasn't available so I used some gallon jugs of bleach to treat the puddles. From now on it will be rotenone.

I didn't want any survivors after harvest as it's important to only have one hatch and promptly remove the brood fish in the spring when the fry are observed, which I did this year. This is because the multiple sizes are not wanted and the first hatch will be your best fish that won't have to share zooplankton with newer hatches.

Long story short I have now removed by sight fishing 7 bluegills in the 5 to 6 inch range AFTER the brood fish were removed, that must have survived in a puddle. Two were males on beds and the rest were gravid females. Couldn't have been more than an inch or so in length last fall in a puddle! They are only 1 + year old.

Fast growing healthy fish though and fortunately I have an outdoor 300 gallon tank with bluegills that same size that I can put them in. The two males on beds went into the male only bluegill pond and were definitely colored up males.

Unfortunately I seem to have had more than one hatch thanks to these little stinkers. Will see what happens as seining will occur soon.

I know it's not what you wanted to see Cecil, but that BG looks tremendous!!

That's a very nice "goof".

But that little goofer and her pond mates probably produced a few thousand fry that will not meet their potential.

A good example to all members of taking the easier and cheaper route resulted in the end more cost of time and money.

in aquaculture or aquaponics i dont recommend tap water because of the chlorine/chloramines but bluegill do have a bit of a tolerance to it.

A few years ago, i was topping off the tank from the tap and i forgot about it and the hose ran all night.. overflowing diluting and replacing my amber colored aquaponics water with crystal clear tap.

I did treat the chloramines with aesorbic acid (vitamin c) the next morning, but i lost zero tilapia, zero bluegill, but about 80% of my channel cats were dead or died within 24 hours.

Yep!

Very interesting Brian! It should also be noted that chlorine breaks down rapidly when it makes contact with organic material. Sunlight and aeration also break it down.

What a beautiful specimen of a healthy female bluegill.

Probably due to only a handful in the entire 1/10th acre pond don't you think? That said if I get my fry on artificial feed early in tanks they are all proportioned like that

Would have still preferred the only fry from the pond came from the two females and a male broodfish I placed in the pond and promptly removed when I observed fry.

When faced with a lemon one makes lemonade?

I will be sure to rotenone the pond this time.

I plan on hatching black crappies in the pond next year and feed training them. I have a lead on some starter feed that is used for difficult to feed train marine fish.

Cecil that fish looks great! Just shows what great genetics and a lot of TLC can produce.

Update:

One of those little fat toads that was obviously a male, that I moved to the male only pond, at feeding time has been observed sucking in hydrated pellets like there is no tomorrow. 5D06!