Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Dead Bluegills

Hey Guys, My wife and I are new to pond ownership and unfortunatly didn't find this site until after we had established our pond. We cleaned out an old swamp and damed a small creek that ran thru it creating a small pond that is about 40 x80 feet long and no deeper than 5 feet. We stocked 150 hybrid bluegill fingerlings and 25 catfish fingerlings the first fall and since it is a natural creek we have an adbundance of creek chubs in our pond. We also have 18 Koi that outgrew my moms plastic pond which range from 10-20 inchesplus 3 larger catfish which were about 10 inches when we added them to the pond last year. My question is.. we have found 3 smaller (3-5 inch) bluegills floating in the pond this week with what appear to be either red sores? or bite marks on them. The one we found yesterday had a two red lines about 1 1/2 inches long on either side of its body about mid way up. Do I have a diease problem or it this what fish look like that have been attacked by the catfish?

If the marks are straight and on both sides I would guess they are from a Heron. When I had bluegills in my pond I used to find dead ones like that all the time from the heron trying to get them.

Thanks, I have been seeing a kingfisher? (thats what we always called them) in the shallow end of the pond but I figured he was working on the abundant tadpoles. But now that you mention it that does make sense.

Bob...how are your koi doing in this new environment?

Rowly