Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Fish not feeding until....

I might have brought this before but it is quite perplexing and has been going on for at least 3 years. Suddenly, all fish will stop taking feed (Aquamax 600). Last night, they were feeding normally, tonight maybe 1 or 2 came up but it was basically dead as a door nail.I knew what the remedy was and what it has been...add 1 gallon of bacteria to the pond (1 acre). Literally within 10 minutes of adding the bacteria, the fish were once again feeding like piranhas. Any guesses what's going on? It's happened time and time and time again, so there's no other variables, it's definitely the bacteria. The bacteria I normally use is "Natural Pond Cleaner" by Sanco; Bact-Pur "Pond" also seems to work but not quite as quick. I've tried other brands and they don't work.

Could it be excessive fish waste? This pond is packed full of fish, I'm way over the limits for a healthy pond. I lose a lot of fish as the pond floods badly during heavy rains, I've been relying on this to manage the fish but because of the drought, the pond has not gone over the emergency spillways in at least a year.

I'd be curious what your ammonia and nitrites are with that many fish. Can you get a cheap API test kit and test it? Like this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-API-Fr...=item4abb0526f3

I am skeptical that bacteria would have that positive of an effect so quickly. Nitrifying bacteria do not multiply that fast.

What are your water temperatures? What size is your pond? Where in the midwest are you?

1 acre..deepest is 12 feet, average is probably 4'. My neat little ClineFinder temp gauge broke on me so I don't know the temp but doubt it's a factor as this phenomenon occurs all season long. I couldn't imagine the bacteria working this fast either but it's obvious, it does. I was just out there and the fish are back to top water feeding and it's just came back to life....very odd but it's the same pattern. . Yes, I can and will test the nitrates. I was trying to think back to when this started and I think it might have been about the same time I added the Gizzard Shad about 3-4 years ago.

I'm here in Kansas City

Test for ammonia and nitrites. Nitrates are quite benign and probably won't be very high anyway due to assimilation by plants and algae.

Gizzard Shad are not a good thing to have in such a small pond.

Have considered that you have predator fish show up from time to time and it's just a coincidence that you are add the bacteria after they go away?

Or perhaps you are making some splashing when you add the bacteria which makes the fish key in to feeding on pellets?

Yeah everyone told me about the Shad but I promptly ignored them...It's kind of like a test pond, at least that's my rational for doing something stupid. The Predators are the ones feeding...My CC are upwards of 20 Lbs, LMB 10 Lbs++ You should see some of those heads poking out of the water scooping up the pellets...HUGE....there is a pay off for having Shad I did have a decent die off this winter, I'm hoping it got all of them but I doubt it.