Ok, not too sure how much experience you guys have with this, but here is the dilemma.
I'm off at college right now(CSULB) but at home we've got a liner made pond(aka The Bird Feeder) in our backyard. It is somewhere in the range of 1000-3000 gallons(very rough estimate). Anyway it is home to some goldfish(which never get much bigger than a foot prior to getting spirited away by egrets or green herons, 3 spine sticklebacks that made their way in with the plants, bullfrogs, and some bluespotted sunfish(aquarium fish).
Here is an old photo, it has since grown in much more. The shallow area slopes to about 2 feet and then drops to a deeper area of maybe 4 for a bit of an idea. The pond gets quite warm in the summer(guessing 75). It gets down to approx 40 in the winter, and has frozen over before(thin sheet). This is in Fresno, CA. I'm surprised the sticklebacks are doing ok but they hang out mainly in the deep side of the pond towards the fountain during the hottest times of year.
Anyway, when I get home I am going to be draining the pond, and removing all the fish to a seperate smaller one, to get rid of the sunfish(non-native). Is their any way I can ensure that they will no longer be present in the pond? I've heard throwing in lime in dirt ponds is used in FL fish farming operations to kill any fish remaining. Any other suggestions?
Anyway, that done I've toyed with several ideas for this pond.
-leave the sticklebacks and goldfish alone...and try to encourage pacific treefrogs
-put in a "pet catfish" plus some forage fish for it
-a few pumpkinseed/bluegill
-Sacramento perch or two?
-turtles(my dad is against the idea of an ugly fence around it though!)
The catfish and the perch would likely need to be raised in a net cage until big enough to be safe from the birds. I really don't mind them too much as they have never managed to eliminate the goldfish...and seeing them in the backyard is a cool treat.
Any thoughts on these? I've been told the pond is big enough for a few cats but it would seem a bit cramped to me. The obvious difference is this pond will have to be maintained more like an aquarium than a pond. I have done some fishing in here(bullfrogs, and the biggest bluespots can be removed this way). I'd love to do the last option but have no idea how you'd get ahold of our only native sunfish.
I understand the only legal way to get fish in CA is to obtain them from a licensed hatchery. Does anyone here know if they would sell the small quantities needed for this pond? Or if anyone nearby is willing to split an order?
Thanks!
~Joseph
