I had a 1/3 acre mud bottomed pond with SMB, YP and GS-FHM. It worked well until it was contaminated with BG and GSF. YP, SMB and GS ate pellets. FHM were always rare in occurrance. There are a few pond near me with just YP and SMB as mostly natural balance without pellet feeding. No major problems with YP stunting so far providing weeds do not become abundant. Sept-Oct 09 PBoss mag will have an article about fish combinations, food item additions to improve the food chain, and management ideas when using primarily SMB as the main predator.
Search the internet for freshwater inland crayfish species that inhabit teh WA area. Look for those species with natural histories that are primarily pond dwellers. The locate natural sources or bait dealers and stock some of those species. Often pond dwelling crayfish will thrive in medium to large sized rock piles located is several shallow areas around the pond perimeter.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/12/09 08:24 PM.
