Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Help me adopt my fish family

To all - A crayfish is not all crayfish and an alga is not all algae. This means that different species have different habits and niche requirements similar to fishes which many of you can readily relate to. Again I refer back to ethology. Sunil states - " However, I wonder about the self sustaining ability of crawfish in a 5.5 acre pond unless Brettsker continually introduces them."

As always, it all depends. The ability of crayfish to self-perpuate in the presence of a predator in any pond depends a lot on the specie of crayfish and the specie of predator and the habitat available and etc. Let's relate this concept back to forage fish and bass. Fatheads may not last long in the presence of LMB but BG will usually establish themselves with LMB. Why? It is basically because the two forage species have very a different ethology or traits. The same is true for any species. One specie of crayfish may not survive well or long term in a pond with bass, but that does not mean that another specie or two or three species in combination will not thrive in that same pond. A crayfish is not all crayfish. Always allow a "lot of room" for variation among different species. I think a lot of what I perceive as the problem that non-biologists have with this concept is that they do not have a good grasp on the number of species present in various typical aquatic habitats and the amount of variation those species possess. It is overwhelming.

Personal note to Sunil. Despite what it may superficially appear, I am not picking on you. Your comments are very good in that they sometimes allow me to expound on a topic and provide a little extra insight to the wonderful world of pond life. Consider yourself a valuable forum contributor.