Quote:
Originally posted by Bill Cody:
Theo asks: �What are each of your end goals for your big male BG, besides the shear pride and thrill of growing/catching them?� Theo, I think this question is just a sneaky way of trying to get a preview of Part 3 of Behemoth Bluegills by Cody, Condello and Baird. \:D

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2. Feed trained bluegills typically hang out higher in the water column than yellow perch. Since the bluegills are first to start eating the floating fish food, they provide signals to the deeper dwelling perch that it is feeding time. BG in a pond may help a larger percentage of the perch "stay on" fish pellets.

3. I think that a few bluegill cause the yellow perch to feed slightly more aggressively due to competition compared to if no bluegill are present.

4. I have discovered that a few Bluegills in a yellow perch pond function as �teacher fish� or examples and help newly introduced fed trained perch to find the feeding area. I think bluegills feeding at the surface can help train my young perch or, hesitant but willing perch, to learn to eat fish food. BG may also help train perch to be less shy at coming to the surface for food.
Sneaky? Moi? \:D

I never would have thought of points #2 or #3.

Your thoughts on BG value as a cross-species feed trainer are very interesting. I used feed trained BG to "teach" non-feed trained BG (training status of both groups is my best guess based on body condition, fish by-product content, and location of origin in my pond) to take pellets in a tank - it only took a couple of days for the non-feed trained BG to mimic their fat relatives. It had occurred to me that BG might serve the same function when feed-training RES; since you saw value to the practice with YP, I believe I will definitely try it with Redears.

"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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