Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Optimum Feeding Ring Size

Last year, 0 B.P.B. (Before Pond Boss) I threw together a 5 ft square feeding ring out of 1.5" schedule 40 PVC. I spent half of 2004's feeding weather trying to get my BG to eat in it without success. The CC, GC, and GShiner will feed just about anywhere, so I stopped using it and just fed with the wind to give the fish the maximum amount of time to eat before the pellets blew to shore.

This year my BG started taking feed, so I have anchored the old feed ring at their preferred locale and feed BG inside the ring (2x daily), CC outside the ring (1x daily). (The Shiners eat wherever.) As the number and size of BG taking feed has grown it has become apparent to me that next year I will want to use a bigger ring. My reasons for a bigger ring are to hold more feed without it blowing away, have room for more BG to eat, feed all the fish inside the ring, make it easier to toss a bigger amount of food into, and allow part of the ring to be farther from shore (I think that covers all the pros I've thought of).

I recently scored some used semi-rigid black plastic 1" & 1.25" water pipe (pulled from a well) which I am sitting on to use as electrical conduit in the future. I think the 1.25" would make a decent round feeding ring (assuming it's not holed) and would like your ideas on what the best size to use would be. I'm thinking a 10' diameter would be minimum; I have enough 1.25" pipe to go up to about 25' diameter maximum.

Pond is just under 1 acre. I will be feeding the above mentioned species for 2-3 (?) years and then hope to stock 8"-10" HSB when most of the CC have been removed. I feed by hand and will continue to do so (pond is only 200 yards from the house and I always make time to feed the fish - it's damn relaxing).

Thanks for your input.