Update:
Smallmouth are a little bigger at about a half to 3/4's inch since my late report and are constantly moving looking for zooplankton. Some have fecal casts hanging from their anuses which means they are finding something to eat. I've also set up a light at night to concentrate zooplankton and many are milling around under the light. I'm waiting on an order of Aquamax 5DO 00 (starter feed) to see if I can get them interested before I remove them at 1 1/2 inches for intense feed training. I'm going to try a belt feeder under the light just like I do to feed train yellow perch.
There is also some fathead minnow reproduction. Some fatheads survived from the ones I planted to feed the broodstock and obviously reproduced.
The water began gin clear as of yesterday due to the continued expansion and growth of the Chara. I'm in the process of raking it out and hopefully this will allow a phytoplankton bloom to come back. I also stirred up the bottom by raking and along with the diffuser should bring up nutrients into the water column to feed the phytoplankton.
Here's one of two loads of Chara I removed:
Here's the Chara close up:
I will continue to remove as much Chara as i can from this small 1/10th acre pond manually. Copper based herbicides have no effect on established Chara in my ponds (due to the hardness of the water). Even if they did the amount I have now would be dangerous to kill even in sections. I think I've removed less than a 1/5th in my first two hours. Two trailer loads was probably about 500 lbs. wet weight.
Next year I will drain and dry the pond about 2 to 3 weeks before I fill it back up. Hopefully this will allow a bloom before the Chara gets the upper hand. I may consider putting Cutrine Plus granular on the bottom upon filling as a preemptive measure?
Thoughts? Suggestions?
P.S.: Just looking at the picture of Chara brings the skunky oder to mind! (It's also called skunk weed).
