We purchased another 100 HBG early this spring to supplement our existing population. I purposefully chose to get these fish off the traveling fish truck, rather than my usual source, just to see if they performed any differently.
They were placed into a cage at 3-4", and were fed AQ500 once a day. After 60 days, all but 10 were released into the pond, while the remainder stayed in the cage. Feeding remained the same.
Now, as my water levels have shrank, the cage has began resting against the bottom. Not good, so I decided to release the remaining 10 fish, rather than move the cage to deeper water.
All ten were within 3/4" of one another, although I didn't get any weights. Here's a photo of the biggest, a full 8".
Four inches of growth in four months. Pretty standard.
