WOW!! What an answer!
Bill that was awesome. Thanks a million.
The pond itself is(was) new, constructed and filled in April - it is lined and therefore there was NO substrate other than clay we added when it was filled.
The muck thickness at this point is about 3 inches average, of course lower on the sidewalls and more so on the flat areas.
I was feeding according to the graph Aq. of Texas gave me, which was 24-75 # per surface acre. Since I was a 1/4 acre I started with 8 # of feed after the shrimp were 60 days old and increased to 16 pounds towards the end. I could see areas the feed was not being cleaned up and therefore did not increase to the 18.75 # the chart recommends.
I *did* speak with a person at KSU regarding the activity in the pond.. at which point we decided to increase the aeration for the remainder of the season.
I'm not totally devastated with the outcome and my circumstances, this was a learning (and will continue to be) experience and I will most definitely do it again next year. With more diffusers.. and an insect eater
