Here is a link to a list of RES threads if you are interested in reading up on them.
RES info and links to other threads I put 2" RES and FHM in my new .065 acre forage micro pond. Was starting to believe the RES were taking out my FHM brood stock as I saw a 4" fish and a couple 3.5" RES in the shallows the other day. I put in FHM's and they feed fine then in a week there is no trace of them. Was beginning to wonder if I was going to get any reproduction, but saw a few small fry in the shallows and see the telltale signs of hundreds of tiny circles in the open water where some tiny creature is hitting the surface. So I think I'm getting fry and in a few weeks will be big enough to see along the shore line. Hopefully.
I have put in several batches of adult FHM and was beginning to wonder. Will keep adding a dozen or so adults each week so I have multiple size classes in the forage pond. (trap them out of my main pond, but the LMB are doing a number on them now so will not have that supply much longer)
Have about 20 RES in this small pond so I would expect them to be working on the fry pretty hard. I hope I got the FHM's established, cause the RES will need more than what snails the pond can produce (already a good crop of them). Idea is as the RES get some size, take half to two thirds of them out and put in another pond, then leave enough RES brood stock to produce more RES fry. That is the plan. My plans don't always work out.
Remembered a day or two ago, FHM's usually die after spawning, so maybe they just spawned and died, and that is why I quit seeing them feeding or other signs.......dugh.....
RES will definitely eat FHM's, but in a three acre pond should be no problem for the minnows to stay ahead of the RES. The pond I have both in is a tiny forage pond, with few places for the FHM to hide outside of a few pallets to spawn on.
Hope at least some of this info is helpful.
