Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Dead Bream, Aerator and Water Chemistry

L&L:

Since you started out with a new pond, there is no "septic tank" in the bottom of the pond to stir up (abruptly beginning bottom aeration on an old pond with a lot of bottom muck IS very likely to cause problems).

Are the catfish still active? Taking feed? Going after bait when you fish? "No dead catfish observed" and "no dead catfish" can be two different things. If you are losing a HBG every couple of days and the catfish are fine, that's quite different than if the cats are gone.

Don't think abut putting predators in until 1) the water cools off this Fall and 2) you get this dying bream problem figured out. Your stocking sounds a little heavy to me for 1/4 acre, and the 8" visbility worries me, but I don't qualify as an expert in my region, let alone in GA. Stay tuned for better advice. If you are going to spend money to analyze/fix things, I would highly recommend Greg Grimes - he's based out of Ball Ground, GA. You're likely to get excellent advice gratis from him anyway, if he sees your post.