Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water bullheads

Has anyone seen any indications that bullheads, by stirring up mud, help to seal leaking ponds?

I found this on the Internet: Bullhead have the reputation for patching holes in leaky ponds. http://www.fishsvr.com/catfish_1.php

I would rather deal with a leak than bullheads.

If you want CC to stir up the bottom, just feed some sinking feed.

I would have trouble believing that bullheads could stop leaks.

I would too any significant leaks. But I could see where certain situations it might help.

If you are putting clay particles in suspension and over time they tried to flow through soil they might eventually plug up the porosity.

At least if you were trying to do the opposite, pass dirty water through a filter, the filter would eventually plug even though you didn't want it to.

I can see where dirty water might eventually fix a problem like inadequate compaction. Heck I have seen calcium and iron in hard water fix a leak in a metal pipe thread joint after a while.

But if a leak is actually flowing enough to cause erosion rather than just seepage, dirty water likely would not be adequate.

I've never seen where the water is coming out. It's probably going through the dam, which is covered in deep grass. When the level drops to a certain point, the seepage nearly stops. I don't know what depth still remains, but I'm guessing it's not more than a few feet. Neighbors who were around here when the pond was built said they've never seen it go dry. Being bullheaded, I will probably give bullheads a try, if I can get some.

I have bullheads in my pond and would give anything to be rid of them no matter what the benefits of leaving them around would be

Matzilla,
What else do you have in your pond? Do you eat bullheads?

BCP, LMB, BG - adding SMB, WE, RES and HSB before the end of the year. I don't eat them so the ones I catch are given away as flathead bait or fed to raccoons.

With those predators in there, I'd think the number of BH would be kept in check. My dad had BH in a pond with NP, and the BH never became a problem.

Considering the almost universal dislike of BH, I suppose little or nothing has been done to determine the best methods of raising them. For instance, which species are most compatible with them if the goal is to manage the other species and the BH for large BH?

From the MO Pond Manual: "Bullheads...are not recommended for pond stocking because their bottom-feeding activity may cause a pond to become muddy. This handicaps the sight-feeding bass and reduces food production. When stocked alone, bullheads overpopulate. In clear ponds with a good bass population, few bullheads will survive; but the ones that do will grow to a large size."

My pond is generally quite clear. It's murky only after a heavy rain. It's fed by runoff from good pasture, and the soil is quite rocky, which may be why my pond leaks. If BH did become a problem, I'm guessing a couple norther pike could get them under control. Of course, otters can mess everything up.