Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations bill cody

bill,is our water temp ok to put fish in this week? HOSTY from Ohio.

Hosty - Fish can be moved easiest most any time when water temp is below 70F; cooler the better. Above 70F it gets more and more difficult to move fish as the temp approaches 80F. Above 80F your success rate drops dramatically unles you take learned precautions.

To be safe test the water temp of the new fish and your pond water. Finger/hand temp test is generally okay. If fish are transported in a bag with oxygen, Do not float the bag with fish in your pond esp in the sun. The bag becomes a greenhouse and heats up quickly. When arriving home do not delay placing fish into the pond after you do a water temperature comparison.

As a note, I NEVER put fish hatchery water into my pond. Too many unseen possibilities or seed problems in that water. I make my living by looking at what is microscopically in water. Fish hatchery waters get transferred around all over the country. I always dip my fish out with a net and place them in a bucket of my pond water. Remove them from the 1st bucket into a 2nd bucket of pond water (double rinse). Then dip them out of second bucket into my pond. My experience has been that people who do this typically have fewer algae, water odor/tastes, and fish problems compared to those who do not do this. Many pondowners in my area use their pond water as their house water source. However this fish rinse technique is not practical when dealing with thousands of fish.

PS - Say hi to Dennis Fender for me.

Thanks Bill, I will tell him.