My condolences. DO crashes stopped when I quit fertilizing. WARNING! SOAPBOX COMING. Although it sounds heretical around this web site, I think it is overdone and dangerous. I know it sounds great to increase a ponds carrying capacity. (So do a lot of other things that I've learned not mess with.) I fertilized when I first got started and my friends marveled at my aquarium full of fish. Life was good and neighbors were asking for my advice until Mama Nature showed me the folly of my tinkering. The friends weren't there to see the turtles gorging at my pride and joy. Bob Lusk once said here not to fertilize unless you really need to. Bill Cody once posted that if you start fertilizing, you can't stop. I bet that most of the fish kills reported here happen to fertilized ponds that are above their normal carrying capacity. I won't do it again unless a Sechi disk says that I just gotta.

I have another real good reason not to fertilize. Lack of rain is a reality in my area. Prior to our recent deluges, my one+ acre, 15 ft. deep at the dam, water hole was 7 ft. low and approaching 1/2 acre. No fish kill though. I shudder to think what would have happened had I followed the maximum carrying capacity mantra.

I also have a small approx. 1/6 acre pond that I was using as a forage pond. I fertilized, seined it twice and put a staggering amount of bluegill and fatheads in a neighbors new pond. They kept spawning and I didn't get around to seining. Their manure fouled the water and it turned a real nasty looking green. Before long, no fish. Too much natural fertilizer.

I think fertilizer can be an important management tool. But, like tequila and a bunch of other things, it can cause a major hangover. Remember, Mama Nature always seems to get even.