Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations kill question

Bass and catfish will probably not eat very many tadpoles until the bluegill numbers start decreasing. Tadpole numbers will noticably start to decrease as bgill numbers get lower. Since tadpoles swim slowly they are very suseptable to predation. As a deterrent for getting consumed or eliminated tadpoles have a disagreeable flavor. So predators have to be pretty hungry before they eat tadpoles, but they will eat them when really hungry. I suspect some fish may even develop a taste for tadoles and consume them over fish. However most all frogs are tasty to fish.

Your friend would have had more success at transporting the cats if he would have moved a lot fewer fish with less crowding. The more fish that are confined to a container the faster the oxygen is consumed and the more ammonia that is produced into the water by each "breathing" fish. Warmer water holds less oxygen. So transporting fish in warm water is very difficult if not done by someone experienced. Experienced fish haulers have often killed many fish learning their transporting methods. Moving fish is very difficult in mid-summer.

Oxygen is most important and temperature is second. Reduction in oxygen and an increase in ammonia levels is very hard stress to fish. The quick decrease in water temperature due to adding ice,, temperature shocks the fish and compounds the stressors. Rapidly droping the temperature of fish is riskier and more stressful than raising the temp. Compare his method with the recommended temp change for fish of 2 degree temp change per 20 min. Fish were cooled down for transport then warmed back up when restocked. His methods obviously did not immediately kill the big cats but you are now seeing the affects that they endured; latent or delayed deaths from too much and too many stressors. Just because a fish swims away when released does not mean it will live. You are learning this fact.

Fish are somewhat like people in an accident or those that have gotten sick with flu or pnemonia, disease, etc; they may not die right away but can move around or function, but if not treated they will die later of one or a combination of several factors. I would be very suprised if any of the large cats survive that your friend brought to you due to the transport methods he used.

If we hauled you to the hospital and oxygen levels decreased while BAD air (ammonia) to you increased as we traveled you probably would not make it there alive if we had to go very far. Time in transort is also a big factor in survival; esp if hauling conditions are less than best. Experience has taught me that, it is much better to transport two fish that live, than move lots of fish that eventually die. What a waste of quality fish, money (pay lake fees), time, and effort.

Also note that fish when they die do not all float. I killed all fish in a pond last week and about 50% floated; rest sunk to the bottom. One could see them laying on the bottom. Scavengers often get them before they bloat & float.