Jimmi,

FHM will breed at 3 to 4 months of age. To be good brooders they need to achieve more than 2" in length. If the density is already high with limited food, they may not be able to recruit any more than what is already there. Follow Bill's advice on feeding which would expand the carrying capacity.

Furthermore, minnows should be cropped as they grow and added to your fishing BOW. You will produce much more forage this way. A fair proportion of your feed goes to support the maintenance of the FHM biomass so by cropping ... more of the feed is converted to minnow flesh (in the remaining minnows and recruits). Keep in mind that FHM are PROLIFIC and they can easily stunt without enough food. Ideally you should remove the weight your feed is gaining the FHM biomass OR vice-versa. Yes, you can feed for a goaled weekly or monthly gain and crop it. Right now you should harvest most of your minnows and feed your fish in the fishing BOW. Unless you feed over winter you could easily lose half or more of the biomass by spring anyway ... but even with half of what is there now that is probably way too much for brood next spring. 3 lbs in 1/8 acre bow is a healthy amount of brood stock and just that many can fill the pond with more fry than required to reach carrying capacity.

It can be a good idea if the forage pond is drainable to drain and dry it each year off season. 2 to 3 lbs of minnows is affordable to start again ... consider also the winter mortality within the forage pond. That's a loss if they don't feed your fish. Usually, you will produce more minnows next year if you start with a dry pond. This can help to reduce disease and insect predators. If not drainable, then ignore, but its very handy to have that capability.

Last edited by jpsdad; 09/25/23 10:18 PM.
It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers