Well said Rod.

A couple of truisms.

First; it’s all about balanced water.

Ponds are sorta like gardens. No matter how expensive the seeds, you have to have proper soil to have a healthy home for fish. If it’s weak, add fertilizer. But, overdo it and you can kill everything. My zeal has not always been in my best interest. I once fertilized both of my ponds. They are about a mile apart. In a drought, I had a fish kill in the small (1/4) acre one but not in the big, about 2+ acres, one.


Next, there are regional differences. It rains in East Texas but not so much in West Texas.

Topography? Yep. I have a neighbor about 1/2 mile from my place. He has a weather station that I check on the internet for rainfall amounts. I get about 2/3 to 3/4 of that amount in my rain gauge due to my place being about 25 ft higher elevation than his. The clouds split when they get to my place. Another neighbors front gate is about 50 yards from mine. He is also downhill and gets more rain than I do even though our gauges aren’t over 250 yards apart. My 2 rain gauges, about a mile apart, never agree.

I sometimes remember what the Prime Minister of Egypt, Golda Meir, said. Her ancestor, Moses, roamed all over the place and settled down where it didn’t rain. I understand and can relate to that.

It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP Grandpa