Thank you all for your help along the way, whether directly or indirectly by sharing knowledge and experience for the rest of us to learn from.

I have heard that non-iodized salt can help with the slime coat but deferred to a vastly more experienced person at the source on how to prepare them for the journey. I may have suggested trying a little of the aquarium fish supplement had I remembered to bring it, but they did well without it.

I considered getting mail order fish like Theo but could only find one hatchery that would send them by mail and they don't have a great reputation. I used to get fish for my saltwater aquarium shipped from CA to the Midwest overnight and they did fine. I imagine they are less resilient than game fish and panfish. I expect that the complexity of differing state laws makes it less palatable to hatchery owners who don't want to take the risk, although a simple disclaimer on their website would probably protect them.

I have noticed a few of the SMB in the very shallows staring at the shoreline. Most of them were calm enough that I could pick them up and throw them into deeper water out of reach of the blue heron that like to hunt there occasionally. Thankfully they have migrated out for the season I think. One of the SMB seemed to have fin rot, but he took off with enough vigor that I couldn't catch him for a photo.

A couple inches of rain is expected between today and tomorrow so the pond is getting a bit of a flush right now. I'm grateful that the fish were able to get accustomed to their new environment before the drop in pH that is probably happening with the rain. I was hoping to get 2500 lbs of lime spread today but couldn't. Maybe I can make it happen on Thanksgiving.

My alkalinity was drastically low at 4ppm when I had it tested 8 months ago, so it definitely needs some lime. The FHM and crayfish seemed unbothered by it so I am hoping the SMB and YP will also do alright. One way or another, I'm getting lime into there though. At a minimum, I'll spread it on the ice this winter and let the Spring thaw take care of the rest.