The only reason I am considering growing BG is just to make sure that I can fill the gaps with what the pond will have naturally.
“Filling in the gaps” for raising high quality bass using all natural forage is a matter of maintaining the natural BALANCE of numbers of forage and numbers of predators. As predators become too abundant or have too much carrying capacity poundage the forage densities / amounts become limiting and their numbers decrease and thus bass lose standard weight (SW) and have lower relative weight(RW). Learn about these items. Monitoring RW is the way that most fishery managers monitor the amount of the PROPER SIZES and numbers of forage items that are present. As you know from angling for LMB in FL as bass grow they eat bigger and bigger foods. This is VERY important for continuing their growth. You didn't fish for the FL bass using fathead minnows. Thus growing bigger bass or getting them to continue growing well requires the Proper Sizes of foods they need to continuing good growth. BG fry feed only 1"-2" bass. PROPER HABITAT allows fry to grow to sizes needed that feed bigger fish. Proper Habitat promotes proper amount of spawning activity and fry survival. When a pond is not getting enough fry,,, Habitat is not correct for the GOALS of the pond and too many predators were probably present for the type and amount of Habitat present.
Lower RW values of individuals generally indicates there are too many hogs feeding at the trough. For more good discussions of forage amounts and the RW of LMB study and learn during the winter all about this in LMB Management in PB Archives; see links. Growing quality bass or growing and managing for trophy bass usually requires different forms of management and available foods.
General LMB Management
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=255372#Post255372Trophy LMB Management
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=557289#Post557289Most pond owners do not realize how much food a LMB needs to maintain its maintenance weight (standard wt) and then the amount of EXTRA need food consumption to grow it / them to the next pound. Well fed LMB are capable of growing 1 lb per year IF THEY ARE ABLE TO EAT ENOUGH OF THE RIGHT SIZES OF FORAGE FOODS. Learn all about this. LMB even in the central northern US that are not growing at least 1/2 to 1 lb per year are too crowded and not getting enough food. Thin out the LMB so remaining bass have more food. Just adding extra forage is almost always not the answer due to pond carrying capacity and standing crop.
IMO for how much food (fish) it takes to grow LMB and what little amount of BG fry that you can raise in an exterior tank/s this will have a VERY VERY little impact for helping to grow more bass in your pond. IMO your best way to raise additional forage items for “filling in the gaps” would be to do one or both of these ideas.
1. While the Builder is there working with equipment have him spend 4 to 10 hours building you a “proper” forage pond. Heavy on Proper Forage Pond. A good forage pond allows for easy harvest of fish/invertebrates. A good forage pond, when managed as productive, can grow thousands of times more of fry / fingerlings compared to the amount of your expense and efforts needed to mess with growing BG in outdoor tank/s. The forage pond could also be utilized for polyculture for additionally growing different species that you could not feasibly grow in an outdoor tank.
2. Reduce the size of your new pond by an appropriate amount of cubic yds of dirt moved and use those dirt moving hours spent building a forage pond. Research forage pond plans and construction for ideas about what makes a good forage ponds and their management. In the past Pond Boss magazine (back issues) had a regular feature called Tiny Pond discussed ideas of what to do with them. If really interested research our PB Archives for the annual PB magazine Contents and Indexes of all the Back Issues titled - POND BOSS ARTICLES AND INDEX–by Year
The builder and I have been in regular communication in regards as to what I am wanting and how to keep it clear.
What is your definition and the Builder’s definition of the of clear pond water??? Know the details of his definition. Those clear water transparencies (turbidity) could be significantly different.
Clear pond water is a relative term. Your reading here on the Forum will indicate that the best water clarity for growing the best sport fishery is to promote water clarity of 2ft to 3ft (secchi disk) that responds to the proper balance of plankton both represented by phytoplankton and zooplankton. Water with lower amounts of plankton reduces the fish carrying capacity of the pond i.e. fewer pounds of fish. Water turbidity with its plankton is usually always heavily influenced by suspended silt, detritus and dirt and do not contribute to fish growth. It is good to know the difference when pond productivity is important. The fishery term of plankton is often called a bloom. The definition of a bloom is a very relative term just as clear water is a relative term. Clear water and bloom are compared to what?
For a reference of a clarity measurement (clear) in your or this current Pond Boss forum thread, What is the builder proposing to do for his part of pond construction to keep the pond clear???
I help mange many ponds that range from clear water (vis 8ft to 16ft) to turbid water (10” to 2ft). In my experience pond management and the fishes and animals present have a lot more to do with water clarity than how the pond was built. I am ‘nosey’ for what your builder proposes to do to promote “clear water” by his definition?.
To get us all on the same page give us what sizes and what the maximum depths are of all the ponds that are on the property and the fishes in them. Did you mention the proposed size of the planned new pond?
