This is not exactly creating the food chain as the forum suggests, but amplifying our present chain.
That said, here's a bit of background.
1/4 acre 30 year old pond, 8 feet deep when full, 4 feet by the end of each winter. Irrigation water fed from
April through October. Cool water pond; surface water may reach 75 degrees in summer; significantly cooler down deep as river water source for irrigation supports wild trout population.
15 years ago there were only LMB, YP, and 2 TGC in the pond. We now have vibrant populations of
BG, GSF, naturally occuring HBG, some LMB, a dwindling population of YP, and several large TGC. I stock some trout every few years, both tigers and rainbows, which persist for 3 or 4 until they disappear.
We often have a significant FA problem which, buoyed by the cool water, can last until mid summer.
There are no minnows. I'm curious if I should add golden shiners as a bonus forage species. I'd like to see more YP; I realize the LMB and GSF are probably hammering the young perch. Might the shiners help to take some pressure off young perch? (Cody question). And, here in Colorado we're not permitted to put tilapia in outdoor water bodies. Silly huh? Not a lake, river, or puddle in the frigid winters here would allow tilapia to over winter. My pond has no outflow; the irrigation inflow cruises down a 1/3 mile plastic pipe and is 50 degrees or colder all summer. Tilapia are certainly not going anywhere, upstream or down. What should consistent water temps be when tilapia are introduced into outside water? Is 60 warm enough, 65?
Thanks for considering all this.
