Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Partial fish kill

We have had another dry summer in my area. Mom's 1/3 acre pond is down over 2 ft with the last runoff event probably in April. On top of this we had over a week of triple digit temps and no cloud cover. The pond water had gotten very green from planktonic algae and then suddenly we get 2-3 cloudy days in a row. Mom calls me to say the water is starting to look slimy and the fish aren't eating. I told her to stop feeding until we get a break in the weather but in the back of my mind I'm dreading what may happen next.

Sure enough she calls me back Monday to tell me there are several dead fish floating. After all was said and done we found 4 GC (all of them), 22 adult HBG, and 11 2-3 lb LMB. This may be all the LMB in the pond as the feeding area has been dominated by 1-3 inch Fx HBG. 30 3-5in bass were stocked in spring 06 but I think only a few made it. Pond is devoid of cover and we have not stocked HBG in about 4 years yet there are 1-3in HBG everywhere. There may have been too much competition from HBG for the bass stockers and the adult bass may have targeted the young bass because they prefer their body profile.

I regret not keeping aquashade in it this year. Last year we didn't put any in and I ended up raking out lots of FA. I applied some this spring when the FA started to grow but as the months went by the aquashade started to fade and the planktonic algae seemed to gradually take it's place. I thought it was great as we had very little FA and the food chain would benefit from the planktonic. It just got too hot and dry too be followed by some cloudy days and we had a O2 crash. The pond doesnt have aeration and don't think it will anytime soon.

Looking forward I want to try to stock maybe 30-40 LMB that are over 8 inch to hammer the Fx HBG. Even with daily feeding the Fx HBG don't seem to be getting to a decent size so I would like to replace them with F1's. Problem is that they will also hammer any new F1 HBG we might stock. Without resorting to a cage nursery does anybody have advise on how to get the Fx HBG out and the F1's in?

Sorry to hear about the kill, DJT.

That's pretty much right out of the textbook.

I'm pretty sure sombody will chime in with stocking advice. I'd like to ultimately use some really some really articulate posts like this to create an archived thread on fish kills. Your situation mimics mine quite closely.

sorry about that DJT, i'll let the experts answer yer fish question.

i wanted to add a brief aeration comment though, and i hate to harp on aeration, but after starting routine aeration this year, i would highly recommend figurin something out for yer mom's pond. i never tried aquashade, but the aeration has worked to keep the weeds at an acceptable level, at least for me, and prevent any fish from dying so far (my water level is down over 5 feet and the pond contains alot of fish), although the jury is still out whether or not they will make it two more months.

DJT, if all (or at least most) of the desirable fish appear gone, maybe you should consider renovation. Can you siphon that 1/3 acre down to nothing, salvage any edibles, hydrated-lime kill the rest, and restart when it refills? Certainly worth thinking about, even if you discard that option.

Theo's got a really good point. Renovation should always be seriously considered. It can solve a lot of problems.

When she first called about the kill, I thought we would lose more fish. At that point I had started to think about starting completely over. But as I walked on the dock on Tuesday the fish gathered to be fed. I gave them a little and they ate like crazy probably cause mom had not fed in a week since I told her not to. Right now I am on the fence as far as what to do. Mom tends to worry too much and she was visibly upset when we talked about the pond. Seeing fish eating again lessened the blow and made her feel better. That is why I was hoping to build on what she has left. She has a nightly routine of sitting on the dock with the dog and feeding and I know she would miss it even if it was only till next spring.

We have a family get together Sunday and I want to discuss options with mom and my brothers. My father passed 2 years ago and now she tends to leave these kinds of things up to us boys. I hate to tell my 65 year old mom she needs to spend hundreds of dollars on a aeration system but it would have made a big difference. I do think that without it I will have to use aquashade to prevent this from happening again even though it has it's drawbacks.

IMO the sons (brothers) should get together and put in the aeration system for their mom. It will be theirs sooner or later anyway. You can probably never repay your parents for what they have done for you from the time of your incepetion, but this would be a good effort toward that goal. If for no other reason but in honor of your father. Since your mom likes the fish feeding quality time experience - maybe an early mothers day gift 2008. Do-it-yourself diffused air systems that are high quality can be done for $450-600 or even less if you are creative and tolerant. As an example T.Lea who advertises on this forum (Resosurce Guide - ForeverGreen) offers one similar economical unit. Most expensive part of the set-up is the compressor - a new top of line rotary vane runs in price from $325-400 - depending. Manifold, air guage, air filter, relief valve, hose, & diffuser will run another $80-$150 depending on sources. Expect to pay more for the put together packages. If you are having trouble finding equipment at these prices, contact me for advice.

If the water source is run-off only, how long do you think it would take to fill again if you drained it? I know that would be a SWAG.

You could also trap or seine as much of any undesirables out while initiating a new stocking plan.

This would only be in efforts to minimize any downtime from your mom's ritual evening feedings.

Bill C: I plan to talk about a system when we meet but I don't want to push the issue. I am the one who will eventually take over the home place and I don't want it to look like I'm just setting this up for myself. My uncle and cousin live across the road from mom and they each have aerated ponds (although I think my uncles system broke recently) so we can look at how they work first hand. Anyhow we will see how it goes.

Sunil: The pond would refill by next spring for sure. BTW congats on becoming a moderator.

Mr. Cody, one of the best posts I've ever seen. I agree, do it for Mom. Ted Lea would be an excellent choice of who to call.

DJT, I wouldn't worry about how the other family members feel. Mom could easily outlive several systems. If, in the absence of Dad, Mom really enjoys the pond and its denizens, go ahead and do it.

I would be cautious about stocking the 30 to 40 LMB in a 1/3 acre pond. They have a serious tendency to overspawn. BTW, ask Mom what she is interested in. Are the FX hybrids really a problem? If the pond is therapy for Mom, she might like those little suckers.

Before I used Aquashade, I would get more GC. I really don't like that stuff.

DJT this topic is an excellent example of how the question should always be " what are the owner's goals" . I would not start over because of the situation. I note that there was no mention of fishing in the post so that must take a back seat to "Mom" as it should. Like Bill says this is about her not the pond's fish. A seine survey would help gather info and be a way to remove some of the offending Fx HBG. I would add some 8in LMB (20). If you have that many Fx HBG then my guess is you have HBG that are a high % of either GSF or BG or some GSF/BG are in the mix. Studies on the subject wrt HBG in ponds where there are even a few LMB present show almost no Fx survive to a year.

Update: I am looking at getting a air system installed before spring. My sister works for a big industrial supply company and they have a Gast 0523-V350Q-G588DX model rotary vane pump available. I see most of the pond supply places list the 0523-101Q for aeration. I hope the difference is minor as i would like to get it through my sister since she gets a significant discount over the listed price. My uncle bought a whole system from a local conservation office so I hope I can get the rest of the air line and diffusers there. I'm sure I will have more questions when the equipment comes in and I am opening the boxes.

We have transplanted 3 bass from my cousins pond and added 70 1" RES I got when passing by a fish farm. The pond didn't have RES before. The remaining HBG have been eating very well and very late into the fall. A local high school FFA club (Future Farmers of America) is raising pellet fed LMB in a indoor system as a school project and according to the teacher they should have fish almost 8" for sale by April or May. I look forward to seeing the system and plan to get 20. I am going to hold off on anymore GC since FA is main problem and the last 2 we bought just ate pellets.