I have been trying to put eyes to a fathead minnow since I put 9 lbs in my pond a week ago with no luck. I have walked the edges and all I see are tadpoles. I have even held a light out to the water at night with no spottings. Do FH's come to a light or am I just wasting time? If there are no predators will they seek deep water all the time or am I just not seeing them? I keep hoping they are all spawning, making thousands of little ones, but surely that doesn't take up all their time eh??

Have you tried using a minnow trap?

I will try that, it would seem to me that you would at least see one in a weeks time. I saw them all over immediately after I stocked them, the next day it was as if they were invisible, or vanished, or had moved to Sunil's place for the rest of the summer maybe....

JoeG, I had the same experience when I first stocked FH into my neighbor's pond. He wasn't present when I stocked them and I felt somewhat uncomfortable because for a few weeks there was no indication of any fish in the pond.

After feeding them for a while they started coming to the surface.

I have a night light in my pond and the FHM are attracted to it as well as the CNBG/BG/LMB. They will also train to come to fish feed. I see them quiet well in my forage pond where I have just FHM and a few GC. I can't see them in the bigger pond at feeding time because of the rucus from the bigger fish. I started seeing the eggs and fry from my FHM before I started seeing the minnows. Look under floating logs/sticks/etc. They attach their eggs underneath submerged objects. A plastic chair blew into my pond and had eggs attached to it in several places after being in the water for just 3-4 days. I have also noted that they swim in schools. I am no expert, these are just observations. They are there, just give them time.

I didn't see any FHM after stocking them in a new pond earlier this year until after they spawned. I still don't see many, compared to the Gambusia that are much more comfortable in the upper water, but I get a few in an unbaited minnow trap each day.

Well I saw them yesterday, a gang of about ten FH minnows looking around for a big fish to kick it's butt, probably looking for a redear sunfish...

I wouldn't doubt it. Don't know about being attracted to light, but FH are definitely attracted to death.

I even saw a male with spawning colors come out from under a rock and clear out some intruders from his yard, very cool.

"...but FH are definitely attracted to death."

Oh, the brutality.

JoeG, I'm sending you a PM.

Saw another male in spawning colors yesterday, I'm pretty happy about it too!!!!

Ok, now I have literally thousands of FH fry around the shore, tiny schools huddled in inches or less of water, some are just little tiny things, like thin lines drawn on the bottom, others are as long as 2 CM already. These buggers must grow fast because I put them in back around the first week of August and they are everywhere now. I'm still planning on waiting to stock until spring, the pond isn't completely full yet either. Should I feed these little buggers to help them along? They seem to be growing quite rapidly as it is.

I would feed them if for no other reason just to watch them eat.
Feeding will also multiply their growth to maturity so they too can spawn.

Good point, I hadn't thought of it like that.

Joe I was orginally using Purina sinking fry food, can't remember the number. I ran out & the only dealer around couldn't get it in unless I special ordered it. So I bought game fish chow. I soaked it in water until I could mash it up so it would sink (usually took 30 min or so) & they ate it like crazy! I never bought the expensive stuff again. But it was higher protien.

I think I will do that too Ric, I am going to buy some cheap stuff from TSC and give it a try, each day it looks as though there are more and more little ones showing up. I still see spawning adults too, so if the indian summer holds on and water temps. stay stable I may have more mouths to feed yet, heh heh. Yeah, I'm hooked...no pun intended.