Hi everyone. I have about a 1.10 acre lake and just yesterday we stocked 2000 BG/RES and 2000 FHM’s. I noticed this morning about 15 or so were dead. Is that normal? There were a few killed in transport, so I am figuring the stress of being in a new environment and transportation may have got a few. PH, hardness, alkalinity are all within range. Thanks in advance!

Yes even more than that is pretty normal.

Hi!

thats less than 1 per thousand so i think youre ok

Well, its a little more than that....more like 1 per 100, but I just didn’t know with them dying so soon if that was something I should be concerned about. Thanks for the reply!

Stocking stress isn’t all that unusual.

The real question is how many died but didn’t float. According to Lusk, very few float. This is always an unknown and smaller fish don’t always travel well.

New pond or older pond with supplemental stocking??

I know Dave! That’s what I am concerned about. I found 2 more dead over the weekend which brings it to about 20 or so....and half of the were floating and half were sunken

Brand new pond Bill. PH and everything is near perfect. The only thing that may be of concern is low DO.....About a 1/10 of it is backed up into woods, and over the last 3 months the water has turned a tea color due to tannins I presume. Thank you for the replys!

Uh oh, tea colored water due to tannins might be a bigger concern. Did you add brush/trees to your pond?

Very probably handling stressors from supplier, heat, and traveling were main causes for losses. For new pond stockings the ones that float are the larger percentage of the deaths. For existing pond supplemental stockings lots of the weak dead ones are eaten before they float by the existing fish.

I did add structure Steve....but all the research I have done says that tannins for the most part are cosmetic unless its a walnut tree correct? I know it can cause low DO if there is a TON of tannins. Is that not right?

Thanks Bill...makes me feel better.

I do have a rather high watershed for my size pond...around 50 acres for a little over 1 acre pond. Mostly wooded. I know that’s not the most desirable, but it was either that or no pond at all. I was hoping the higher volume of water would keep it oxygenated and flush tannins out. Once I figure out the best aeration system I am gonna get that ordered.

It is always best for fewest handling deaths to move or buy fish during cooler temperatures. Generally - the warmer the air temperatures expect more deaths.

Walnut trees are bad, but so are Oaks. It also depends on how many you put in, relative to your pond size. Its best to let them dry or "season" before adding them, from what I've read. Here's a quote from Dave Davidson in an older thread:

What about cedar trees? I am getting ready to stock some RES in October and was going to put in some cedar trees for cover. The trees I was going to put in are still standing awaiting the chain saw. Can I put them in right after cutting? I have never heard of tannin issues with trees.

I've never heard of a problem with cedar.

No issues with Cedar, in fact, I think they are the most commonly used tree due to low tannins and their longevity underwater. MisterA, I think Dave came up with a bucket test you can do, if you're ever unsure about a particular tree you want to toss in for structure. Just cut some small branches up, bark, leaves, whatever, and add them to a bucket of water. If you don't see a color change, you're probably good to go. You can also toss in a fish to see if it dies in the tree-infused water. But Cedar is safe, either way. I'd stay away from Oak.

Cedar won't hurt anything. I put 100+ fresh-cut cedars in my pond as it was filling during the fall/winter of '18/'19.

Thanks guys. A disaster has been narrowly averted. We didn't get much rain here from the hurricane but we did get serious wind. I had an oak tree lose some pretty big branches. I moved them out of the way but just stacked them. My wife asked why I hadn't cut them up and put them in the burn pile and I told her I was trying to figure out a way to get them in the pond for cover for the upcoming RES. Obviously, I would very much have regretted doing that..............

Jugalone Toxin from Black Walnuts is what kills fish when Walnuts are put in a pond, not the tannic acid.

Here's a link where they talk about that. http://www.rogueturtle.com/articles/blackwalnut.php

Anyone have any opinions on Maple, Ash and Poplar for brush piles and fish structure? That's the majority of what I have to work with. Unfortunately, I don't see any Cedars.

Small oaks, depending on the volume of water, shouldn't a problem but isn't a plus. My problem came about when my approx one acre pond was built. Some big oaks were taken down and I had them pushed into the bowl. It sounded like a good idea at the time. We got some good rains the next couple of days and I bought small fish and crawdads. Shortly after, the water turned black and everything died. Tannins in big quantities from fresh oaks are lethal. I bought a pump and emptied it. That took awhile for about a1/4 acre of water. Texas summer dried everything out and I burnt it. Then waited for rain that didn't come for quite awhile.

To test any wood, cut a small piece and put it in a bucket of water. After 3 or 4 days, add minnows. If they live, you ought to be OK.