Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Where can I buy feed?

Hi all,

This is my first post on the Pond Boss Forums, what a great resource...

I just got done with my initial stocking of bluegill and fathead minnows in my 2 acre farm pond near Omaha, NE. Is there anyone familiar with any fish feed dealers, preferably Aquamax, in my area? I've been to both Tractor Supply's by me and neither stock anything but Koi and catfish feed (the farm pond diet isn't stocked). So far searches on the internet come up empty. Purina Mills shows lots of feed dealers around Omaha, but none appear to stock any fish feed. Thanks a lot for any help!

Any Purina Dealer should be able (and willing) to order any Purina product for you, their various fish feeds included.

As it is rather late in the year for feeding up North, many Purina dealers up here may easily be out of fish feed until next year. Do some checking over the Winter and find which (if any) regularly stock Aquamax and which will order it for you.

FWIW, our local mill only stocked Game Fish Chow until I started ordering Aquamax 600/500 from them. They regularly stock 500& 600 now, and added Aquamax Largemouth on their own volition this year.

P.S. Welcome to the Forum!

Any Purina dealer can and should order what you want.

My local Purina dealer doesn't stock AquaMax, but they only need a week's notice and it's waiting for me. The last time I bought AquaMax 600 it was $25 and change per bag.

Esshup and I are lucky that one of the production plants is here in Richmond, Indiana. Makes it cheaper then some other folks farther away from the plant.

Thanks guys, I'll talk to some dealers and see if they're willing to order some in for me. At what water temperature do you guys typically stop feeding your fish?

I just got the fish 2 weeks ago, and they were being fed. I assumed they would continue to eat for awhile longer until the extended cold weather hits here.

IIRC, fish start slowing down once water temps drop below 60, and Purina generally recommends not feeding once temps drop below 55.

Is there a really big diffrence in the Aqumax 500&600 compared to the Purina Game fish chow ? The reason i am askign is game fish chow is cheaper ?

Thanks

32% protein for GFC versus 40% for Aquamax 500/600 and 45% for Aquamax Largemouth. What is appropriate to use depends upon what you are feeding and how manic a pondmeister you are. How I see it:

CC? GFC is more than sufficient.

BG for forage? GFC.

YP/Trophy BG/Smaller HSB? 500/600.

LMB (bigger HSB)? Largemouth.

The pellet trained LBM that I put in this Spring are (well, were 'till the temps cooled off) eating the AM600 and they are 12"-13" long. I caught one and it was really chunky in comparison to the other LMB in the pond. Hopefully next year they'll graduate to the AM LMB food.

FWIW, I stocked some trout about a month ago. They are spread out around the pond, and not all of them are eating the pellets. The ones that are have grown about 20% bigger than the ones that aren't eating the pellets. (AM600)

All i have in the pondis BG, shad, fathead minnows and Tiger bass. Put 10,000 BG, 7,000 shad and 15,000 fathead minnows in the pond about a year and half before i put in 300 Tiger bass. They get fed right now 4 times a day from a texas hunter automatic. Will cut back to 1 feeding per day after Thanksgiving. The goal is Trophy Bass pond. I have been workign with American Sportfish Hatchery. So what you think is best ? I can get the Game fish chow no problem. The other i will have to have ordered for me.

Thanks

How many lbs of feed do you feed per day total ? Size of pond ? Are the LMB eating pellets much ?

My suggestion to all pond owners who want "trophy bass" is to be sure you understand what that means.

Size of pond is Just under 8 acres. Bass i do not think are eating pellets. They are putting on some weight and gettign a lot bigger though. They was put in in May at 2 inch fingerlings and are now around 8-10 inches. See them hitting the minnows and shad all day long. Feed lbs per day 8 to 10 lbs per day.

Thanks

That plan will work for now on "trophy LMB". If you really want "trophy bass" as opposed to a balanced fishery with some nice LMB at about 3 years you will need to go to a bigger forage profile and reduce LMB #s a lot during this time. The LMB will try to overpopulate the pond so LMB harvest will be critical. You will need to have the bulk of your carrying capacity in forage 1/3 the length of the trophy LMB in the pond. For example if the trophy LMB are 6 lbs and 22 inches you will need most forage in the 7-8 inch range not a bunch of 2 inch BG.

Thanks for the info. I do plan on having a harvest each year to make sure that it does not get over populated. What about introducing Crawfish into the pond in the spring for a good growth spurt and protean. Was thinking Crawfish this year and then Talapia the next year and every year after that. Crawfish a good idea this year and at what rate ? Also other than the blugill in 2 or 3 years what do you suggest Golden Shinners ? If so when should they be introduced ?

Thanks for the advice

Crawfish are a great LMB forage but can be hard to establish in a pond with an existing LMB population. Do a search hear for threads on crawfish for more info.

Several options down the road based on results and your goals (they change sometimes). Tilapia , GShad , LMB pellets , RT and medium sized BG are a few.

MB, we sell them to clients who have new pond or good hardness I mean even better than normal for our Se ponds above 40 ppm is prefferred. OR if they have good dense cover prefferrable rock. New ponds establish well, existing with hardness or cover one bass meal I feel. The supply usually starts to pickup in March. Prices go up and down every year and throughtout season based on supply/demand.

Lusk once told me that crawdads are an all or nothing deal. They either thrive or disappear. Mine disappeared.

When I put some in my pond a few years ago they disappeared. BUT, at that time I didn't have any cover for them to hide in, where now I do, so hopefully they will survive.

Mine is butt deep in cover and they couldn't overcome predation.

Dave I like to stock them prior to the bass for that reason.

Greg:

In a 1 ac pond that is light on LMB, do you have any stocking recommendations on Crayfish? Other than the LMB, CC would be predators (130 in the pond) and RES on the YOY crawfish.

Hey scott - since the CC spawn last out of all those species do you think their YOY will help supplement LMB diet as forage?

Just a thought...

The only purpose for me to put them in my pond is for a big boost of protein for them and a big growth spurt. If i have to put them in every year just like the talapia then that is fine with me. I want to grow big bass and everything i read about is crawfish is a great source of protein for a big growth spurt. SO i dont mind adding them just like talapia every year. Speaking of talapia do yall think it would be a good idea for me to add talipa in the spring this year ? As i have said the bass were 2 inch fingerlings and went in on May 27th of this year. They are growing good though up to 8 or 10 inches now. So what you guys think about all of that ?

Thanks for the help guys