Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Papershell Rowhouses

Released 100 Papershells into this forage pond today, and added 2 of these Papershell Rowhouses for them to hide in. There was a couple of painted turtles and a large Snapper seen in the pond a couple of weeks ago, so they need a place to hide. (The turtles were convinced to leave)

They are 2" and 3" PVC pipe, cut 12" long, strung together. The 3" is foam core, and we found out today that it by itself, will float. So, we had to re-do the pipe, and by intermixing the 2" PVC, got it to sink.



The line around the pond is where the water level was this Spring, and even then, it was 5' below the soil level. It's dropped about 2' in the past month and a half. (it's about 9' below the top edge of the pond now.) There still is about 3' of water in the pond, and I hope it rains soon! There 2# of FHM in the pond with the Papershells, along with a LOT of waterbugs and a few frogs.

Did you read somewhere this type of structure will benefit crayfish?

I am very curious if this structure is good for papershells. I'd like to stock some but with the snappers and painteds in the pond, I fear they'd be a fast snack...

Well, here's my thinking. Since a seine will be drug thru the pond once a year, there needs to be some cover in there for the papershells to escape from the turtles. At 12" long, I don't think a turtle's neck will reach from one end to another. They will be easily removed when it needs to be seined. Crayfish like to go into crevaces and holes, correct?

I don't know what else to use, and I thought I saw tubes like that in a crayfish growers RAS tanks. (Although I can't find that pic now).

Any and all suggestions would be welcome as what to use for cover.

Definitely an interesting line of thinking... I would be curious to drop an underwater camera down there and shine a light in those holes and see if they are using them. With no other cover available, I'd have to believe they would.

I am sure they would get in there because in my tank at home they would always get in the drain pipe, because when I would do my water changes they would come shooting out so I know they were getting in there.

The sad thing is I lost a few the first time at it was throated down to a garden hose and the water pressure just forced them out.

So I removed it and did not loose anymore.

That looks like a pretty small pond. I would probably just put some kind of barricade around it to keep turtles or coons or anything from getting in. Maybe a short fence with a strand of electric wire on it?

If your whole purpose is growing crawdads in there you would be pretty pissed if a family of coons went all you can eat buffet on that little puddle LOL.

The barricade is a good idea. There's been a large snapping turtle that has been walking into and out of this pond. I'll see him one day, drop a 25 hook trotline in there baites with chicken gizzards and hearts and not get anything on it, and the chicken is cleaned off the hooks.

I may have missed it in the creating habitat section, but I think it should be included there. Nifty idea, so simple in excution and cost. It's ability to be moved is nice. At what depth will that go?

We put it on the bottom of the pond as it has a bottom diffuser aeration system. Right now they're in about 2' of water as the pond probably has around 3' of water in it due to the drought.

Dad used to bait a treble hook to catch snappers.

I am suprised that it will be all the way on the bottom. I jsut don't know anything about crayfish. Wouldn't they want to come up to the ponds edge and in the process get eaten then? Is the whole thing on the bottom, or is it spread from pond's edge to bottom?

Rocks are ideal for crayfish in a pond where you don't plan on harvesting them, but if you plan on taking your crays out to stock into another pond the PVC should be great.

The whole thing is on the bottom. The idea behind it is to remove it when the pond is seined. It's a forage pond.

I missed the fact it was a forage pond only. My candle has been lit now!

Crawdads will use it and love it. I did almost the same thing in my pond. They seemed to wait to move in after sediments accumulated in the bottom of the pipes. Mine are not papershells but mine were in about a foot of water and there were always crawdads on them or around them. The only problem I found with mine is that the water moccasins loved the 3" pipe. They were close to my dock and I could watch the snakes going in and out of the larger pipes. Unfortuanetly part of my structure got damaged in the process of snake removal. During the act of removal a deputy happened to come to the house begging for votes. I cant imagine what he must have thought as he was driving up and saw me sitting on the dock shooting my pond with a twelve guage...I guess around here he has probably seen it all.

Scott I should think the reason crayfish like papershells use rock is to escape predation during the daylight hours, so they can forage at night. Anything that offers predation safety IMO should work. I think it's a really cool idea and one that will surely allow the seine to work slick right over it. Of course you could always remove the PVC if tied to a cable right before seining too...just an idea if you end up getting snagged. Cool idea good job. Please keep the forum informed of your success! I know my SMB YOY and FHM have loved the PVC sections I added for them in my ponds.