Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding what size?

Initial stocking, I'm going to get my Bluegill next Friday 2-3" -- I'm really excited.

ANYWAY, What size aquamax should I start this size fish with???????????

Thanks folks, this whole pond thing would not have happened had it not been for the motivation and information of this site!!!!!!

How big is the pond again? How new? Just wondering if you might not be able to let 'em grow out a little on available zooplankton with a little hand feeding of the smallest size floating feed to acclimate the fish as opposed to a full fledged feeding program right off the bat.

Contact Purina and they will discuss sizes with you. However, I'm not sure size matters that much. As it softens in the water, they keep nibbling at it. I believe they get all they need. They must. Fatheads and baby bluegills go nuts for regular size feed.

Of course, it could be an advantage to have the real small stuff. They make everything from dust to chunks. I doubt that your local feed store will have what you want and fewer and fewer are carrying Purina products. However, I've never found a feed store that wasn't doing some business with Purina. I have had them special order what I want. No problem.

Lit'lDog - The smaller sizes of Purina are only sold in 50 lb bags. Your small bgill will quickly outgrow the small food and you will have lots of extra leftover that may go to waste. Three suggestions. 1. Try and locate a nearby trout grower and ask if you can buy 5 to 10 lbs of his small sized fish food. 2. Contact the supplier of your small bgill and ask if he has any small sized food. If yes, ask if you can buy 5 to 10 lbs. 3. Buy the 05 size of purina. It will be too big for 3" gills but 05 will work for 4"-6" gills. Crumble - crush the 05 pellets for several weeks and feed small amounts as you pellet train them until the gill get bigger on crumbles, zooplankton and "bugs". Your Purina supplier may have to special order the 05 pellet size. We can supply a specific order number if needed for your Purina supplier.

Thanks folks! I'll talk with the dealer today about sizes. They do not carry Aquamax, but will have to order it anyway. Probably go with the 5s. I've got 1,250 BG coming and about 8 pounds of fatheads.

Bruce the pond is a little over 2.5 acres. It was officially going over the spillway Dec 18th 2004.

I go get them Friday -- yippeee!

Thanks to Cecil in an earlier post I was able to find this:
5D00 Fry Powder
5D01 Fry Starter 100 0.8 mm
5D02 Fry Starter 200 1.2 mm
5D03 Fingerling Starter 300 1/16 "
5D04 Grower 400 3/32"
5D05 Grower 500 3/16"
5D06 Grower 600 1/4 "

I just wanted some more input -- thanks again and again..............

Lt'lDog - Can the people bringing the bgills and fatheads bring you some appropriate sized feed to get your fish started? However make sure to mention they bring smaller sized feed. Tell them you won't pay them if they bring the big sized food. The 3"-4" bgill would need the 3/32" sized feed.

At least if you order the food from the dealer it should be fresh and recently manufactured.

Little Dog - Which hatchery are you getting your fish from?

Bill, I will do that sir -- first thing Monday I will call to see if they have some extra feed.

I'm actually going to pick them up in my pickup, they are just under an hour away so I figure it should be pretty easy.

David, I called Van Winkle's a couple of times but always got a machine and left my number twice and never got a return call. I also called another one but Cassidy Fish farm in Dale IN had the best price on the 2-3 inch BG, redear and really good prices on the fatheads so I went with him. He seems real nice and I called back to check on my order and he remembered me as soon as he saw the number.

Just my personal experience...Bluegill of 2-3 inches will hammer the regular size pellets. It's fun to watch. Don't be alarmed if they don't come to the pellets from day one. There will be tons of available zooplankton in a newly filled pond.

Bruce - I assume you mean regular sized pellets to be the 1/4" size? Do you see the 2"-3" swallowing the pellets or are these small fish pecking at the large pellets and getting pieces that break off as the pellets soak up water and soften?

1/4 inch, yes.

They're pecking at the pellets and breaking them apart. Usually the pellets that have landed closest to the shoreline.

Bill, I often see a dozen or so 1.5 inch BG worrying a pellet in the shallows. When I had fatheads, they did the same. Assumedly, it is productive.

How efficient is it or how much good growth results from small fish spending a fair amount of time and effort "pecking" at large pellets? I propose that small fish who are able to eat appropriate sized pellets get a lot more benefit and resulting growth from this form of feeding. Sure, I realize that small fish very commonly do this including minnows. I see it happen a lot. But I think overall the small fish will grow a lot faster if they have sizes of food that easily fit into their mouths. This is why I emphasized to Little Dog to try and get at least a few pounds of small sized food to get his litle bluegills started eating. Also I think small fish learn faster to eat artificial food if it is appropriately sized and especially if it has correct taste and texture.

I also realize that often it is not feasable for a lot of people to buy a whole 50# bag of small sized feed. Most of it would not get eaten in small pond situations and waste would result. I have had that happpen to myself which is why I suggested to Lt'l Dog to see if his "fish man" would sell a protion of a bag. A local hatchery to me does sell smaller sized bags of smaller sized food. I think it is a very good idea for the first time, small pond owners who are buying small fingerling fish. I see it as a win - win situation. The hatchery makes a buck on subdividing the feed and the pondwner does not have to start off feeding fish by buying a big bag of food that may not get eaten before it spoils or starts deteriorating nutritionally.

I know in my heart that you're right, Bill.

It's just that I think in Little Dog's case I believe that his bluegill are going to have scads of natural food in the form of zooplankton from the get go. By the time he trains his bluegill to eat appropriately sized food they'll have grown enough to eat the big stuff.

Bill I echo your thoughts. I have tried and finally succeed on several clietns to switch to both smaller pellets and higher protein food for bluegill. When bluegill are pecking at it I feel they spend energy as well. Another thought to consider is folks complain about bass eating 4-5 inch bluegill when the bluegill feed. This is not as common in my opinion on 1/8" pellets they can quickly swim up and grab opposed to pecking at larger pellets.

That's a good point Greg about the susceptibility to predation of bluegill that have to spend more time feeding at a big pellet. Little Dog doesn't have any bass yet, I believe.

I know, I know. You guys are right. Get the smaller pellet. Do some companies make a mixed size feed?

Well yeah Bruce if we had SUPER BIONIC bluegills like you!

Sorry couldn't resist! :p

Come on Bruce! You know Bill is always right!

Just having fun. No offense meant. Besides I have to see Bill in person this Thursday or Friday so I better be nice to him!

Bruce, PUrina Game Fish Chow has I think 5 pellet sizes. My question is what if disadvantage too all the pellets being smaller? Even the catfish can suck down the 1/8" pellets right with the medium and big bluegill.

In Little Dog's case there's probably no disadvantage to just going with smaller pellets. I have noted that my Sweeney feeders get blockages more easily in the humid Nebraska summers with the small pellets.

Cecil, I'm proposing a cage match between my bionic bluegill and your nuclear power plant perch. :p

Humid NEBRASKA summers??

Don't bluegill just eat and spit the little pellets until they soften anyway? I had a few HSB in a trough and they would eat,spit,eat, spit,... I started soaking it first and then they would eat it. Then when they got bigger they would swallow it whole.

Soft pellets are pliable and small fish can eat larger pellets when the pellets are soft compared to if the pellets were hard. I have never seen Purina Pond Chow. Does it really have 5 sizes of pellets? I do not use it because of its slow protein content.

A recent study found that bgill & HBG (4") grew best on Food with 42% protein (44% analysis)compared to 32%, 38%, 40% and 45% protein levels.

Purina Game Fish Chow is billed as having at least five different sizes (seven?), and I will vouch for a minimum of five from memory (haven't gotten my first bag yet this year, should show up in four weeks as a birthday present from my wife). They run from about 1/8" up to perhaps 5/16" in diameter and all look identical except for the size.