Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,902
Posts557,119
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,420
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,112
Who's Online Now
8 members (Boondoggle, bstone261, DenaTroyer, Theo Gallus, Shorthose, Freg, Fishingadventure, RogersTailgate), 899 guests, and 186 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
S
Sundown Offline OP
OP Offline
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
Several days ago we had a few dead fish and since then there are now 15-25 per day. A few are partially eaten or chunks missing. Nearly all have red places and some red punctures or splotches as can be seen in the photos. Any idea what is happening to them? We do not see any birds other than a Great Blue Heron that is on the edge of the 1/2 ac pond sometimes. Do not see kingfishers or other birds other than the occasional goose and ducks. There have always been a few turtles and occasionally a snake swimming around. The pond is 2.5 years old and has been stocked with the bluegill and bass since month 3. Any help will be greatly appreciated.[img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/tz0aef5qywt0hv7/20220508_123509.jpg?dl=0[/img]

Last edited by Sundown; 05/08/22 03:47 PM.

Tom Davis
Sundown Farms
Grand Bay, AL (southwest of Mobile)
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Tom, welcome to Pond Boss.

This should be one of the pictures. I'm not sure if there were others in that link:

[Linked Image from uc63d8b4e3bf3f65c6f7aa10560b.previews.dropboxusercontent.com]


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Most of the puncture wounds by herons, that I have seen, have been on the top sides of the fish in general, so I'm doubting that those are wounds from a heron.

Let's see what others have to say...


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
S
Sundown Offline OP
OP Offline
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
Here are photos from those I picked up this morning. Thanks for your ideas.

[Linked Image from sundownfarms.com]
[Linked Image from sundownfarms.com]


Tom Davis
Sundown Farms
Grand Bay, AL (southwest of Mobile)
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 274
D
Moderator
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Lunker
D
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 274
Agree Sunil. But, only a long bill bird would do something like that.

Tom, I would put out some game cameras.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689
Likes: 281
I was just speaking with esshup/Scott on a unrelated topic, and he thought this would be more like a bacterial issue coupled with stress on the fish from perhaps water quality, as opposed to bird punctures.

The half fish would be due to being eaten by snapping turtles after death, IMO.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

1 member likes this: jpsdad
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
E
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
E
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
Water test would be a good idea - see if any stressors there.

At 2 Yrs. old the pond is reaching carrying capacity which might be a factor.

What else is going on at the pond, weather, spawn, liming, chemicals etc..?
















Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,861
Likes: 298
A
Offline
A
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,861
Likes: 298
Originally Posted by Sunil
Most of the puncture wounds by herons, that I have seen, have been on the top sides of the fish in general, so I'm doubting that those are wounds from a heron.

Let's see what others have to say...

My experience as well. And multiple puncture wounds are exceedingly rare with herons at my place.


7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
S
Sundown Offline OP
OP Offline
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
@Ewest - Thank you for the good points. I hope the info below is responsive.

Water Test using HACH AquaCheck 5-in-1 test strips:
ph 6.8, Hardness 50 ppm; Total Alkalinity 40 ppm

What else is going on at the pond:
Q: weather? A: Typical for 13 miles from the Gulf Coast. Warming up with nights in the low 60's and days in the high 80's and humid...of course.
Q: spawn? A: Most of the dead fish have been female and some are quite fat and appear, to this novice, as being full of eggs
Q: liming, chemicals etc.? A: I last limed the pond on 3/5/2021. There have been no fertilizing or herbicides used around the pond. If you go to the link below and look around you will note my neighbor's property is only about 20 ft from the pond's edge. But, he is one of those ultra organic guys that let the bugs eat his garden. So, nothing has washed in from him.

Go to https://sundownfarms.com/category/pond/ for my journal on what has happened in and around the pond.

Thank you so much for helping. I have fed those rascals for two years.


Tom Davis
Sundown Farms
Grand Bay, AL (southwest of Mobile)
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
E
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
E
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
Most of the fish above are male CNBG. They are all big adult fish.
At your location there would most likely have been an April and maybe a March spawn. Have you caught any live CNBG during this time period and if so, how did they look? Did they appear to have red (raw) fins and tails?
















Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
S
Sundown Offline OP
OP Offline
S
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 4
I did not catch any during that time. I will catch some today and report back.


Tom Davis
Sundown Farms
Grand Bay, AL (southwest of Mobile)
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,884
Likes: 278
J
Offline
J
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 1,884
Likes: 278
My hunch is in agreement with Sunil's suggestion. I recall another member from Alabama having a similar issue. Some of his BG were >12 inches. The remedy suggested was terramycin treated feed.

Something may be amiss with water quality that is weakening their ability to fight infection. Or perhaps the environment has too much bacteria to successfully fight it. Though probably more to do with water condition weakening the older fish.


It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so - Will Rogers


1 member likes this: Sundown
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,093
Likes: 1
S
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
S
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 1,093
Likes: 1
I haven't posted in forever. I am not sure if I am the one in Alabama you are referring to or not, but I had a large winter fish kill. All male bluegill. Auburn University did a study on mine and said it was an opportunistic bacterial infection. I was told to treat the fish with an antibiotic. Seems like I used penicillin. It was fairly cold so fish didn't feed well. I mixed the medicine with a bottle of Caro syrup. Poured it over a 50lb bag of feed and mixed in a wheel barrow. I didn't lose them all, but I did lose the largest class of male bluegill. It was sickening since a trophy BG pond was my goal. Since then everything is doing good. My original stocked LMB are pellet trained. I have 15 or so of them that take the large pellets. They are are 8-9 lbs now. Pretty awesome to watch them.


Scott Hanners
1 member likes this: jludwig

Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
cro, HC1968
Recent Posts
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by RogersTailgate - 03/29/24 05:45 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/29/24 05:43 AM
pond experience needed
by esshup - 03/29/24 12:45 AM
New pond middle TN: establishing food chain?
by Bill Cody - 03/28/24 07:57 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by FireIsHot - 03/28/24 07:33 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 06:39 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by nvcdl - 03/28/24 06:07 PM
Can anyone ID these minnows?
by Dylanfrely - 03/28/24 05:43 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5