Hi there! Been reading plenty of threads and articles on this site and I have learned quite a bit, so thanks for everything!
But I still have a few questions.
So last fall I had a new 1/4 pond dug. 9’ max, majority is 5’. I have it aerated, dyed, and beneficial bacteria have been added prior to stocking 125 gills(2-3”), 50 perch(3-4”) and 25lb of fhm. The day of stocking, I noticed one fhm swimming with a white blob on his eyeball, figured he was a goner but not a parasite or anything bad for the pond. 2 weeks later, I went for a swim to re organize some of my fish trees and the aerators. While moving stuff around I somehow didn’t notice the maybe 300ish fhm and maybe a couple perch dead!! All in different stages of decay but the body surrounded in green algae for the most part. Noticed another were swimming around just like the first one I saw the first day with a growth on its body.
I have a texas hunter feeder feeding optimal starter feed twice a day for 1 second.(not actually sure how much that is in grams or lbs) Water looks clean with no plant growth so far.
Am I being too worried over a couple hundred fhm and a growth that is probably nothing?
I called the company that stocked it and they said I should be fine but just wanted y’all opinion. Also am I feeding too much for the amount of fish for the moment being? I’m sure they’re not eating all of it but 1 second is as low as it goes unless I hand feed.
I also haven’t seen a gill since they’ve been added. I do now have 10k+ plus happy tadpoles swimming on the bank right now
They didn’t check water temp or quality before adding which I was surprised but this is 2 weeks after they’ve been added. Initial stocking I didn’t see a single floating fish nor did I see anything wrong with them till now, besides the one mentioned fish that that the growth
Fish are generally shipped in cold water. They have to be acclimated to the pond water by floating them in a bag, usually oxygenated, to slowly raise the temp of the bag water to the temp of the pond water. Then released. If not, the newly stocked fish can go into shock and die of shock.
Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 06/01/2307:31 PM.
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
I understand. But I don’t think you get it that they’re dying two weeks AFTER. Not within mins or hours of initial stocking. If they didn’t like the water temp, I would’ve seen them floating the same day. Unless I’m wrong and they hold on for that long, but I alway though shock was pretty fast process
I'll throw in my 2 cents. Was the initial stocking last Fall when the pond was built? If so, I would bypass the speculation and start sampling the fish population. Here are a few observations: 1) 25 lbs of fhm for a 1/4 acre pond is a LOT, it's possible there was a struggle for food in a new pond. 2) I agree with Dave, fish in various stages of decay may indicate there was undo stress on the fish being introduced, as the stressed fish weakened and were dying over time. 3) With pond dye, you probably only saw a small percentage regarding the mortality rate.
If you're seeing decent activity at the feeder now, I wouldn't worry about it. The fish that survived should repopulate the pond quickly. You should also be seeing schools of fhm when feeding, it should take a long time for 125 BG & 50 perch to wipe that many out.
Since you found them in various stages of decay, clearly they died shortly after stocking, which can be a major stressor. For the 10k tadpoles, and soon to be 10s of thousands of bluegill, consider adding a couple small bass.
Hmm, well thanks for your guys input. I appreciate it.
Eastland, the initial stocking was the one I’m talking about right now which happened maybe 3 weeks ago now. I was not able to stock last fall. There was no water.
Also I don’t want any bass. I want to harvest all the gills/ perch myself. If it’s necessary to add one predator, I joked about adding one walleye or pike just to grow out
I think you have a good plan in place, hopefully the perch will keep the BG population in check since they will only spawn a couple times a year. Keep us up to date with the activity at your feeder. With a pond that size you should be able to easily adjust your populations as long as you enjoy fishing.
The only problem I have with a feeder is that it starts to make the fish more like pets...that you end up having to harvest as some point.
Yes/ no to response. I bought one bag of #3 (2mm) and have a bag of #4 (2.5mm) on top of that. And will continuously increase the size as they get bigger. Where I have the feed set up I can’t see the bottom and since it’s all sinking food, I don’t know what’s happening. But I have grabbed a couple handfuls and thrown them in the shallows and have seen the fat heads and possibly the tadpoles go at it. I can’t tell with the tadpoles cause there’s just too many and the foods too small, but I just wanted to see what their reaction was and if they were hungry.
There’s probably another week left of the #3 till the #4 starts getting fed. We’re kinda in a drought right now too and may plan on digging a sandpoint well in a couple weeks just so I can feed the pond. Anyone recommend a good pump that doesn’t mind being run for long periods? Don’t need a crazy output. I’m just down probably 1.5-2’ of max and like the look of it topped off.
And of course I enjoy fishing! I dream of the day I can invite friends and family over for some catch and cooks right off the back patio and have fillets go from pond to deep fryer in less than 5 mins
Well I guess I don’t need to worry about the fat heads that died cause there’s thousands and thousands of fry swimming everywhere. Looks like it’s non stop raining in certain parts of the pond. I still can’t catch a gill for whatever reason. Been using a small grub. Guess I’ll have to switch it up.
