Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain My Second Pond:Stocking Plan,Strategy,and Tactics

...and away we go. Looks like pond #2 has completed the formative stages of self-sustenance. Let the hammering begin.

Contratulations Theo! Sheesh look at the condition of the box, looks like the poor Gams got thrown around the warehouse some.

A Gam Cam? Glad I didn't have one of those or my Gam stocking event would have been even more tramatic.

Theo what is the rest of the timeline ? Tell Mrs. good job - the fish even swam out in orderly fashion. Glad she tempered them and got them out of the bag.

Everyone note that it is very important to get them out of the bag quick once the bag is opened. As they are packed with 100% O2 , once the bag is open the O2 level drops quickly and there is not enough to support the large # of fish. As noted temper them in the closed bag then quickly add water if needed and get them in the pond.

In addition to the Gams, the box held biodegradeable styrofoam peanuts and some (2 or more, I'm not sure how many) coldpacks (seem to be like the blue ice I use in my lunchbox to keep my DMD and BG leftovers cold). The coldpacks had sweat a lot, the box was wet at the bottom (my wife feared a fish bag leak, but that proved not to be the case), and the biodegradeable peanuts had started to biodegrade.

Not sure exactly what you are asking.

She took a good long time letting the temperature adjust before opening the bag; there is an hour and 10 minute spread between the unpacking photo and the last picture she took as the Gams swam off. She compared temperatures every few minutes until the pond and the bag felt about the same. Probably 30 to 45 minutes.

BTW, that was much more careful and considerate than I probably (okay, definitely) would have been.

WRT pond status, it now has the stocked RES (24 adults so far), FHM, Gams, and Bullfrogs (I think the first BF Tads have finished changing in the pond; the one my daughter has been keeping in the house finished metamorphosis 2-3 weeks ago, but it was warmer all along than the pond was), plus volunteer Green Frogs and several types of water bugs. This year's American Toad spectacle concluded about a week ago, with the last of the 1/2" long Bufo americanus hopping onto dry land like so many tiny crickets. There are HUGE numbers of little FHM, from about 3/4" down to whatever size is too small for you to see. No sign of a RES spawn yet, but I will not really be expecting them until I see 2008 YOY BG/RES in my main pond.

For the fish stocking (SMB) and what size. Not on the gam release - all my comments on that were for those who have not done the bag method before.

I knew she did a good job when I saw the gams swimming out in formation.

I should* be stocking 75 SMB and 200 YP, both in the 3"-4" range, this Fall. That is heavy on the SMB wrt YP numbers (IIRC Cody recommended 50 SMB), but the Smallies are so much more $ that I want to be sure the SMB succeed at a slight risk to the YP population. The perch are much cheaper to add more later in any size.

I think I will stock a couple of Grass Carp (10") this Fall as well.

* Given SMB availablity - I'm on the list as ordered and they say they'll have them.

Keep in touch with the supplier all summer. The more you are talking to them the less chance for them to sell your fish to someone else.

Have you put in a deposit? Of course there's risk involved with that, but just think of the emotional feelings you're going to have when you let freedom ring for these smallies. It'll bring a tear to your eye.

Mrs. Gallus: "Theo, are you crying?"

Theo: "No, never, never. I just got some dust in my eye."

I have big male BG (or possibly some of the 20 feed-trained RES) vigorously eating pellets now!

One took a couple pellets on Saturday and last night there were 4 of them eating. There are so few fish eating spread out over the 1/3 of the shore I am feeding minnows on that it is very easy to count how many surface hits each one makes. This data confirms that the Condello "4 pellets per BG per feeding" rule applies to Ohio as well as Nebraska (although one fish came up 5 times - glutton). They also are amazingly consistent on where they surface at - repeatable within 3" or so.

I noticed that the aquatic insects which had been the most prevalent on the water have all but disappeared. I am not sure what kind they are (I can't even remember what we called them when I was a kid) but they look kind of like this, except they lack the prominent legs sticking out on the sides:


A couple of weeks ago, there were thousands of these little bugs on the pond. They would form up in communal rafts, one of which must have covered 25 square feet. They are just about the right size to make a mouthful for a big BG. Now that they are mostly gone, the male BG (which have been in the pond for about a month, as I have increased their number to 8) have become interested in eating fish feed again. Coincidence?

Those look like Whirligig beetles. The larger ones smell like green apple when you shake them up.

Don't try this with the small ones.

Yeah, that's what we called them. They're sure frantic little devils!

Fish Wife was kind enough to check in with my fish supplier yesterday. They will begin their Fall fish hauling season the first of next month and anticipate bringing my 200 YP, 75 SMB, and 2 Grass Carp about the middle of October. My belly button is puckering and unpuckering just thinking about it!

THAT IS JUST WRONG!!!!!!!!!!

That's a mental picture I just did NOT need!

Thanks Theo

Me to Rainman - it is not as unappealing as thinking of Sunil in a 2 piece with a wax job - but still

I am looking forward to the pics - of the fish - thank you.

Just because I don't know any better, I'll take that as a compliment, ewest!

Please give some advance warning of the stocking date and time so B.I.S.A. can execute the necessary rites and rituals, and of course, the necessary billing.

Yes it is a compliment Sunil. Guys over 40 doing things out of character can be unsightly or unimaginable. Bench presses, fishing or lifting a few cans are good - 2 pieces and body waxing are not.

I'VE GOT YELLOW PERCH!

The fish truck just left after stocking 200 YP (nominally 2" - 4", but by my observation 3" - 5" with a couple better than 6"), 2 Triploid Grass Carp, and (ta-dah) 1 Walleye about 6" long that was in the tank with the YP (the driver asked if I wanted the WE thrown in and I thought about it for about 5 seconds before saying "Yes!" I mean, I have a Walleye now, and how much can 1 WE screw things up, anyway?) (Drs. Willis and Perca, don't answer that last question if it's really bad news.)

My Smallies weren't available at this time, and will be shipped later (after they round some up from elsewhere, I presume). So back off, Sunil, no fund raising for BISA yet.

Some of my new swimming fillets:


My 2 new Vegetation Control Officers:

Yahoo!!!!!!!!! Stocking always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Sorry about the smallies though. The walleye is a nice distraction for now.

You should get a few more walleye when they bring the smallies next time.

Theo - From the sizes it appears to me that the YP you got were all from this year's hatch. Typically the YOY perch are in the 2"-4" range for fall fish sales. When the hatch is less and individuals are not as crowded in the pond growth will be a little better thus some fish in the 5"-6" group. It is good to know that Jones did not grade/sort the fish and sell you just those in the 2"-4" group which would have been mostly males. You should see good growth from them, esp the larger ones. Were they supposed to be pellet trained?
The main negative to the WE IMO is they are hard to catch when the pond is dominated by or has numerous YP - the YP get to the bait before the WE. Thus the catch rate for WE is very low. WE at 20+" will start harassing the 7" YP. 16"-18" WE eat quite a few 3"-4" YP per yr probably around 200-300 per fish. Consider that fact when deciding how many more WE to add to the pond.

Bill:

No idea on feed trained status. IIRC they should take feed not as easy as BG, but easier than LMB, so I figure at least some of them will start eating pellets when they get hungry. I will be giving them the opportunity to do so all next year.

I don't plan on stocking any more WE in this pond (Pond #3, construction date TBD but far in the future, is tentatively pencilled in as a WE pond with crowded YP and GSH). I only regularly take advice from Sunil on drinking and driving.

Question:

Could 6" 2008 YOY YP possibly grow enough on plentiful Gambusia/FHM this Winter to spawn next year? I have been assuming my first YP spawn would be no sooner than 2010.

A few walleye won't hurt that much (although I always defer to Cody).

Live a little bit; stop being such a purist. You already have bullhead in there.

DUDE!!! That was HARSH!!!

Ah Rainman, they are PBoss LLII, bunkroom, shuttle riding hopefull brothers, not to worry.

Congratulations, Theo! Jones' came by my pond today also!