Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Three bluegill--three different feeds

I absolutely and whole-heartedly agree with the entire sentiment of this last statement.

I think you can select bluegill, or any fish for that matter, to like a certain type of food. I also think that fish do this themselves in a pond environment. If you have abundant glass shrimp, then you will quickly select for bluegill who like, and are good at capturing glass shrimp.

Evolution on a small scale... Definitely a very interesting idea! How practical do you really think it is though Bruce?

I think it's practical for anybody crazy enough to want to try to grow fish quickly for aquacultural needs.

The problem is to figure out what you've just selected for. If your fish are loving a particular feed, are you selecting for the taste of the feed, or the shape, or the buoyancy....or maybe consistency. It's all so complicated and intertwined. When my bluegill grow quickly in indoor tanks am I selecting for food conversion?...or maybe ability to thrive in salinity??...or maybe preference for a round tank????. I think you get my picture. Any time you try to select a fish, or other animal, there's a myriad of things you may be selecting for and not realize it. It's virtually impossible to isolate and control all your variables. I deeply respect scientists who do this sort of a thing for a living.

It looks like growth hormones and steroids have expanded from Major League Baseball and found a new home in Condello's bluegill.

Aquamax when it hits the water immediately gives off an oil sheen and GFC does not. I don't like switching feed. So I mix AM 500 and GFC. The mixing transfers oil from the AM to the GFC. The fish eat both well , get a higher protein level than with just GFC and while AM tends over time to cause clogging in the feeder the mix does not because some of the surface fish oil is absorbed into the GFC.

Ewest does any of this help explain your exp with OTS CNBG feeding heavy in cold water? Or is that still an unexplained phenomenon?

Did you select for him or did he slect you ?

SO the moral of this story is fish are just like people, different likes, different tastes, and different genetics.

Good question. I don't have an answer on that behavior. Those fish only stopped feeding like that for 2 weeks after we had 18 F low temps for 3 days ( 48-50 water temps). They started up the same feeding activity when temps went up to 52 F and are still eating like that. The fish were stocked in late Nov with the bigger fish at 5 inches. Upon close viewing at the feeder the bigger fish are now 8 inches. That is 3 inches of growth over 3 mths when cold water generally means no or little growth. I have not caught any yet and will not be doing so until after they spawn so I don't have positive measured data. Another measuring criteria is gape size - the bigger fish now easily eat AM 600 when thrown out.

Since we are talking about selecting fish for fast growth the Piketon research facility in Ohio has now increased growth rates in yellow perch by 40 percent, and this is just the beginning. They are looking for volunteers in the midwest to grow them out and report their results.

I remember a guy named Wallat telling us at an aquaculture meeting about them collecting perch from different regions and comparing growth rates etc.

I hope I didn't derail the thread.

Not derailed at all!

How can I get some of these perch?

Perhaps it would be informative to to switch feeds for the fish (or strains of fish) and see if Mr. Finicky started hogging out when put on the super mystery feed.

Although you might just run into the feed change problem Eric and I discussed above.

Already did it.

Interesting results.

If we have to wait another 7 pages to found out what they were, I'm betting the "over" on this thread.

I think Bruce is holding back details for a upcoming article.

OVER and OUT!.

DJT I suspect the same

To be honest with you, I'm not entirely sure what the feed is that got the 3rd bluegill to grow so big. It's experimental and I'm not privy to all the details.

I'm just trying to generate a little excitement.

Color me excited. I'll take a dozen of whatever it is...double secret probation pellets?

Well if other folks have similar results, the creator of that feed is sitting on a gold mine!

The results speak for themselves...I'd buy it and try it.

That amount of growth is okay, just as long as it doesn't taste like Grandma.

I third that!

I think the feed for the third larger fish is a low fat high protein feed and in testing phases.

The funked-up internal organs of the middle fish are disturbing.

Theo you are thinking of Tomacco.