Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Paddle fish

I was thinking about adding a paddlefish to my pond-any ideas? suggestions??

Thanks

They are filter feeders, so you need to keep a good bloom going. Does Mi. allow them?

How big if your pond and what are the water clarity levels?

Paddlefish are filter feeders. They feed on zooplankton and phytoplankton which they filter out of he water column. However, I have heard of the possibility of them being pellet trained. So there is the possibility you could source one which is pellet trained and rely on keeping them healthy through pellet feeding.

Paddlefish are river fish by nature, however they can adapt to pond life as they are capable of suriving for years in oxbow lakes isolated from rivers. You will not have to worry about reproduction even if you added more than one because their needs for successful spawning will not be met in a pond.

As a novelty fish, I don't see too much risk. They will remove some of the zooplankton that your younger game fish would also feed on. However, if you can pellet feed them you could reduce this impact. Having a 4 foot 40 pound paddlefish cruising by your dock would certainly be entertaining for guests, particularly if it was pellet trained and "friendly". A couple of species of sturgeon could also meet this novelty fish category.

I had heard Jones Fish in OH had paddlefish that were pellet trained for sale last year. You may want to contact them to see if they will be available again this year.

I bought a couple paddlefish from Jones last fall. I am not hopeful that they survived a major fish kill that occured due to snow covered ice this winter. I saw 50 to 100 dead BG, LMB, and CC floating in my 1.3 acre pond, and I would guess that paddlefish require higher oxigen than these species. I have not seen any live fish in the pond yet this year, but I added 10 lbs of FHM on thursday, and I don't see any of them either.

FHM will go deep and stay deep if few or no predaors are present. Thus, with no larger fish present it is not suprising that you are not seeing the FHM. To see them try adding some crushed fish pellets near the dock or some sort of other structure.

During the warmer weather, we see lots of small fish near our dock as we have lots of emergent plants that provide cover. I think that its just too cold.

Build a demand feeder. Get a piece of 4 inch PVC and drill some 1/4 or 3/8 inch holes in it and cap off the bottom. Secure it to your dock and fill with pellets. Small fish will come and suck the pellet mush from the holes.

Obviously, predators like the idea.