Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Feed training Adult YP

Purchased 400 adult YP yesterday from 6-10" and selected and caged 300 ultra gravid females across 3 cages. My intention is to select the top 10% for stocking into the BG/YP trophy pond. Fish were originally pellet trained until around 3-4", then released in grow out cell and fed primarily on FHM at the hatchery where they were raised. My goal is to try and get these fish to revert to pellet feeding. I tried AM 400 and hydrated AM LMB and used my AquaVu micro camera to verify NO FEEDING. I added 2 adult male BG in each cage, hoping they might help show the YP the way, but wanted some more direction. My only plan at this time to is continue to try and feed as often as I can visit hydrated pellets and hope they come around. Not feeling too confident in that approach. Cecil, Bill - any advice?

Thanks in advance.

Yes be patient. I believe once they get acclimated to the cage and get hungry enough they should start eating hydrated pellets. Then dry ones later.

But wait… did you say hydrated LMB? You mean the huge pellets?

Thanks Cecil...yes, I hydrate the big pellets and just pinch off pieces and drop into cage. It's 45% protein and all my fish love it - BG, YP, SMB, HSB

TJ - Follow Cecil's suggestion. It should work for at least most of the YP providing they were handled properly before you got them. It may take several days to adjust to cage life. Your main concern is to get them eating before they stress out and develop fungus. If the water would warm up they are more likely to eat.

Thank you, water temps are 54 degrees currently, but warming daily. I will keep an eye out for fungus, been there before, it was horrific and expensive disaster. I can keep them going with FHM, but I don't want to distract them from pellet training. Is adding FHM now for forage in their cages a bad idea?

If your water temp is increasing I'd give them a few more days.

TJ, can you get some pellet trained GSF? Jeff in Minnesota has had good success getting non-pellet trained YP in small ponds to eat pellets regularly when he tossed in some pellet trained GSF.

I have next to zero documented but found the wild YP were taking pellets within a month. By the end of summer the YP would be aggressive enough to "race" the GSF to the pellet.

Thanks for the feedback. I added 2 male bg to each cage in hopes they might help enlighten the yp already, wonder if that's enough bg?

It may not be all bad if the YP do not return to eating pellets. It appears the current life span is only 5 to 6 years for pellet eating yellow perch after stocking, whereas YP dependent on natural foods the life span is closer to 8 to 10 years. IMO both feeding methods, providing foods are abundant, ultimately result in a similar final size of YP.

Good feedback MN, and good to hear from you...been too long.

I have a few things working against me here:

Have nowhere to move the fish until June
Don't want stress/fungus and lose the entire bunch
Would prefer to have pellet trained fish as I can keep them longer in cage and that's ultimate goal of new fishery - pellet trained BG, YP, HBG

I'll keep trying to get them on feed and keep everyone apprised