From PFV's thread "How bad have I messed up"

 Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson
A balanced pond will USUALLY hold about 100 pounds of predators.


 Originally Posted By: Walt Foreman
The standard wisdom is that a properly-fertilized and fed pond can support as much as 500 pounds per acre...


I found these two tidbits interesting. I had always thought that the predator load should not exceed 50 pounds per acre and I don't recall ever reading a total "pounds per acre" amount (herein after referred to as PPA just to add another acronym in the mix and make life more confusing than it needs to be).

Are these two numbers 100 PPA for predators and 500 PPA for total fish count the reasonable limits for a standard pond?

I realize the answer is going to be "it depends" based upon the specifics of a particular pond (water quality, recruitment, type of feeding being employed, etc).

So I'm asking, if we have a theoretical one acre pond, no aeration, only forage based feeding (not sure if by "fed pond" Walt, you mean fed using pellets, but I'm assuming you mean pellet fed and you know what they say about assuming), with a standard ratio of predators to forage, are the two pounds per acre numbers above (as a reminder the numbers were 100 PPA for predators and 500 PPA total fish count, how could you have forgotten that already, it's only two paragraphs above, are you paying attention here?) what one should consider a reasonable amount? Or are these numbers based upon a pond that is using feeders and an aeration system?

I'm not questioning the judgement of Dave and Walt, I'm just trying to get edumakated.

JHAP
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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)