What? Really? You know what I see?
Many well intentioned people trying to reach nirvana putting the equivalent of a ton or more wet weight of manure per acre in their ponds every year on the advice that it was the duck that nested on their pond causing all the vegetation problems. I see member after member, with aeration and other mediation, undergoing fish kills. You know books are great for learning, particularly when the source of the information comes from bona fide experiments, but this forum is a virtual treasure trove of data that says plainly, "Feeding isn't a good alternative to population management and vibrant food chain". Two things that go hand in hand. So what do you say about someone with experience that can't so much as learn from his mistakes?
Particularly for this OP, I don't see a need for a feeder, Heck he doesn't even want one or the feed. He'd probably be happy having two ponds he doesn't have to feed and aerate. He might be happy taking no more than 16 fish per annum for eating. He might not like the prognosis that your regimen will lead to with all the other costs. There is really good chance that what he really wants is to enjoy his pond for many years to come as it progress to eutrophication more slowly giving him long term results that he can manage easily and depend on.
What I see in what you advised above is "what you want". All you have to do ... is to convince him to spend all that money. Paint the picture ... he'll be missing out ... if he doesn't spend it. When the vegetation takes over ... paint the picture ... the geese that spent a few days did that ... you let the ducks nest ... its grass clippings ... but it just can't be the tons per acre of fish manure that wouldn't be there if you hadn't depended on my advice to feed a ton of (wet) weight feed per year. To be sure all those things do add nutrients to a pond ... (the feed isn't excluded).
I've been around along time esshup, maybe I'm as old as you are. I still fish ponds that I fished 45 to 50 years ago and every time I visit them they produce results much like they did when I was a kid. Numerous LMB in the 10 to 14 range and many large BG ranging from 8.5 to 10.5 inches. I fish them most every year and so I know a pond can slowly progress through eutrophication ... even in a cow pasture with cattle depositing manure it. Not optimal systems because they are not population managed but they are predictable.
Hey I get that some people have to have the experience of feeding a ton (of wet) weight feed per acre to their ponds every year. They need a fish kill and excessive vegetation to belong to the club. They don't mind that hand on their shoulder saying "It going to be OK ... we will just get started right now fixing this mess."
Anyways, the reason I made the post was because you and Theo were toying with the OP. Rather than lead him to a food chain that would supply is fish with food you let him think the choice was between feeding store bought live forage or store bought feed. Shame on you.
Last edited by jpsdad; 08/22/21 08:38 AM.
