I need a fish pond pro.

[lilmac]

I built a new pond and stocked it with fathead minnows. After they spawned a couple of times I introduced the pirch, when they started spawning I added the catfish 4"-6". That was a year ago. Last fall I put in the bass.
My problem is that yesterday there were 6 dead catfish floating belly up. No perch, no bass, just cats. The cats come up with everyone else to feed, so it is not starvation. We got a good rain 3 weeks ago, so I don't think it is oxygen. They have grown a couple of inches sinse introduction, so everything looked fine then!!!!!! What hapend?????
Today there are more fish than normal skimming the surface indicating O2??
The pond is 1/2 - 3/4 acre and 13 Ft. deep. (Well right now it is 2' low) but still to deep to be O2 poor I think.
What do you think????
Mac

 

[Caustic Burno]

First that pond is not big enough for everthing you have in it as bass need an ecosystem to survive and flourish that small of area can not provide. To the dead catfish are you overfeeding as excessive feed that is not eaten produces a gas that consumes O2. You have a 2 1/2 acre pond what was your stocking rate. 1 acre by 4 feet is an acre by 8 feet 2 acres and so on.

 

[lilmac]

The bass was an afterthought, I only added a half dozen or so. If they live or die, no diff. I they all died at once, I would have the same concern though. My main intrest is the perch for the grandkids and the catfish for myself. The food is all consumed at feeding time, with none left over, so what next????
Mac

 

[Beefy]

catfish will be the last thing to die b/c of lack of oxygen. they can survive in mud long after other fish have died. this makes me suspect they have some sort of disease, although the other fish skimming the surface is VERY indicative of low oxygen.

 

[norriscathy]

Sounds like your pond has "turned over". Back a 5' Bush Hog halfway in the water and let it aerate the pond for a few hours. This hot weather so early on could be a part of the problem'especially for small ponds.

Norris

 

[mdmdogs3]

Back a 5' Bush Hog halfway in the water and let it aerate the pond for a few hours.

thanks for the idea - that is a good one and would work great :clap:

 

[matt090303]

- did you figure out why your fish were dying? Just curious.

 

[lilmac]

After the 6 died, it never happend again. Everything seems fine. It was the darndest thing.
Thank you for your intrest

 

[Fred]

http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi
Found this site a while back. May be helpful.