Looking for a good predatory fish for my pond

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kelli said:
Where are you? If you post on Craigslist (etc.), I bet other pond-keepers would love a shot at some free pond fishies! :) Perhaps you could even trade?

(or if it gets out of hand, you could start a small business....) :eek2:

hehe, well I don't ever mix business with fun, it makes it no fun! ;) At any rate I have people with ponds constantly asking me if I want more fish so I'm not sure they would be that easy to get rid of. Especially seeing as most of the producing fish are comets... If it were my Koi or fancy goldfish I wouldn't mind nearly as much because I know they would be easy to get rid of. Then again, I honestly don't want to bother with catching them out, it's a real pain...
 
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PHYLAL said:
Jasonmo928, I cannot directly answer your question, as I have never tried that approach. A single bluegill, properly fed, will grow to about 10 inches. They are EXTREMELY territorial when mating (not a problem with only one), I do not know how bad they are other times. A crappie (also known as a Calico Bass) might work as well, although they grow slightly larger (not as large as a bass). They are in the family Centrarchidae, same as the bluegill. They are quite active in the winter, being a popular ice-fishing quarry. The good news, if it does become too large, they are considered one of the most delicious native freshwater fish in America.

I have a pond half the size of yours with about half as many fish. I too have a number of fry that survived past the fish food stage, fifteen last year. I decided to give most of them away, until that is, I actually tried to net them. The first one took about ten seconds, the second one about a half hour. I did not catch another one for about two weeks. Anyone who thinks goldfish are dumb or have a short memory should try netting a second one in a pond full of plants.

I have more fry again this year, still very small. I do not know how many will survive, but they will have to go. I will probably net them very early next spring when the water is still cold and there are no plants in the water. I do though have concerns about stressing the fish at that time of the year.

A heron took a few this spring, but is also took a few of the adults. Now if I could only teach the heron which fish it can eat, problem solved.

Another idea I had running around inside my head was to place a large screen or net of some type on the bottom of the pond, with line tied to each corner. After a few days (or how ever long it takes) when the fish become used to it I would feed them over the net and then quickly lift it. It all sounds too easy, I am sure.

Good luck with whatever you try.

Thanks, I will let you know how the Grass Pickerel works out. They are 100% non-aggressive or territorial, they are a slender fish so they can't very easily eat fish like fan tails or koi... They get between 10-12" long and if they ever do become a problem I know of a forum that many people keep them in large tanks that I can put them up for adoption and most likely someone will take them. I just hope I can leave them in there and they do a good job...
 

DrDave

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Robyn said:
Great circle of life you would have there!

Get a baby bass in spring.
The bass eats the eggs and fry all summer.
The bass eats pellet food in fall... chock full of vitamins and carbs!
You eat the bass.
Rinse and repeat! LOL

I like the way you think...
 

Robyn

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DrDave said:
I like the way you think...

This is what happens to high IQ insomniacs. We get weird and brilliant thoughts on how to make the world a better place at 2 AM. LOL

I read on one of the forums of a guy in So Cal that wanted a pond to put talapia in. Now THAT is a great idea! LOL

I DO have a friend with a huge sunfish tank. Sunfish are really pretty fish. And VERY tasty! LOL
 
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I have used perch in the past. (I live in Germany. Here they are called Flussbarsch). It depends on how cold hearted you are, but...

Four or five perch will eat everything they can get their mouths around. If it wiggles, it's gone. A baby free pond in a few days, depending on how many you want to purchase. The only problem is, they need perfect water numbers. PH, KH, ammonia, etc... Very finicky when it comes to the water.

Buy two, let them do their work, if they don't bother your bigger fish, leave them. They don't attack bigger fish. You might even see some aerial acrobatics as they go for flying insects above the surface.

Breeding is pretty hard for them but, if you have standing grasses, it is possible. However, they are delicious (white perch, in particular.) Catch them and have a feast.

If they become a nuisance, let your KH get too high for a few days. They die off pretty quickly. I found out the hard way, if you use some crushed stone to weigh down your plants (I keep my plants in pots) your KH will shoot through the roof.

It doesn't bother my Koi, Goldfish or Grass Carp. But, it killed the white perch in a day.

Simply another suggestion.
 
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Orfe. Colorful, fast, and max out at about 18”. My initial rosy red minnow population is now gone (I think died of old age) and I have no more goldfish fry. They leave the 2-3” goldfish alone entirely.
 

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@bdaray
 
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Sorry if this has been mentioned I assume it has but.
1. Go with all one set
2 blue gill, sun fish , crappie but make sure it's not sitting on a nest when you do or you may get it's babies
 

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