Pond Fish Management and Aquaculture

Gary Burtle

The University of Georgia

Typical Stocking Strategy For Ponds

Bluegill/ Red ear

Largemouth Bass

Channel Catfish

Grass Carp

Red Ear Sunfish (Shell Cracker)

Eats snails and crustaceans

Helps control parasites

Bluegill Growth

After first year, average bluegill is:

– 4 INCHES Long

After second year:

– SOME 6 to 7 inch bluegill

After fourth year:

– Possible ½ POUND bream

Fishing Trophy Bass Ponds

Select as you fish!!!

Return the fast-growing fish to catch at a later time.

Which one to return?

Basics of Pond Balance

Catch BOTH bass and bream

– 20 bass/year/A

– 50 – 100 lb bream/A» Depends on fertility

Pond Water Management

Prepare pond for a healthy ecology

– Target water quality (W1 water test)

» 25 ppm hardness (Lime)

» Visibility between 12 and 18 inches

» Phosphorus below 0.1 ppm (Fertilizer or not)

– Natural pond – Less than 50 lb of fish/Acre

» Usually low pH and low hardness pH below 6.5, hardness below 10 ppm

» Clear water, stained by organic substances

“Natural Pond” Leaves, wood are

decomposing in pond - acids

Trees on two or more sides

May have aquatic vegetation

Fish growth is slow, less than 50 lb/A

Lower Cost Management of Aquatic Weeds

February thru May…Best

Get proper identification

Select proper control

APPLY control effectively

– Spot treat

– Use granules to limit area

– Or, use the best adjuvant

– Consider tank mixes

Recent Additions:Chemical Controls of Aquatic Plants

Imazamox (Clearcast) emergent and submerged– Liquid or Granular

Clipper (Flumioxazin) floating, emergent, and submerged

Generics of diquat, fluridone, imazapyr, imazamox

Mixes of 2,4-D and triclopyr (Renovate MAX G) 2,4-D amine granular (Sculpin G)

Algicides

Clipper (for filamentous species)– On the Surface of the pond

Diquat (best to tank mix with copper)

Hydrothol liquid or granules (use less than 0.3ppm)

Copper chelates or acidified copper sulfate

***Follow herbicide with grass carp for filamentous algae control

Primary weeds for Imazamox

Alligatorweed Cattail Common salvinia Parrotfeather Watershield Bladderwort Hydrilla Milfoils Pondweeds

2,4-D and Triclopyr mix

• Renovate Max G -14% 2,4-D, 4% triclopyr

• Recommended for water lily control at 20

lb/A-ft

• Spot treat in static water

• Not recommended when irrigation used with in

three months* of application.

• $132 per 40 lb

*See new label.

2,4-D Amine Granules

Milfoil Control• Sculpin G

– (65 to 130 lb/A)

• A bit less than Navigate

– (110 to 200 lb/A)

Relative Cost For New HerbicidesHerbicide Cost per unit Surface Acre $ 4 A-ft Water $

$Clearcast $365/gal $46 to $92 $184 to $1,840

$$Clipper $200/lb $75 to $150 $420 to $840

$Reward/Copper $120/$40/gal $80 $160 to $320

$$Tradewind 8 oz packets $200-$400 $450 to $600

$$$Sonar $411/pt N/A $822 to $1,233

$$Sonar (gran) $30/ lb N/A $300 to $600

$$Navigate (gran) $209/50 lb N/A $418 to $836

$Renovate Max G

$$ Sculpin G

$132/40 lb

$190/40 lb

N/A

N/A

$66 to $528

$308 to $616

$ = less expensive, $$ = moderate expense, $$$ = most expensive

When to Drain for Aquatic Weeds Chemical control is expensive

Weed covers a major portion of the pond

Pond is small

Pond needs other repair

After Draining…

Use Rotenone, Hydrated lime, or Chlorine in standing water

– 500 lb HL/Acre < 1 ft deep

– 80 lb Chlorine /A-ft

Rotenone is best for deep water

Rotenone

• For total renovation

• 2.5 to 5% Active Ingredient

• Use 25 to 250 ppb AI (.33 to 3 gal/A-ft)

• Best in warm water but can be used at most temperatures

• Last 35 days at 45 degrees F

• Remember to detoxify with permanganate if necessary

Guide to Synpren Use(2.5% Rotenone, 5% resins, 2.5% Piperonyl Butoxide)

Active

Rotenone

(ppm)

Acre-ft

per

Gallon

Selective 0.005-.007 15 to 12

Normal 0.025-0.05 3 to 1.5

Bullheads/

carp

0.05-0.1 1.5 to 0.75

Rich

organic

0.1-0.2 0.75 to 0.38

Pre-

impound

0.15-0.25 0.5 to 0.3

Sources of Rotenone

• Prentiss, 770-552-8072, www.prentiss.com

• TIFA International, 908-647-4570,

www.tifachemfish.com

• Aquacenter, Inc., 800-748-8921,

www.aquacenterinc.com

Fish Kills and Disease

Look for the cause

and how to correct

the problem.

In this case, Low

Water and High

Density Fish

Population Without

Aerator.

Diagnosing Fish Pond Disease Cases

• Determine if Acute or Chronic

• If you are NOT AT THE POND

– Look at the fish sample for signs of disease

– Take images – camera or microscope

– Check pond water for hardness or alkalinity (W1)

• If you are AT THE POND – Take Images

– Check species and sizes of fish affected

– Look for contributing factors – Ask questions

– Take samples to office for examination

Signs of Disease

Erosion of fins

And mouth

White fringe around

Red sore

Diseases of

WinterBacterial/ Fungal Disease or

Winter Kill

Ich

- White spots, under skin

Costia

- Sunken eyes, dark skin

color, dry skin, very small

parasites on gills

FEED A HIGH QUALITY

FOOD IN LATE SUMMER

AND FALL

Causes of Fish Disease in Farm and Recreation

Ponds

• Overcrowding (Fish run out of natural food)

– Usually from not fishing enough

• Low water

– Crowds fish, leads to warm water, low oxygen

• Enriched water

– Fertilizer, Overfeeding, Polluted Runoff

• A Recent Stress

– Low oxygen, Cloudy weather, Rapid Temperatures

Changes, Pond turn-over

Chemical Use in Aquaculture

• Use only approved chemicals

• Ornamental fish can be treated with a variety of chemicals that pond fish cannot be treated with.

• Sometimes the chemical can be worse than the disease. (caustic or poisonous)

• Fish Disease treatments only for Aquaculture

– Recreational users not familiar with chemicals

• Use EARLY in the epizootic.

Fish Disease Chemicals

• Salt to increase chloride – reduces stress in fish

• Lime to increase hardness and buffer pH

• Formalin as a parasite treatment

– Dangerous to handle in large quantities

– 15 to 25 ppm for whole-pond treatment (5 to 8.5

gallons per acre-foot of water)

– Aerate during treatment and for several days after

treatment

– Please call for quote: (800) 283-5292 Western

Chemical

Medicated Feed

• Hard to get in 2016

• Veterinary Feed Directive to take effect in

December 31, 2016

– Only a vet can prescribe medicated feed

– Use management to fight fish diseases rather than

antibiotics

• Harvest fish to reduce crowding

• Feed catfish a high quality feed

• Aerate during periods of cloudy weather