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Hey yall, from SW Georgia

Started by Guest_fish for brains_* , Jun 07 2007 07:58 AM

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10 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_fish for brains_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 07:58 AM

Hi everybody.

I found the forum while researching Green Sunfish, and I don't have any fish at this time. I've had aquariums for most of my life including some very limited experience with one Largemouth Bass. I'm not a Georgia native and I just moved here about a year ago. I'll be constructing a pond on my property soon, so I'm researching various options for stocking. At some point I hope to build a small house right on the pond. Ultimately I want to have a large aquarium to grow out selected fry from my pond for release back to the pond when they get large.

For the pond I'm planning to have GSF as the apex predator. They would be the largest species in this 1/2 acre pond. I will try to collect as many other indigenous species as possible as long as they can't prey on the GSF. It's unusual for pond owners not to stock LMB or some other large game fish. It's extremely rare to use Greenies as the apex predator, in fact I haven't heard of anyone else who's done it.

This is an article that got me inspired to approach my pond differently than the standard LMB, BG, CC scenario: http://www.nanfa.org...acgeorgia.shtml

It's been waaaaaaaaaaaay too long since I've kept any fish and I'm getting excited about the thought.

I've enjoyed reading a few threads here already and I'm looking forward to chatting (typing) with you.

FFB

#2 Guest_fishlvr_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 09:15 AM

Welcome to the forum! Glad you're here. Were in GA do you live? I'm a Georgian too. I live up near Atlanta.

P.S. Many people here (including myself) are against releasing fish back into the wild(even after being captive for only a day) for a number of reasons. Read this:
http://forum.nanfa.o...h into the wild

Just letting you know. No hard feelings or anything.

#3 Guest_fish for brains_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 09:33 AM

Hi Fislvr. Thanks for the heads-up.

One consideration is that I won't really be releasing them into the wild. My pond will be a closed system essentially. It would take a catastrophic weather event to flood to the point where some fish might get washed out, and if they did it's extremely unlikely they would end up in other streams/ponds.

Also, the fry I would be putting in the aquarium would come from my own pond and then be released back into the same water.

I value everyone's opinion on the subject.

FFB

edit: I'm in Grady county which is on the Florida line, 2 counties over from the Alabama line.

#4 Guest_hmt321_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 09:36 AM

If the pond is privately owned and a closed system (no other attached water system) then releasing aquarium held fish into that pond is fine and I do not think that it is in contradiction with NANFA standards for the captive care of native fish (as i understand it)

#5 Guest_fishlvr_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 09:41 AM

Well, since it's your pond and won't be coming in contact with wild natives, it's not so bad. But there is still the chance that the fish, while in your care, could contract an alien disease and wipe out your stock, especially since the pond is closed in. The disease could multiply and continue to kill fish, because there is no way for it to get out of the pond. But they are your fish, and it wouldn't be killing the natives of our natural rivers and ponds (none of our lakes are natural). I guess what I'm saying is make sure you have back-up stock incase something like that does happen :smile:

#6 Guest_fish for brains_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 10:25 AM

Is it that the environment of the aquarium is more stressful to the fish causing a greater chance of disease?

If so would this be just as true if the fry were collected a few days after hatching and then returned after they reached 3 or 4 inches?

#7 Guest_fishlvr_*

Guests

Posted 07 June 2007 - 10:40 AM

Not only can stress cause natural diseases, but there could be diseases in the aquarium that may not be found in your pond, which, after the fish is released, could multiply and wipe out the entire population.

#8 Guest_hmt321_*

Guests

Posted 08 June 2007 - 06:41 AM

Is it that the environment of the aquarium is more stressful to the fish causing a greater chance of disease?

If so would this be just as true if the fry were collected a few days after hatching and then returned after they reached 3 or 4 inches?

what you have is a high density of fish in a very small amount of water, any parasite, disease, virus, etc has so much more contact with the fish.

for example: Ich is not a problem in the wild because of the shear volume of water, the "cysts" attach and fall of not causing the fish much harm, in an aquarium because of the small volume of water the parasite reproduces and inundates the fish and becomes a health issue very quick.

#9 Guest_fish for brains_*

Guests

Posted 13 June 2007 - 01:43 PM

Thanks hmt321. Most likely I will collect specimens when they are very young and keep them in the aquarium for a short time to enjoy them up close. Then they'll go back to the pond. I will resist the urge to have more than a few fish at a time.

I plan on dipping fish whenever I move them. I'll be asking questions about this later.

#10 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guests

Posted 16 July 2007 - 01:47 PM

Hey, hey... I'm in Andalusia, AL, about 5 counties west of you. Maybe someday we'll go scoop up something.

#11 Guest_fishrenter_*

Guests

Posted 19 July 2007 - 08:49 AM

Hey there fishforbrains. I'm in Tifton and I stomp around Grady Co. a good bit and I know some of your neighbors. I ain't from GA myself. Where you gonna get those GSF from?