Sa777
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I live just North of Atlanta, GA, and I own a pond about the size of a football field. I was looking to introduce a new species of fish to it. I am an experienced angler, and the fish in it just don't provide much of a challenge anymore. I know I could destroy the ecosystem, so I came here to get your opinions. Here are some species I already had in mind:
Carp
Gar (longnose or alligator)
Red-tailed catfish
Flathead catfish
I need to know if these species could survive in my pond. If they could even sustain themselves, would they destroy the ecosystem and ultimately themselves? (If you know of another large species of fish that might work, please share)
The temperature here ranges from the high 80s in the summer to about 32 in the winter. (Fahrenheit) During winter the temperature will occasionally drop below freezing but only for short fluctuations. It generally stays around 40 degrees in the coldest part of the year. I already know Carp, Gar and Flatheads can survive in my climate, I just need to know if they would kill the pond. For the RT catfish I need to know if it would even survive the winter.
The current organisms in my pond include, but are not limited to: 100-200 bluegill, 10-25 LMB, 4-10 white crappie, 6-15 channel cats, minnows (many), 2-5 cottonmouths, frogs, snapping and aquatic turtles, and the occasional duck. I do not care if the Bass and channel catfish die off. If I introduced one of the large predators would it hunt down the bluegills and minnows to extinction? If I just introduced one gar or flathead I know it would consume lots of food everyday, but I doubt it would need to eat so many fish at one time that the bluegills/minnows would die, especially if it was the only predatory fish.
Please tell me which one would be best suited for my pond based on its likeliness to survive and if it would destroy its own food supply ( once again, I am only concerned with the survival of the large fish and its food). Could I introduce 1-2 flatheads to replace the entire channel catfish population?
Carp
Gar (longnose or alligator)
Red-tailed catfish
Flathead catfish
I need to know if these species could survive in my pond. If they could even sustain themselves, would they destroy the ecosystem and ultimately themselves? (If you know of another large species of fish that might work, please share)
The temperature here ranges from the high 80s in the summer to about 32 in the winter. (Fahrenheit) During winter the temperature will occasionally drop below freezing but only for short fluctuations. It generally stays around 40 degrees in the coldest part of the year. I already know Carp, Gar and Flatheads can survive in my climate, I just need to know if they would kill the pond. For the RT catfish I need to know if it would even survive the winter.
The current organisms in my pond include, but are not limited to: 100-200 bluegill, 10-25 LMB, 4-10 white crappie, 6-15 channel cats, minnows (many), 2-5 cottonmouths, frogs, snapping and aquatic turtles, and the occasional duck. I do not care if the Bass and channel catfish die off. If I introduced one of the large predators would it hunt down the bluegills and minnows to extinction? If I just introduced one gar or flathead I know it would consume lots of food everyday, but I doubt it would need to eat so many fish at one time that the bluegills/minnows would die, especially if it was the only predatory fish.
Please tell me which one would be best suited for my pond based on its likeliness to survive and if it would destroy its own food supply ( once again, I am only concerned with the survival of the large fish and its food). Could I introduce 1-2 flatheads to replace the entire channel catfish population?
