Have a question that Im hoping you guys might be able to help me answer.
I just recently setup a 1100 gallon, 10' diameter, 30 inches tall heated pond in my basement.
It has various cichlids in it as well as several cichla...
It has 3 Ocellaris, 2 Monos, 6 Tems, and 3 orinos.. Along with a LMB..
Ever since these cichla have grown up I have always kept them well fed on fatheads with supplemental market shrimp feedings every couple of days. I figured I would try and make the pond more natural so I added about 120 fathead minnows to the pond who now swim around in schools. I was hoping that it would cause some natural predation type situations for the cichla.
Well here is what Im observing. Its seems that the cichla as well as the largemouth are having trouble catching these fatheads in this size pond. I see them busting the school, but they scatter everywhere. Ive never seen one of them actually succeed in getting one. On the other hand I have been finding heads, tails, and various other body parts floating around of the mornings when I turn the lights on, but I didnt know if this might have been from the rtc, tsn, and planiceps ambushing them during the night.
So my question, should I just wait until all these fatheads are gone before I throw anymore in? Im assuming that the stunned affect will slow the fatheads down enough for the pbass to nail them. Ive been throwing in shrimp, but they dont seem interested. They just chase the minnows...
All advice and thoughts are greatly appreciated...
Thanks
I just recently setup a 1100 gallon, 10' diameter, 30 inches tall heated pond in my basement.
It has various cichlids in it as well as several cichla...
It has 3 Ocellaris, 2 Monos, 6 Tems, and 3 orinos.. Along with a LMB..
Ever since these cichla have grown up I have always kept them well fed on fatheads with supplemental market shrimp feedings every couple of days. I figured I would try and make the pond more natural so I added about 120 fathead minnows to the pond who now swim around in schools. I was hoping that it would cause some natural predation type situations for the cichla.
Well here is what Im observing. Its seems that the cichla as well as the largemouth are having trouble catching these fatheads in this size pond. I see them busting the school, but they scatter everywhere. Ive never seen one of them actually succeed in getting one. On the other hand I have been finding heads, tails, and various other body parts floating around of the mornings when I turn the lights on, but I didnt know if this might have been from the rtc, tsn, and planiceps ambushing them during the night.
So my question, should I just wait until all these fatheads are gone before I throw anymore in? Im assuming that the stunned affect will slow the fatheads down enough for the pbass to nail them. Ive been throwing in shrimp, but they dont seem interested. They just chase the minnows...
All advice and thoughts are greatly appreciated...
Thanks
