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Old 09-16-07, 01:32 PM   #1
BarnBrat
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Default Advice Please: Smallmouth Bass Ok in Koi Pond?

Hi all, I hope you do not mind me posting this here as it is not really fishing related. I have a large 12,000 gallon koi pond and I would like to add a predator fish to get rid of all the baby koi. I need something that will not touch anything over 5 inches. (No fin nipping, ect on the larger fish). My question is would a smallmouth bass be a good choice?

I asked this on a koi message board and someone suggested I try a board like this as fishermen know everything there is to know about the fish they are trying to catch. I have tried researching the smallmouth on the internet and while I've learned alot, I can't find anything about their prey size limit, or if they are generally aggresive toward other fish. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
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Old 09-16-07, 01:34 PM   #2
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Try a bluegill or catfish
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Old 09-16-07, 01:38 PM   #3
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Whatever you do, dont put catfish in there... I had a 12 inch catfish, 4 -6inch bluegills, and a 10 inch bass in the same tank for a while, but the catfish was easily the dominant fish there. he killed the bluegills first, then started nipping the bass until he finally died aswell... Dont know about smallmouths..
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Old 09-16-07, 03:36 PM   #4
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Well, all bass are pretty aggressive fish. While fishing I've had 4" bass hit a 6" soft plastic. They really dont have a size limit. Large bass have been known to eat ducks even. You can try bass and see what happens. Put a few 1-2lb'ers in there and see what happens.
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Old 09-16-07, 07:01 PM   #5
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Bass (lm anyway, I'm guessing sm act the same) are very aggressive towards other fish in a confined environment. I kept a couple of lm in an aquarium for a year. They attacked and killed any other fish in the tank whether they ate them or not.
I think crappie would probably do the job and not bother your larger fish.
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Old 09-16-07, 08:37 PM   #6
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Ok, We have a small 1/2 acre pond and a 500 gal Koi pond, we tryed bluegill, and they killed the koi we put in there ( and we both know koi aren't cheap) catfish will definitaly eat anytihng it can get into it's mought, same with bass, and bass are very territorial. I wouldn't put any foriegn fish in there... bepending on the size of the babies, ask your local pond place if they'll trade, it's illegal to sell them without a fish selling liscense, but we traded 60 of your baby koi for technically $2 ea on trade so next year, we get all our plants for free. (technically)

If your wonder how me got them out, we put on wader and used a sane {sp?} ( a minnow net thingy that you pull across the bottom) it worked good.

bb144
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Old 09-17-07, 11:19 AM   #7
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DON'T DO IT!!!

If you really want to get rid of some koi, then post a free ad on craigslist or something like that. Anytime you introduce a wiLd fish into a controlled environment such as a koi pond you greatly run the risk of introducing a disease and wiping out your entire pond. Adult koi included!!!

I have a koi pond and my neighbor asked to keep some bait in there one time for a couple of days. I agreed to it because I didn't think it would hurt anything. I started out with over 50 fish myself, then introduced maybe a dozen of his bait fish in there; for just a few days. 2 weeks after removing the baitfish all my fish were wiped out but one, and he had some disease. Luckily I nursed him back to health, but I will never do that again.
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Old 09-17-07, 11:45 AM   #8
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We raise Koi in our garden pond, and they are easily killed by disease and weather.....I'd sell them to a pet place rather than put a preditor fish in there....plus I'd rather have a gill or cat inprisoned in the pond than a bass..also, I think a smallmouth wouldn't last long without running water, unless the pond pump keeps the water moving..JMO
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Old 09-17-07, 01:37 PM   #9
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone, keep them coming. Sounds like a bass might not be a good idea and a Bluegill or Catfish might be the way to go. I think aggresion would be less of a problem in an open environment. BigBassin144 - when the bluegill killed your koi were they in 1/2 acre pond or the 500gal pond?

Unfortunately catching them is not an option. Believe me I've tried!! The pond is 12,000 gallons. We've used a sein in past years and we still miss at least 15-20 of the little buggers! I've tried a minnow trap, and draining the pond way way down (they just go down the bottom drain). As far as disease goes, I'm going to quarintine whatever goes in there just like any other fish. As well as a Potassium Permagenate dip, salt, ect.
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Old 09-17-07, 01:46 PM   #10
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Ohh...and whatever I put in there there will definately be a 'trial period' before I move my good fish into that pond.

Also, I know catfish will eat floating pelleted koi food. What about Bluegill? I assume they would eat all the baby fish soon after they hatched and there would not be much else for them to eat the rest of the year. So having something that will eat the koi food would be a definate plus.
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Old 09-18-07, 04:14 PM   #11
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Well, Gills will eat about anything they can fit in their mouths . For that matter, they will also try to eat anything that won't fit in their mouths too. They should do just fine with the Koi food, as well, one of their staples is insects from the surface. You could give them a try to see what happens, just be cautious.
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Old 09-18-07, 04:28 PM   #12
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The gills and the koi were in the 5000 gal pond.( i know i said 500 in the first post, but i meant 5000) we put the gills in until we got koi, then once the koi were introduced, the six or so gills killed them, along with a plecostmus we put in to keep it clean.

And this year we bought two baby (about 4" long) white catfish. They are fine in there know, but who knows what'll happen when they get bigger. it shouldn't be a problem since we bought them at the koi pond place.

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Old 09-19-07, 05:49 PM   #13
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Well, I caught a Bluegill yesterday and he's now in quarintine. I'm going to see how it goes with the smaller fish before I put our good koi in with him.

BigBassin, how big were the koi that your bluegills killed?
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Old 09-24-07, 01:25 PM   #14
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Let us know how this turns out.
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