Adding biodiversity to a trout pond- ?

Hi Tim, thanks for your books, videos, and time to contribute here.

I have a medium size pond, about 1/2 acre and 15' deep that I completed last spring. It is stocked with rainbow trout and is thriving. It froze over for 3 months this winter, and stays under 70 degrees through the summer. We have inflow from a diverted mountain stream.
At this point, I am interested in increasing the biodiversiy of this pond, but do not want to add anything that will increase turbidity, such as crayfish, ducks, grass carp. I have a second, smaller pond downstream than I plan to add these types of animals to in the future.
We planted waterlilies along one shoreline this spring, and have a good cover of vegetation along the pond banks.

I have been thinking about Yellow Perch as a good addition to the trout pond. I believe they could eat the same pellets as the trout, and have similar water needs. Any thoughts on suitability of this? I hear Yellow Perch would likely spawn in the pond, and make for tasty eating both for me and my trout.
Floating vegetation islands, to grow lettuce and such are another scheme of mine, just need to find the time to put towards a project like this.

Are there any other species combinations that you have found good with rainbow trout? Our water isnt clear and cold enough for brook trout, and brown trout dont seem to be of any real benefit. I understand that folks ussually keep a trout pond simple, but my love of biodiversity wants to find a good mix of species that would complament one another.

By the way, me and my boys were just delighted watching your pond video that showed the trout farmer in Vermont netting trout out of his pond, baiting the fish with pellet feed. Awesome sight! A great technique I need to master.

Thanks, Adam

Hi Adam, just wondering how your pond is doing and if you made any changes to it. Also, what do you think is the flow rate of your stream input? Do you ever have problems with low oxygen? Do you aerate at all? Thanks.

Daniel Bowman wrote:Hi Adam, just wondering how your pond is doing and if you made any changes to it. Also, what do you think is the flow rate of your stream input? Do you ever have problems with low oxygen? Do you aerate at all? Thanks.

Pond is doing great. Inflow is probably about 80 gallons per minute, though that is a pretty rough guess.

Seemingly no oxygen problems, as the stram inflow is a pretty good oxygenator, and the pond also receives a decent amount of wind.

I do have an aeration pump, that I run in the winter in the shallows to keep an unfrozen hole for air exchange. I also run an aerator in the depths in spring to circulate all the water in the pond. This summer I am experimenting with not running the aeration, and so far, the results are good. Not running the aeration keeps the surface warmer for my swimming.

Hope that helps,
Adam

Why don't you try Ide? they can live at the surface of the water and catch insects. the even jump out of the water to swallom mosquitos mid-air!

Where do you get them?

Depends. google for a fishfarmer who grows Ide.

Check out bluegill. I've had mine in an aquaponics setup in my basement and they've proven to be very hardy.

Crappie!!

Cold water crappie are the best tasting freshwater fish in north america hands down.