Transfering population between colony ships and a planet

from Stardock Forums
How do you transfer population between a planet and a colony ship?

When my first colony ship was made, a window in the lower right side of the display came up with a slider bar where I could adjust how much population, actually it said troops, would be placed in the colony ship. When my next two colony ships where made, somehow I launched them with 0 population in them. After they were launched I could not figure out how to put population into them. I went and sent them to form a colony with 0 pop in them, and I think they formed colonies that started out with like 5 million pop. So, I guess I got a bonus 5 million pop from somewhere.

Oh, and that first colony ship, it had like 505 million pop but a few years after it created a colony, I checked and the colony had way less that 500 million, so where did all the rest of the people go?

Thanks
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
//Oh, and that first colony ship, it had like 505 million pop but a few years after it created a colony, I checked and the colony had way less that 500 million, so where did all the rest of the people go?
//

Check morale on planet - if it has less than 40 morale, you 'lose' population (this part of population becomes too poor to pay taxes).

So, try to colonize good PQ planet with something like 505 pop at the start of the game or reduce taxes (better to have 100 morale at the start on all planets).

~SDC~
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Rex, once a colony ship is launched, pop can only be transfered from the ship to a planet. This causes the ship to disappear after starting a colony or transferring the pop to a planet. For moving pop around, I think transports work better since the ship will be placed into orbit after the pop is transferred to the planet and can be reused.
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Rex B., I've had similar problems. Try this and see if it works: if the colony ship is launched with 0 population, send it back into orbit and next turn, launch it again...you may then get the slider bar option.
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Does anyone have any idea how people are managing to launch colony ships with zero population?
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
I never understood why a colony ship could not be reused...does it become part of the new colony or something?
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Alzandrion --

That's what I figure. A new colony would need not only people, but all sorts of machinery, biota that you need for a viable sustainable ecosystem, all sorts of supplies, perhaps prefab buildings...