I completed a 2 1/2 acre pond early last fall here in south central Arkansas and has filled to about 2 acres now. There is about 10+ feet in the deepest section and I need about 3 - 4 more feet to reach the spillway. There are tons of oaks, gum, hickory, and pines pushed into the middle of the pond with a huge tree each 50 feet with the roots to the bank. The pond is about 900+ feet long in the shape of a backwards 1/4 moon. The dozer man made plenty of humps, trenches, ridges, peninsulas, and dropoffs. As the pond was filling, my wife and I use pvc pipe of all sizes and other plastic goodies, to make fish attractors and a minnow beds with tires, concrete blocks and chicken wire. I also every 100 feet across the dam made piles of concrete blocks going from where the waters edge will be to about eight foot deep. The dam is about 560 feet long and solid red clay as is most of the soil under the pond. The pond is solely filled by rain water and run off.
I stocked 38 pounds of fathead minnows last November and stocked the Blue gills, red ears, coppernose, and bass in December. I also stocked some fresh water clams, ramshorn snails, trapdoor snails and very small and young bullfrogs in October. I threw out 150 pounds of cotton seed meal and also 300 pounds of lime in October.
I have a Vertec aerator with tree difuser heads but have not used it yet. I figure I will start using it in May.
The color of the water is a mirror black with visibility of only about 4 or 5 inches. Is this water color exceptable or do I need to do something else?

hi buzbait....great name....and sounds like you did a heck of a job w/ habitat...

how are the fish doing? what is the pH of the water? if you fill a jar, does the black in the water settle out quickly or stay suspended?

i'm sure some of the southern boys here can talk about black water more than i can, sounds like it might be full of tannins or general organics which would make me suspect the pH is low....but you limed it (maybe not enough?), aeration will only help over the warm months

giving yer question a nudge....

hope others chime in....

buzbait have you had the water and soil tested? If you are in the pinebelt you probably need lime (several tons per acre). The black water sounds , just as DIED provided , to be high in tannic acid (oaks ) and pines add acid also. The tests will answer your questions and provide a baseline to work from. Fish do better in non-acid water alkalinity above 20 ppm.

Ark. ----- Soil Testing and Research Laboratory
Ark. Hwy. 1 South
P.O. Drawer 767
Marianna, AR 72369
870-295-2851
Fax:870-295-2432
Dr. Morteza Mozaffari, Director
mmozaff@uark.edu

Thanks guys

I was afraid that was the problem but not sure. I used the powder form of lime and threw it out from the bank (300 pounds for about 1 1/2 acre), but it didn't always go in the direction I threw it. Now I have a flat bottom boat. What about the granule form of lime?
I wonder if the county coop extension does testing on water. I know what the soil is, red clay with some sandy loam. In some spots gray clay down about 8 - 10 feet. I found one rock on the entire property.

Soil and water tests tell you about the nutrients and chemical make up of the dirt and thus the water. The info I provided is thru the Ark Univ. system and should be inexpensive. It sounds like you used hydrated lime (powder). It is very strong but does not last long. Can kill your fish and other pond life. Be careful using it and wear a mask. Ag lime from your co-op via a spreader truck is the best option. Pelleted lime will work and is close to ag lime. Call the number provided or talk to your county agent.

Heya Buz, I was gonna tell you welcome aboard but I see that you've been a member since 2006. Where ya been for the past two years?

Sounds like you have a great pond. Got any photos?

I have never heard before of anyone adding cotton seed meal, what does that do?

Anyhoo, welcome back to Pond Boss!

Hey ewest and Jeff, I used the ag lime in a powder form from the farm store, I was aware of hydrated lime and not to use it. I didn't see the phone number, but I will call the local county agent, think his name is Tom Leslie.
The cotton seed meal was to give those 38 pounds of fathead minnows, bass(3"), blues gill(2"), Coppernose(1 1/2"), and redears(1") something to munch on, strict food for small fish. I appreciate your comments and the last two years I have been in the process of building a new retirement home and a pond. Now I am retired as of three weeks ago and about to really get involved in the pond.
I could use some advise on plants for the pond, right now I am looking at maybe Water Iris, Sweet Flag, and burhead on my dam which is about 560'. Definitely some water lilies with large leaves for my young bullfrogs. Pickerel weed, arrowhead, and spike rush in the swallow end of the pond. What you guys think?

I think I'm jealous.

Buzbait,

Your plants sound fine to me except for a caution on the waterlillies. Some types can become a major blight, and very are difficult to control.

Here's one more question. What do you guys do about kingfishers? I stopped the herons by buying a decoy of a heron from bass pro and it has kept all the herons away for now. The kingfishers are something else now lol

buz,

Purple martins are good for repelling birds in spring and summer. No idea about fall and winter. The good news is, kingfishers aren't nearly as gluttonous as herons, egrets, and cormorants.

You need a life-size cutout of Huey Long.