"It all depends." (A vary famous quote from a vary famous pondmeister that frequents this site by the name of Bill Cody) grin

Will your pond naturally not exceed 68 F. in the summer with sufficient oxygen? Doesn't matter how cool your water is below the surface due to stratification, as that water may very well be too low in oxygen.

However depending on what elevation you are at in Colorado perhaps that is not an issue? Perhaps the pond will stay cool naturally all summer?

For me a 1/10th acre pond is perfect because I have to run well water into it 24/7 in the summer to keep the water cool enough and metabolites flushed. If my pond was larger it would take more flow. So smaller is better for me.

Size of the pond has no bearing on the growth rates and ultimate size of the fish if you are feeding them. If you are not feeding a larger size can allow a larger carrying capacity.




Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 10/04/14 03:14 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.