Hello: My wife & I just purchased a piece of property that has a very small pond. Maybe a 1/8 of an acre or less. More of a puddle if you please LOL. The prior owner of the property could tell us nothing about the pond that I would deem useful or trustworthy. I'm pretty sure the pond is not man made because there are a bunch of similar ponds in my immediate area.
Right now, the pond is a huge scuzzy mess & funds are low because the septic system needed some work. I know nothing about pond stewardship, but can imagine I'm embarking on what will be a never ending work in progress. My long term goal is to experiment w/aquaponics if the pond is deep enough to sustain fish year round. When things are hot & dry around here later this summer I plan to wade out to see how deep it is.
Where should I start reading, researching, exploring, gathering info??? Are there any low budget things I can do now to improve the conditions of our pond?
Thanks & have a great day!