Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry My new house has a pond. What tests should I do?

My wife and I bought a house with a 1/2 to 3/4 acre pond this past spring. Right now it has LMB, BG, and some channel cats that I added. The water is only 4-5 ft at its deepest and the water is crystal clear. It is also filled with snails. It seems there is very little plankton, I assume due to the snails. It does have a problem with pond scum on the surface. Canadian Geese can be a problem at times.

What tests should I perform? Are there any good test kits I can buy online? What should I do to increase the fertility?

Mike, if there is a swimming pool/spa dealer near you, most will do water sample testing for free.

ewest posted info for water testing from LSU in another recent thread.

As for the snails. Get about 50 Redear Sunfish, it will be a smorgasboard for them. Since you have clear water AND bass, you will need larger fish. For RES, they can get expensive and very hard to find.

In Northern PA, or if at a higher elevation, Pumpkinseed Sunfish may be a better snail control alternative to Redears. PS are much more cold tolerant than Redears, which are probably reaching the northern limit of their possible range in PA. OTOH, PS are harder to find available commercially.

On a separate item, MikeC, 4-5 feet is kind of shallow. In many locations, we would worry about a pond that depth drying up in the Summer or suffering from Winterkill is cold weather with lots of ice and snow. 1) Have any of the fish existed in the pond long-term? (good sign) 2) If the pond is (constantly) spring fed, both of the above worries are considerably lessoned.

I am pretty sure it is constantly spring fed. The biggest fish in the pond when I moved in were 10-12 inch bass. I am in southeastern pa and at a lower elevation. Will regular Bluegills eat snails?

No. They lack the pharyngeal teeth that allow RES and PS to crush snail shells.

Southern PA and low elevation, I'd go ahead and get some Redears.

I wonder where I can get them?

Thanks for all of your input Theo. I think you have helped on every thread I have posted.

Does that make up for my effects on everyone else?

P.S. You're welcome.

Penn. ----

Agricultural Analytical Services
Penn State University
Tower Rd.
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-0841
http://www.aasl.psu.edu
You can purchase a soil sample collection kit at your local Penn State Cooperative Extension County Office—you'll find the list of county offices on the lab's Website or you can call the lab for your county's office. You then mail your sample directly to the lab. The results will be sent to you with a copy to your local extension agent.

Does anyone know where I can get Pumpkinseeds or red ear sunfish?

Mike, my main fish supplier (who has RES) is in SW Ohio; they might go as far as you, but the delivery charge would probably be high.

Anybody know a source of RES or PS in the PA, NJ, Maryland, Northern VA, Delaware area?

So a regular soil test will work for pond water?

I am pretty sure my fish guy only has regular Bluegills.

Mike,

Hartley will ship RES:

http://www.hartleyfishfarmsinc.com/services.html

Hartley is where I got my SMB from. Great guy & good fish! Packed in an Igloo cooler, arrived in excellent shape!

Water reflects the soil in the pond and watershed. Talk to your extention agent. The forms have a place to indicate what you are using the land for and testing for -- a pond.

I'll contact Hartley. I wonder if they can ship the 5-7 inchers

Mike, water quality tests before fish. Hunt up the swimming pool place ASAP.

BTW, the water quality test and the fish will be the cheapest part of the journey.

Mike c, If you want pumpkinseeds I'll give you a bunch, but you would have to drive up here in the adirondacks. I'm not getting many in my traps now because the water is down to 48 degrees, but next spring you can have all you can carry.

I appreciate the offer. I found a pond near my house that has some. I put a couple in the pond this weekend.

Gonna try and stop by a pool place some day this week for water tests. Would they have one at a pet store?