Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site New Pond/New Member

I'm a newbie on the forum and I wish I had come here a long time ago. Lots of great info. Hopefully I can pick you folk's brains as my project progresses. I built an excavated pond on our new homesite that is kidney shaped and one acre in size. The clay was used to build the house pad, shop pad, and 400' of driveway. The pond's intended uses are mainly aesthetic with a little recreational fishing thrown in. If my calculations are correct, I should hold about 6'-10" of water. I plan on stocking with coppernose bream just to show folks I can catch a fish when I want to. The main water source will be from a 4" water well. I have a 3' levee all around the pond so no surface water gets in. Only rain and well water. The pond is still empty, no rain in a while and no well dug yet, so I'll use the opportunity to get my 14'x18' over-water deck built while it's dry. I'll try to find a place to post the pictures and give ya'll a link so you can critique my project. I'll be asking about aeration and fountain options next, so have your info handy. I subscribed to the magazine, too. Thanks for letting me share your knowledge.
Ken

From what I understand about southern ponds, with that shallow of depth 6' 10" which may be actually 6' most of the time if it doesn't leak, you will need to fertilize or you will be fighting rooted weeds and filamentous algae about 8- 10 months per year. Other southern pondowners and our experts will be your best source of help after your pond fills with water.

A 6' deep pond in the north is a glorified wetlands covered with weeds all spring & summer long unless you have lots of grass carp and or lots of chemicals.

Bill,
How does fertilizer help fight filamentous algae and weeds? I would think fertilizer would contribute to the problem.

Tuzz - the practice of pond fertilization is used to promote phytoplankton blooms; which provide dual benefits.

1) Phytoplankton are the base of the aquatic food-chain. So, the growth-rate of top-line predator fish is benefited by enhancing the base of the food pyramid.

2) Phytoplankton "blooms" help inhibit sunlight penetration to the bottom of a pond, which makes the pond less hospitable to ROOTED plants AND filamentous algae (which normally initiates its growth on the pond's bottom if sufficient sunlight is available).

Some ponds are able to sustain sufficient phytoplankton blooms with little or no fertilization. Other ponds may greatly benefit from fertilizer treatments - namely, from blends bearing a relatively high middle number in the analysis (phosphorus) - which is the most important nutrient for phytoplankton.

HOWEVER, fertilization timing, treatment-rates and application techniques are critical variables that determine whether the practice ultimately provides benefit or causes a catastrophy.

Most ponds in southern Louisiana are excavated. That part of the world is flat. It's a common practice to excavate an area, to find dirt to create building pads and road beds. Plus, it rains a lot in south Louisiana...and if it freezes in winter, it's reported on the television news as an event.
So, six feet is plenty deep in that part of the world. With a productive enough well, and 360+ days above freezing, this pond will be fairly easy to manage, as long as there is very little area less than three feet deep. With little or no flushing, fertilization will be effective in promoting plankton and minimizing rooted aquatic plants. Fish production will be enticing, because this pond is a focal point, easily accessible, with a readily available water supply in case of management miscues. It sounds as close to "perfect" as a scenario can be in that part of the world.

Kelly or Bob----regarding DKFarms questions... Assuming he has sufficient water come spring. When should he apply the fertilizer in the spring to control filamentous algae. I am in East Texas. I am told to apply liquid pond fertilizer in early spring. The Big Question is when is " Early" spring in the South??????

Also, since my pond does have the potential to flush a little when it rains , how often do you recommend applying the fertilizer.

I am also using well water to stablize the water level during spawning season due to leaky soil, but plan to let it drop a little during the winter.

I used tilapia to control the filamentous algae this spring since I did not get the "early " spring jump with the fertilizer. I plan to harvest some of the tilapia this fall, before they die off due to the cold. I would prefer not to use tilapia again because the compete so much for the available food pellets that I feed.

Any thoughts----- thanks

Good question.
Fertilizer should be applied to clear water each spring when water temps are consistently above 60 degrees. The clearer the water, the more fertilizer you need. Phosphorus is the key limiting ingredient needed to promote plankton growth. The goal in not to prevent algae, but to create a plankton bloom, which shades sunlight off the bottom of the pond, which helps prevent rooted plant growth.
When your pond flushes, judge when to fertilize by water clarity. Clear water with deep visibility needs the most fertilizer. Fertilizer rates are determined by how far down you can see, and to some degree, your water chemistry.

Thanks for the input. My pond has a good 1-1/2 to 1 slope, or less, all the way around so I have very little water at 3 feet or less. If I can get a good bloom, I shouldn't have any weed or grass problems. I will be filling over the winter so I should be able to establish some green by late spring. As for depth, a general recreation pond not used for growing something to sell doesn't add any value if you go beyond 7 or 8 feet deep, at least in this part of south Louisiana. Down here, 40 miles from the Gulf, a deeper pond than this will tend to form a dead layer on the bottom starting in mid-summer. Then you have the potential problems of the bottom turning over, you need more "scientific" aeration monitoring requirements, frequent water testing, etc. Kinda takes the fun out of it. I have a 10" pipe for my overflow and it extends all the way to the center deepest part of the pond so that with excess rainfall or overfilling, I will be draining off my potentially "bad" water first. My well is 4 inches in diameter with a high volume submersible pump. It is in the same zone that the drinking water comes from so it should be relatively free of surface contaminants. So me and the fish will be drinking the same water. From what I've experienced, the most important thing to establish first is a good bloom. My neighbors with ponds similar to mine were able to do this and they have had great results. Little or no grass, good fish production, and minimal fertilization/management requirements. Keep those cards and letters comin, and thanks again.
Ken

Well thought out, well planned, well executed. Well done!

For us newbie pondmiesters there is an excellent web site I just found out about. It is sponsored by Texas A&M so don't hold this against me if you are a Texas, or LSU fan . You might check this out.

NO www stuff--- just wildlife.tamu.edu---- then click on aquaculture area

Some of us happen to be Aggies....the A&M site is good.

What amount of fertilizer do you recommend for a 1 1/2 acre pond to start with?

Heres my two cents. Before you fertilize, you have to make sure your water alkalinity is higher than 20 ppm.
How much to fertilize depends a lot on your water clarity. Ideal water clarity is between 18 to 24". The clearer the water , the more fertilizer to apply. For example if water clarity is 30" you may want to use one gallon of liquid fertilizer per acre.If clarity is 5 feet you may want to use 4 gallons per acre. If you are using granular of powdered fertilizer then you go by the pound.
Check out the fertilizing section of this website, at top right of that page select the option for "show all topics" then browse through em all. That will help a lot with stuff like liming, converting liquid measurements to granular, when not to fertilize, etc. Good luck!

One little tidbit to consider. You live in New York. New York winter bad. Ice. Fertile ponds can cause serious winter time issues, especially under snowpacked ice. Exercise care with fertilizer in New York. As a matter of fact, biologists in the Empire State recommend avoiding fertilizer, unless you aerate your pond over winter.

bob, i couldn't help but notice your last comment ("As a matter of fact....") reminded me of Cliffy Claven from Cheers! all we need is "Noooorrrrmmmm."!!

Mark

Up kinda late, aren't you? Feeding that five day old bundle of joy, so momma can get some well deserved rest, are ya? 7 lb, 6 ounce Ava Sloane Williams....proud owner of Mark and Amy Williams...everyone congratulate the newest Pond Boss and her brand new parents....aka ilovefishingmark....

Mark, Congratulations! Don't worry about the expense of the baby. You'll get your moneys worth. They last a real long time.

congrats mark, my baby boy just turned one!

chris

congrats Mark, kids are the greatest gift from God.

Enjoy your posts ilovefishingmark!
Congrats on the little girl!! My wife & I tried 4 times to get a girl & stopped after the 4th boy.

Wow, everybody, thanks so much. i'm grinning ear to ear as i type this. my little girl Ava "Sloane", started crying, and i went to pick her up. I went over to the dryer and turned it on, leaned up against it, and whala, she fell right to sleep. I've told several patients to try that, but to actually try it myself and see it work, man, what a feeling. like i was telling Bob Lusk earlier, I just cried last night when she was snuggled up against me, she was so peaceful, so adorable. thanked God (and still thanking Him) for such a precious gift. man, what a feeling. my whole life i've lived a life to be a father my child (or maybe children), can be proud of, and to have that moment finally come true is amazing. well, enough of me rambling on about my precious little girl. oh, another thing that was great was I delivered her (I'm a Family Physician, so it's not like I just let her pop out next to the pond! although....!!!) anyway, if anyone is interested, i'd love to email you some pics. i've had some trouble emailing some pics, so if i do send them to you and there are probs, let me know. As I am sure many of you parents know, having little Sloane also reinforced how wonderful my wife Amy is (and yes Bob, I am trying to make sure hers and my paths cross more often...less fishing and flying, more Amy time!!)

Well, since I'm feeling sentimental, I'll go ahead and tell all you pond bossr's how much i've enjoyed the past 2 years on this website, getting to know many of you folks well. what a great website, and good people. anyone have a kleenex?!!! mark williams ilovefishingmark@yahoo.com

Congratulations, Mark! My wife and I are working on our first (fingers crossed, it may be in the oven). By no means an MD, I took EMT courses and told my wife I would like to help deliver. I was politely turned down, go figure. I'll remember the dryer deal. Every once in a while, Erin will give me a comment about moving into town (we live on 80 acres, a mile and a half from our nearest neighbor, two ponds, and wildlife out the wazoo) and I remind her about how much fun the kids will have running around our little piece of paradise. She grew up walking down the street to the park, I grew up walking a half mile to the nearest pond (after getting permission)or fishing a nearby creek, or riding my horse, looking for a new place to fish.

Congrats again on the youngster. When does she get her own login on the site?

Svoberts,
29 yrs ago my wife & I took Lamaz (sp) classes & my first son was born. The folks at the hosp. didn't believe in natural childbirth. The DR. met us at the Hosp. then went home.? Anyway My wife went fast & all the nurses were fussing saying "are you going to catch this baby? I'm not going to catch this baby" .... well I told them I would catch the baby & they found an intern to do the job. But I would have .. no prob.!
PS: Good luck with the maybe!!! Raising them in the country is the best!

svoberts, sure you are not my long lost brother??!! like you, I have to remind my wife how.."yah, sweetie, this is all for our children...someday, THEY will love it." (as she raises an eyebrow.) just keep your hopes up, if she doesn't leave you first!! actually, my lovely wife, baby sloane and little rudy (a little yorkie that can kick bob lusk's yorkie's ("Romeo") butt...or at least lick you to death more.. as bob would say) and me sat on the back porch enjoying the evening as we watched deer in our back yard tonight just before dark; man what a feeling, life is good when you get to enjoy that.

if i hadn't delivered a lot of babies, i wouldn't have delivered my own. if you haven't, i really wouldn't. just cut the cord and enjoy the moment. trust me, i had back up there just in case something went wrong...we should all know our limits, and you never can predict what can happen in childbirth; when they are easy, they're made to look easy, when they go bad, can be bad(and go bad in a hurry!). so don't feel bad, just enjoy it.

Ric, my wife and I also went to Lamaz classes. natural birth is great (yah, 30 years ago!! ha, ha) , but hey, happiness thru modern chemistry!!! epidurals are great for the mom ; and the person delivering the baby doesn't get kicked in the face as much! I, too, agree that raising kids in the country is the best. i have dreams of standing next to my little girl with her hair up in curls or whatever they have and teaching her how to bait a hook, ride a 4 wheeler, start a fire, listen to the sound of a turkey gobble...you get the idea. man what a great website, to be able to share my joy with folks who share the similar thoughts. thanks everyone for letting me share my joy. (sounds like the Bud Light commercial... "I love ya man"..."you can't have my beer"!! if you haven't seen the commercial, sorry you can't understand! mark

I am lucky in the fact that I am just like my father-in-law. Word around is that Jimmy couldn't have interviewed for a better fit for a son-in-law. He had two girls who never took to hunting, so he didn't have anyone to pass the "outdoor" gene to. Sometimes I think I spend more time with him on the weekend than Erin. He enjoys fishing the "long pond" aka the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. Hence why I now have a couple of flatheads and a couple of blues in my pond.