Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Brook trout picture on the pond today

Have you ever considered periodically increasing the PH upstream like they do in some New York trout ponds?

Cecil, I had thought of liming the pond, but I think the water turnover rate would dilute it too rapidly, and the trout seem to grow at a rapid rate, with no apparent problems with the ph.
The brook trout in the stream seem to thrive as I have caught many of them from 3inches up to 9 inches.
I have also started to put small dams in the stream by driving steel fence posts in and putting logs and branches in to raise stream levels.

Makes sense as brook trout are more adaptable to acidity as long as it doesn't get too low.

Here my well water is 7.2 and my ponds are about 8.5. Alkalinity is so high with such a good buffering effect that I don't see any diurnal variations due to photosynthesis.

Do you have a problem with ammonia when the ph is high.

No my fish densities aren't high enough -- yet. I do think that is where a lot of people get in trouble. They try and put too many fish in a small pond. It throws everything out of whack.

I'll have to give that hatchery a call, they aren't much further a drive than where we currently get our trout from.

The spring is mostly under ground. Only during the spring and heavy rain falls does it actually surface. A few years ago, we took a back hoe and dug out a small hole in the ground where the spring runs. Water seeps out almost year round in that spot keeping the water in the hole fairly fresh. We did that to give the deer a place to get water as the next closest water source is over a 1/3 of a mile away.

I would say maybe 30 gallons per hour? The flow is pretty light. In the spring it is much stronger. Never measured the actual temperature, DO or pH of the water that comes out though. I have drank it with no ill affect and the taste is spectacular!

I may try to take pictures of the area I would like to put a pond in this spring and post them on here and get ideas if its a good spot to work with...