Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New in Tennessee

Hey all, my name is Will. This site seems like a nice, helpful community. Recently I purchased some land in the North Eastern corner of Tennessee with two ponds already established: one year-round spring fed 1/2 acre pond and a seasonally filled 2 acre pond. My obsession is to stock the 2 acre pond with a largemouth bass/ bluegill mix and possibility stock the smaller pond with trout (I think it may be cold enough). There doesn't appear to be anything living in the large pond and I think there are bluegill already in the smaller pond. While the small pond looks perfectly healthy, I'm concerned about the larger pond. There doesn't seem to be any aquatic plants growing, the water level is considerably lower in winter, and the water seems more brown than green. Ponds are brand new to me so hopefully a few of you could lend some advice on how to kick start a happy fish habitat.

Half acre pond


Half acre


Two acre in summer


Two acre in winter


Is water level drop normal???

Welcome to PBF Will,

I am not a pro but IMHO first thing to do is get the water tested in both ponds to figure out where yer at.

I am sure more experienced folks will be along to offer advice.

Again...Welcome to PBF!

Bill D.

Will,
Welcome to Pond Boss...tons of good info and helpful folks here....pretty place you've got there...

That's quite the fluctuation. How deep are the ponds? Any pond history that is known to you? (from previous owners, neighbors). I like the water test idea also.

Thanks for the compliments and warm welcome!
Unfortunately the previous owner couldn't provide me with any history or information about the ponds when I asked. Figuring out the depth shouldn't be too hard, but I'll have to look into how to test the waters. Searching these forums should shed some light on that, I'm sure.

You can get a idea of where you are with a swimming pool test kit. Make sure you get one that will test PH and Alkalinity as a minimum.

IMHO The fact that you report there is effectively no life in the large pond would have me wondering if there was a pretty big water quality issue.

It has me concerned as well. Although, I can't imagine where possible quality issues would come from as all water in the pond is rain runoff from the side of a large, wooded hill. Thanks for the pool kit tip. Does anyone think it is possible the runoff lacks nutrients for aquatic life and the pond just needs some fertilizer? I just read about fertilizer in a PDF put out by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

I am not a pro but the "brown" color you describe could be tanin which may be coming from your tree covered water shed. What kind of trees are they?

I'd suggest taking a water sample from each pond and sending it to a University's Extension Service. I sent mine to Texas A&M. They can provide you with a huge amount of info on your water. It may not mean much to you, but it will to a pond manager.

You could also throw in $20.00 worth of FHM to see if they live. If they can't, nothing else will. And it will jump start your forage program, provided they are all FHM and no hitch-hiking predators. If they die, no big financial loss.

Forgive me.... FHM?

Oh wait. Fat head minnow?

Forgot your new

Here a link you'll want to keep handy: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92442#Post92442

Also the area under "Common Pond Q&A:archives" is a bounty of info, every thread there is worth taking a look at;

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

Ah yes, I see. Just stumbled across a post about fertilizer usage. Looks like I have plenty of forum reading ahead of me and lots to learn. Thanks.

Will,

That's a good looking piece of property. I'm also in Tennessee and I am also new to the site. That is a major fluctuation in pond level so I would be concerned about a possible leak. Due to the soil composition in Tennessee it seems that leaking ponds are a major problem here.

If there is no fish in the 2 acre pond there's a good chance there was a fish kill event at some point. It certainly could be a water quality issue but I'd be more inclined to think it was an oxygen related issue. If the pond is relatively shallow to start with then it will be extremely shallow if it drops 4' or so like it appears in the picture.

As far as the nutrients go, the pond definitely gets a fair amount of nutrients from the surrounding trees. Fertilizing may be an option in the future but that wouldn't be the first thing I did.

See how the pond holds water throughout the summer this year. You may want to do some leak detection or consult with a pond excavator.

Anthony

Thanks for the good advice, Anthony. Is there a common fix to ponds that lose water? Does one have to add clay to the soil holding water or something?

To be honest, there's not a whole lot of testing I can do right now as I'm currently in Afghanistan. Only a whole lot of thinking and planning (and dreaming). But Anthony's fish-kill comment got some wheels turning. The more I read and the more I think about it, perhaps all the pond needs is an aerator. With a lack of aquatic vegetation or consistent running water, I would guess there is a serious lack of oxygen.

Thank you for your service!! I built a 1/4 acre pond 7yrs ago and it filled to capacity the first winter. By July of the next yr it was 3' below capacity. Had I read enough on here I would have realized water seeping through the side about 3' down indicated a gravel or sandy seam. The original contractor is a real jerk (thanks Doug Wilson of Edgerton Oh) and refused to do anything. I was depressed for a couple yrs but have come to the realization that it is fine as it is. It's what is called a ground water level pond and the depth depends on the depth/pressure of the aquifer I live on. There is much fun and satisfaction in even a small and not so deep pond. No matter what ya do you are gonna be at the mercy of ol Ma nature. Ask the guys in Texas who endured many many ponds literally dry up just to struggle to deal with all the destructive floods this spring. Good luck and keep us posted.