Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Small pond design help please

The eelgrass is small, dark colored, and submerged at least a foot, so I do not think that I can take a picture that will really show anything.

More pictures of artesian-well forage pond showing inflow and outflow

Wanted to show a picture of the eel grass sent to me by a kind forum member. The picture is not very good, but this is just one clump and they are spreading nicely, but not growing tall yet. They are red in color. The thorns are on honey locust branches that I put there to protect the plants.

Just checking on an assumption of mine. I am assuming that my small and deep forage pond, which is artesian-well fed and has little watershed, will eventually become nutrient poor and support little algae? I ask this because it currently seems to be growing surface algae in spurts and some filamentous algae on honeylocust branched that I added to protect new eel grass. I am guessing this is from residual nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil since the branches do not seem to be rotting yet. The well water is iron and calcium rich (hard water).

Rah, I have seen my forage pond water turn green from hand feeding daily. The well water you speak of may change out the water or displace the pond water over a period of time (what ever that time is) and may keep the water from turning to a fertilized pond with higher nutrients. In my case I get large amounts of water during rain events and the water turns really muddy with only inches of visibility. But then it settles and turns green again with high nutrients. Just my experience

I have added no feed to the pond and no fish yet (still hoping to get PK shrimp). I am hoping this small pond might maintain greater clarity compared with my larger ponds, but time will tell. The pond filled in less than 4 days, so it must change out about 1/4 of the water each day although some of the outflow is the water that just came in, so maybe a bit less.

If this wetland leaks, I know who to blame!

We have had some pretty cold weather here in central Indiana and I want to report that my artesian-well pond still has no ice at all. The song birds seem to like that. The new wetland has not filled much as expected with limited precipitation so far.

I like the honey locust thorns protecting your plants. Good thinking!

Today in the snow. Last Pic shows the iron plating out of the water. I don't want to see the weather that will freeze this pool up!

Very pretty RAH! I assume that's another pond behind? How big is that one?

The water behind the artesian pool was originally supposed to be a wetland. Fish and Wildlife said it would not hold water so I went a bit deeper, and since it did hold water, it is 3 to 4 feet deep which supports fish that get in during flooding, but often experiences partial kills in summer heat. I think it is under .75 acres. We call it the lower duck pond because a similar depth, but smaller duck pond sits above it (to the left in the photo). They have produced some nice warmouth at times, and the muskrats love them, which a trapper friend/neighbor enjoys.

You did well RAH. Nice job on the small pond.

Ah, the ol' muskrat love... Very pretty RAH.

Pond finally started freezing over (1/2 frozen and 1/2 open). Air temp is up from -4 this morning to 18 degrees.

My eelgrass is still green after all the cold weather. Is it normal for eelgrass to stay green through December? Does it not die down for the winter? Is this just the case on my pond because of the groundwater source of heat.

Eel grass is a warm season plant that begins growth in late spring near 70F, flourishes in summer and matures in late summer (Aug upper midwest). Depending on the variety, the ribbon leaves are comparatively durable and can remain mostly vertical most if not all winter. By spring the beds are more compact, leaves are usually drooping, dead, tan, or slight-green and in the process of decomposing.

You are an encyclopedia of knowledge! Thank you! I was just surprised they persisted so long in the very cold weather. I am thinking of building a small bog downgrade of this pond since I have the water-flow, land, and equipment to do it. With the slightly basic/hard water, it may be able to support fen-type flora and fauna. What fun!

Some bogs are pretty deep and support fish. I caught trout in a bog one time. There are alkaline and acidic bogs. Bogs have unique features - characteristics. Bogs are generally types Of wetlands. There are bog lakes.

The EPA considers that bogs are a type of wetland if I read this correctly? But based on this definition, mine won't be a bog because it will be basic. Maybe more like a fen?

https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/wetlands-classification-and-types#bogs

Bogs & fens are similar types of wetlands. Fens have greater water exchange than bogs.
More reading:
https://prezi.com/eiijdvxdvceh/the-difference-between-a-marsh-a-swamp-a-bog-and-a-fen/

http://dc.uwm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=fieldstation_bulletins

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Lands/naturalareas/index.asp?SNA=191

Since I will not have peat laid down over thousands of years, I guess I'll have a slightly basic-pH, hard-water wet depression, but a fen sounds so much more interesting:) Thanks for posting this info! Any ideas for unusual plants that we can add is appreciated. Not sure how I might contour a 30' diameter area to build something that will host a diversity of flora and fauna. It will likely be a dead end off the drain channel from the artesian pond overflow so it will not have any flow-through, but it could. I could also add some old wood chips to line the bottom if that might help the system mature faster.

A small pond due to its shoreline to volume ratio can quickly become plant infested and over run to almost choked with vegetation depending on species present. All plants spread. It may take a fair amount of annual maintenance to keep the plants controlled - be prepared.

Wetlands are often plant rich. Not sure that this is a problem?

Neat project RAH!

How about a Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea) as an unusual addition?