Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 3/4 acre lake with liner

We have a 3/4 acre lake with a liner. We are filliing it with well water. There will be very little natural run off of water into this lake. Does anyone have any experience in managing this type of lake? Any ideas about things we should or should not do? What water quality tests we should run? Any particular test kit we should buy? What is the best way to aerate this lake? It is about 9-10 feet deep. We have built some fish habitat in the bottom of the lake consisting of cement blocks, tree logs, evergreens, and some PVC tubing.

Welcome to the group. You might want to go to the following link and do a search on testing. My koi pond is lined and I test for nitrite, ph and alkalinity. Due to the size of your pond I don't think you will have as much problem and we do with smaller lined ponds but it is something to look at.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/ponds/

I agree with Bob. Unless you grow fish intensively I would not worry about water chemistry too much. I would, however, use at least one bottom diffuser to destratify the pond in summer. It make for a healthy pond and healthier fish.

I forgot to add a question for you, did you cover the liner with soil and if so how thick?

Bob

What effect does having soil placed over a liner have? Is black soil or just sand better?

There is no layer of soil on the liner other than a small amount of sand that fell in when the liner was put in.