Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Acidic Water

Hi all. I am a new member and new pond owner. My 400'x 70-100' pond was just installed in the last month or so. It was dug in an area that has natural flow from wetland that borders to the NW. Depth is hopefully going to be 14' max near the damn and varying depths away from the damn. The areas where the water will flow in were left shallow(1-2') to help establish aquatic life. The water and soil in my area is pretty acidic. usually ranging from 5.3-5.7 pH.

My question is should I add lime to the exposed soils before they are covered in water ? How important is pH level in ponds? My friend has an acre sized pond and does nothing for pH. I am just wodering does low pH affect ponds like it would for growing plants in soil?

Marty

The direct answer to your question is, "Yes"...add some aglime. I suggest two to four tons of calcium carbonate, or aglime. Spread evenly across the pond bottom.
pH level can be extremely important. "Perfect" is between 6 and 8, but some plants and fish can live in acidic waters. But, natural diversity of aquatic plant life is often inhibited by acid waters.
Now, for the question. What is the purpose of your new pond?

IllMarty,

I would suggest that you get a soil test from your county agent and tell them the intended purpose, i.e. to raise fish in a 3/4 acre pond. They can provide you with a fairly precise recommendation as to how much ag. lime you need.

Secondly, for the source of the ag. lime, consider going to a local co-op and/or feed store that handles pasture fertilization. They will have by far the best price(bulk) and also the most efficient method of application(spreader truck). The ton price is an order of magnitude less than the 50 pound bag price in my area.

Bob,

I am building a cabin on my hunting property and wanted a widerer array of things to do when up here. So basically it is a fishing/swimming hole. I have enjoyed my friends pond a bunch the last few years. He has BG, LMB, Crappie, Yellow Perch and even a few Walleyes. My neighbor caught a nice 4 lb LMB last fall.I sent you an email to view my pics. As you can see water is already coming in and the pond has a layer of ice on top. I will spread some on the ice in addition to the soils.
Let me know what you think.

Meadowlark,

Thanks for the heads up and you are correct about ag lime. I buy bags only if I have to spread it in a hard to reach area.

Thanks to both of you for your responses. I will have a lot more questions in the future.

Marty

Can you post pics here?

These are pics of one of the areas that will be feeding my pond.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/IllMarty/024_2A.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/IllMarty/026_0A.jpg

Marty

Marty,

Looks like they left a shelf on the right hand side. That is outstanding from a safety and fishing standpoint. Nice pictures.

Meadowlark,

Thanks. Yes, the builder and I came up with that. I will have a small beach on that side for swimming.

Marty

Knowing your goals, I have several other thoughts. Check your water chemistry. A "standard water well" test would be sufficient. This gives you a benchmark, or reference point for the future. It will also tell how to remediate your water..how much lime you need.
Next, where your beach will be, I would put down a plastic liner or cloth, then place the sand on top. Sand likes to move. A short retaining wall of some sort, at the deepest end of your beach will help keep sand from heading toward the deepest water.