It's about 3,000 sqft and 8' deep. It freezes over solid in the winter. It is really a sediment pond leading into the main 1 acre pond. The water stays clear and there doesn't appear to be much sediment getting washed into it. I have no aeration on the forage pond at this time, but I want to add it.

It is surrounded by trees on all but the east side, so it is shaded from the afternoon sun. There is a tiny creek running into it from the woods that runs all year, except in the winter when frozen and in the dryest week of Summer. Except in the heaviest rain, the creek doesn't provide more water than the 6" stand pipe to the main pond can handle.

The stand pipe to the main pond is 6" and open on top but with a tee to a 4" pipe that draws water from 3' deep. I think I will extend it to draw deeper this year. Most of the time the 4" pipe is all that is needed to control the water level. If the water level rises a few inches higher, it dumps down through the top of the 6" pipe. If it gets much higher than that, there is an emergency spillway that joins to the main pond's outflow.

The scuds seem to love the moss around the edge of the pond. Due to the overflow setup, the water levels periodically rise and fall 4-6" depending on rain and flood the moss for a week or so.

I plan on adding some hardy lillies to the pond for shade and maybe fathead egg laying sites.

I didn't build it so I am making the best of what i have. I did stock it with a pound of fatheads around the same time as the shrimp and I sometimes see them.