We just had our pond mucked out for the first time ever, I am guessing and also had the leaking dam repaired. The water level is rising by natural springs, but is still very turbid after 3 weeks. We will most likely be adding plants and such this Spring/Summer. I will also be adding some habitat as well. My first question is "Can we add fish this summer?" My second question is how many? I have looked at the Zett's catalog and even for a pond our size, their suggestion seems like a TON of fish.

Welcome to PBF MAW!

Please give us a little more info on your pond like, size, depth and what your goals are.

Bill D.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the pond renovation. I would recommend stocking FHM right away so they have a head start. May also look at stocking some Papershell Crayfish. Only source I know of is Smith Creek Farm out of New York, they will not ship until June but recommend ordering by 1 May. As for anything else I would make sure you have a good plan as Bill D. stated. The "Types of fish to choose" is a great place to start but I also recommend looking at the "Corrective stocking" forum. Great place to see what people are adding and where they are having problems. Allows you to look at people 3+ years after initial stocking and see what they are saying they "should" have done.

Here is a link to commonly used acronyms

Here are a few options off the top of my head but definitely not complete:

Traditional Stocking- FHM, LMB, BG, RES, and CC
Bill Cody Dinner Delight (BCDD)- Managed for YP with RES, SFS, BNM. Add a few WE or HSB to help manage YP numbers and control predator numbers.
The Teehjaeh Tip- option with BCDD, adds SMB to manage YP, SMB will reproduce so those numbers will need to be managed.
JHAP Heart Attack Deluxe (JHAP-HAD)- Manages for GSF, God knows what else is put in there.
The Cecil Fish and Trout (commonly referred to as FaT)- Only works in very cool water, a nice healthy stocking of morbidly obese trout. He knows how to grow'em thick.
Bobby Rice Seafood Platter- A select variety of salt water specimens nicely adapted to freshwater conditions.
The Bob-O- I do NOT recommend this, it involves camouflage and a speedo
With a Side of Rainman- Tilapia heaven, great algae eater and summer forage. It is like a bonus meal to whichever stocking plan you choose.

All kidding aside, the sky is the limit. Somebody on this forum has probably done it. Like Bill D. said, pond characteristics and goals will be a good start, they can tell you what works, what doesn't, and "it depends..." Good luck and keep us posted.

The pond is small, 66x120 and about 6' at its deepest. We would like to stock it with fish to catch and maybe eat on occasion. I just discovered this site and I am quickly discovering how little we know about what to do.

As someone who has bought from Zetts in PA, I would not recommend them. Make sure you call in your order and confirm they actually have the fish you're going to pick up. Also, the "papershell" crayfish they sell are not papershells. I have not 100% identified what kind they are, but they are not papershells.

You're in PA and actually have a few decent options to choose for stocking, I would advise looking around.