Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Well the pond is finished.

The pond is finished. Before I fill what should I do? I am planning on putting bermuda on the dam. Is that what I should do? Then I will decide about what type of fish. Should I put some stuff in it for the fish to hide in? I have a bunch of junk rock...can I put some in the pond? It turned out to be 16 feet deep. What to do now? It will probably take a month to fill using well water running at night...3 days on...three days off. It is raining and boy is Oklahoma clay red.

Some help please:)

Come on ya'll chip in here. I don't have enough knowledge to help this gal out but know there is a wealth of folks that do. I found this site before I even called a dirt mover and I got a bunch of advice that has made my little pond into a great place to be. I will suggest to MN that she at this point put in/up structer (taller the better} www.Fish finding freaks or something like that. Pick the nrains of Ted lea and Sue Cruz about proper aeration. Check the affects of filling with non-filtered well water, basically high iron and low oxygen levels. Put in lots of forage, FH, BNM and SPS and spawning structure. Do these and hope some more intelligent people than I respond.

Bob-O gives great suggestions. Since your well water is probably high in iron and oxygen poor I would consider aeration as one of the first items to do. If well water will always be available to keep it full during the summer months and drought times I would lean towards bottom diffuser aeration. Thus lifting the entire water body the number of times per day that is needed. If have the possibility of having very low water and a heavy fish population you may want to surface aerate. Keeping your supply of oxygen above the demand is the key. Depending on the shape of your 1/4 acre pond a small 1.5/ 2.5 cfm compressor may be enough, just depends on the shape of the pond.Small compressors do not cost much to operate and there are a multitude of options available to get your pond aerated correctly. You also mention junk rock. Is this concrete or actual natural rock. Take your time do it correctly and enjoy the journey.

even I can answer that....YES!
boulders, stumps, brush piles, gravel, ect...
structure/ambush enhancers are good for the fish
now's the time to add fish cover
Boomer!

Have you sourced out some quality fish yet? I have heard good things on the Bermuda grass. I'm planting zoysia around my pond being a little farther north. Congrats on the new build. Can't wait to see full pool. Keep us updated.

I'm getting a T-shirt that says TED LEA APPROVED

Get some Bermuda seed on it ASAP. Of course, this is a rough time of the year to get seed to sprout because the rain isn't all that dependable during the summer. Spread the seed while the ground is wet. If you have a way to lightly rake it, your germination will improve. Some will undoubtably wash off and will have to be replaced.

Get a plugger and plug it before you seed it. The seed will have little places to take root and not wash away.

I opted for white clover vs. grass - it's easier to maintain than grass and the side benefit is that you have something that the deer, turkeys, and other wildlife like to nibble on. In terms of structure, if you have fathead minnows in your stocking plan - I would definitely recommend placing some pallets, big rocks, logs, etc. in the shallows so they have a place to hide and spawn before becoming part of the food chain.

There's advantages and disadvantages to both (clover and grass).

One disavantage to clover that I found out at my place is that clover attracts bees, and when walking with open toed shoes/sandals you must pick up your feet when you walk. I didn't and had a bee get wedged in the shoe between my toes..... It wasn't very happy.

This is before complete but you get the idea. I will start with bermuda and start putting stuff in pond for fish to hide. My rock is all natural and will be glad to get rid of it. Some rubble and some larger. Thanks so much. I will need some more hel and will ask. Making me feel less freaked out.

The top of the dam is clay...will bermuda seed handle the clay?

miss nancy love all the woods surrounding your new pond. How deep is it planned?

Deepest 16 ft...shollow about 9ft.

Makes me tired just to think about it. I am going to sod in the area most likey to erode then do a little tilling and throw seed.

Thank you. the woods are pretty. In the back is a park like setting. On the east of the house a wooded garden. What is so cool about this property is its location. Central Edmond Oklahoma....right amongst high dollar housing and medical facilities and only 1.5 m off I35. Pond Boss has taught me to roll em easy. The journey....I am up for it.

I never got the impression you were one to "drag their feet"

I'm going to throw out the question as to what fish are you planning on stocking? It may steer advice given to you about what types of habitat, amounts, etc. I was always under the impression that the habitat which goes into a pond is largely based on what fish you want and how they are managed.

Not to be negative, but realistic, you are going have more than normal problems with this pond due to the amount of leaves that will get in it each year. Leaves cause extra muck accumulation and excessive algae growths and speed the aging of the pond by my estimate of around twice as fast.

Bermuda doesn't prefer clay but can kinda get along with it. Clay dries out very quickly.

I know Bob. I am kind of freaked because I spent $3500 rebuilding this pond. But had a bunch of trees taken out and it was that or fill it in. I am 61 and will try to enjoy the best I can.
Is there anything I can do about the problem?

Can I put a tractor tire in the pond?

muck prevention in new pond = aerate/ muck reduction in older pond = aerate and depending on how fast you want to eliminate it targeted bacteria available.

The tire will be fine but most effective if stood upright. Cut a hole in it, set it upright with hole at top and weigh it down with some rocks. Let the grass grow for about a month before the trees start dropping their leaves and hope it catches some of the leaves before they get to the pond.