Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding question about feeding and fertilizing

Hello all! Love the forum. I have a few Questions but ill try and be brief. First Im sure
you'll need some info so here it goes.My brother,
Dad, and I Have recently bought some land in west Alabama. Lets just say My dad had a friend with a dozier. This is what WE have done. http://www.421specialforces.com/421st_martin_pond.htm . Hope this link works. Didnt ask just did it. Water is fed from several underground springs and runnoff (some of wich I do believe is coming from neighbors gardens up the road). wich might be relivant. Dam was done by thanksgiving 2005. Lil bit of seepage but not a concern as i have around 50 gallons a min of water coming out of drain. pond wound up being by my best estamate 9/10 acrea, around 15ft deep out by the dam. After EXTENSIVE research this is what I have done. I added 2.5 tons af lime. and 300 lbs of bentonite to a small leak I had. I've had no soil or water samples. 2nd week of Feb 2006 I added 1000 bg and 1000 fat head minnows. Since then I've seen a Few nice size school of fathead minnow but no bream. Up to 2 weeks after introducing my fish I counted around 25 or 30 dead bream around the bank but that is all. 1st Question should I be concerned about my bream as I have seen none. I expected a few to die.
2nd question. I think Im seeing brown alge growing on stuff like my Drain pipe, debri in the pond like dying AND STILL STANDING trees and brush. We tried our best to clean out as much vegitation as posible but pond just filled up to fast. I have a gosh awfull lot of bugs, frogs, and beetles, you name it allready, IS this good? should I be concerned with what I THINK IS ALGE. Could it be mud cause pond is new?
3rd question. Water temp hit over 60 last week, allready 70 this week (slipped up on me). Should I start this fertilizer I got from the ppl I bought the fish from BECAUSE weather man says we still have colder temps in the long range forcast.
4th question. Should I go ahead and start feeding the aquamax fish food Ive been reading about in this forum. Thnx for any advice and sorry guys I took so long but Im so hiped about my new pond/heaven on earth, and I want it to be perfect for my tiger bass im getting in the summer. Thanks so much for your knowledge.

Welcome NPG. Nice website; it sounds like my daughter's room.

I can tackle some of your questions.

Not seeing any bream: 1000 BG is a highly recommended stocking number, but not very many fish compared with what you will have after they spawn and the pond is full of fish. If the pond is full of "bugs, frogs, and beetles" there should be plenty for those BG to eat, so I suspect they're just chowing down where you can't see them. Since the FH are visibly doing OK, that is a good sign wrt your water quality in my mind.

How big were your BG stockers? Unless they were tiny, you should get a spawn out of them this year, and then you will have beau coups little BG to observe.

Algae or Mud: Collect a sample and age it in a jar. Mud won't change over time, the algae will change (and reduce in volume, IIRC) after it dies.

I would not worry about the algae too much, it's one of the first things that shows up and grows in a new pond. If you can post a good picture of it, someone will likely be able to identify it and give a more definitive answer.

Should you start feeding? Your new BG may not have much interest in pelleted feed if there's plenty of other stuff for them to eat. If you want you can try putting a little feed in regularly to see when they start eating it, then increase the amount fed within recommended limits.

Fertilizing? I will leave that for Southern pondmeisters and pros experienced with this subject.

Theo ya done good son, same thoughts.

I have had lots of calls on fertilzing this week. I:m too far away. I woudl let this recent cold (back to normal) weather pass and start fertilzing next week or so more conssitent temps over 60 is better for phyto formation. Good luck sounds like you are off to a good start. The bluegill will start coming up shallow once it warms a bit more. If you only saw 30 dead you fine. Start feeding also once it warms, just small amount every day to get them trained.

Welcome newpondguy. It sounds like you have a good situation going, ie plenty of water and the basis of the food chain. Where is your pond located. Some of west Alabama has a high alkaline soil, which is good for pond production. Our pond/lake (80 acres), just north of Montgomery, has low alkalinity (ave 10 ppm) with a low retention rate. So we can not maintain a bloom with fertilization. I started feeding two weeks ago and have had a good response from the bream, crappie, golden shiners and a few cats.

NPG, if you have a 50 gpm water exchange in a 0.9 acre pond, fertilizing probably won't help you much because it will leave along with the water.

Yeah Im a lil concerned with the amount of watercoming through the pond. Still Im willing to make the attempt to fertalize. I guess if the alge becomes a problem I want have to worry bout fertalizing. Is there a cheap easy way to test the water and soil myself with somekinda home kit,
if so point me the way. Thanks again fellas.

Tuscaloosa county Al. btw.

You can try the Tuscaloosa office of the County cooperative extension service, in tuscaloosa at (205) 349-4630. The Autuaga County office tested mine, but I had a friend working there at the times.

Try this site :

Alabama
Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory
118 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, AL 36849
(334) 844-3958

www.ag.auburn.edu/dept/ay/soiltest.htm

Soil test cost: $8.
Includes: pH, Mehlich-1 extractable phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and calcium, (Ca), and lime and fertilizer recommendations.
To submit sample: Mail to the above address.
Common regional problems: Low pH, excessive soil-test P. (?)