Update:
Two weeks ago my dad and I added 15 4-5" BG to the pond with a pound of fatheads. These fish were obtained from a local hatchery. To date, we are happy to report that there have been no floaters. Last week, I picked up a bag of pond chow from the local TSC just to see if these fish would answer the call. To our surprise, within two or three minutes, the fish were hitting the pellets. At this point the pond is just an oversized aquarium but I can relate to the other hand feeders about the joy in seeing the fish at feeding time.
With the remnants of Tammy showering down on us, hopefully this "aquarium" will start to take on the shape of a pond. Rains/showers are expected for most of the coming week so expectations are high. If the rainfall is sufficient enough to raise the level 3-4 feet, we'll add some additional fish. I snapped some pictures of the pond yesterday and will try to post them later.
Second update: Its been about four hours since I first posted and the pond has risen over three feet. At this rate it will be full by afternoon. Now some good news/bad news. Bad news; the side of pond that was excavated a couple of months ago is leading to runoff problems, as expected with the heavy rains we've received. Light coffee is the pond color for the day. From past experience I know this will settle after the rains subside but it certainly lacks eye appeal.
Good news. Last year I had trouble with runoff from a house that was being built near me. The intermittent stream that feeds this pond runs through their property. Any runoff we received was laden with sediments. A year has passed and the site is recovering from the construction. The stream is running again (due to todays rain storm) and I'm glad to report that the runoff is clear, actually its much better than I anticipated.
Last update for today: Another check of the pond and its full. Thats about an acre-foot of water in a 12 hour period. Some of the logs I put in for structure have floated to the surface. Using some grapnels, I corraled the logs and tied them off to a nearby tree. Within a couple of weeks, I hope they will settle to the bottom.
