Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Help me with my Stocking plan.

There are a LOT of dirt movers out there, but few pond builders. It'll get really expensive in a hurry if it has to be re-done, so do it right and do it once. Query the contractors that you've talked to about what they'd do for you if the pond doesn't hold water at the full pool level that you both agreed upon.

If you have groundwater coming in to the pond, then there is something breaking the clay barrier, be it a vein of sand, gravel or something else. Water WILL go out easier than in, so be double sure about how the pond is sealed. If you have groundwater coming into the pond, and the contractor says that a sheepsfoot isn't needed, then I'd look at a different contractor. It's all about pounds per square inch that is applied to the clay, and knitting different layers together. Think of pages in a book. The water can run between the individual pages but not thru the pages. A sheepsfoot used correctly knits the pages together so the water can't run between them.

RES will lower the BG total, but they occupy a different ecosystem in the pond, and they will help with vector control by eating snails. They are a good thing to have in the pond, and get to the same size as BG.

Feeding helps, but it all depend on your goals. I've seen the figures of 10# of forage = 1# on a LMB, and 1 1/4# of good feed = 1# of fish flesh. That says it all for me.

Before you make a decision on the contractor, do some serious research into how much it will cost to use a well. I'm pumping 28 gpm and it's barely enough to keep up with seepage. But, I have sandy soil and expected that.