This is my first post. Love this site with all it's excellent info. Already have used many ideas on new pond.
Pond location is Eastern Iowa, massive watershed area, max depth is 15ft, roughly 1.5 acres in size, 3 sides taper quickly, South end tapers slowly to 15 ft. Entire pond is surrounded by timber. some flooded timber in 4ft at south end.
Putting in pvc habitat in many forms in 4 to 10ft of water. Pond maybe spring fed from bottom. The guy digging it had to stop at 15ft due to ground getting wet. This was during last summers drought. A small slow moving creek runs into south end of pond.
GOALS FOR POND: In order
*Put in more pvc habitat
*Stock 10 gallons FHM and 100 BG now - let them reproduce before adding larger predator fish.
*Get electricity run to pond for aeration from bottom.
*In July of this year (2013) add more BG, Then 100 Blue Catfish 8-10 inches, and 100 LMB 8-10 inches. Possibly adding much higher numbers of all these fish.
QUESTIONS:
*Does this plan sound doable?
*Should I feed the fish?
*If I feed the fish, do I have to feed them forever or can they be weaned off later?
*How do I go about planting shallow water habitat plants like lilly pads and cattails for example.
MY NEWBIE THEORY:
*If I get enough BG to reproduce for the predator fish to eat it will balance the pond out?? I have read that BG can take over a pond. If this is the case and I get a good BG harvest these predator fish should take care of that??
*This is probably where I go off the range- If all works out I would like to add WE and SMB later. I'm adding as much habitat as I can for a good BG and FHM hatch.
Again I'm new, so any comment would be helpful. I don't want to make a move I regret.
Thanks
Ziessen
