BKeller,
First, welcome to Pond Boss. We're always happy to have new people join us. Your questions, and the answers, will help many others.
We have a number of active members here ranging from coastal South Carolina, well into Florida. Your winter weather may be just a little bit cooler, otherwise, you should have about the same weather and water conditions as they do. Hopefully, several of them will chime in.
At one time, I knew your area fairly well. We owned a home on Oak Island for many years. The whole area is a beautiful and wonderful place.
If you are in the low areas anywhere around Wilmington, South Port, etc., I would say that you will always have tea-colored water. But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Your fish won't care. It won't affect you when you swim. It is just tinted brown from the live oak and pine.
As for your well -- that is a whole 'nother story. I hardly know anybody in the area anymore, but I'd suggest you contact a local well drilling company and ask them for suggestions on how to clean up your well water. I'll probably get in trouble for this -- but I'd strongly suggest a well drilling company vs. a water treatment company. Generally, the well drilling companies know a lot more about what works and what doesn't work.
I'm assuming that your pond is a dug-out hole in sand, and not a dammed reservoir in clay. Assuming that, your water table is extremely high in that area. That is what keeps your pond filled. The top of the water is going to be close to the sea level at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is almost like digging a hole in the sand at the beach during low tide. It will fill up with water pretty quickly. You are probably far enough away from the saltwater that the sand is filtering much of the saltwater, but it is still probably somewhat brackish. Again -- no problem for the fish or for swimming.
Fish are good in the pond. You should be able to grow monsters in there.
As for aeration, it depends on how open your pond is to wind. If your pond has ripples or small waves on it all day long from the wind, you may not need aeration. If it remains very glass-like all day, and it is nestled in the trees, you probably will need aeration to keep it clean and to grow decent fish.
You mention alligator grass -- I wouldn't be too concerned about it, but I would be a little careful about alligators. If you've ever walked on the brow (gang-plank) of the USS Wilmington, and looked down to the water, you may have noticed dozens of 'gators in the water. I've met a lot of them in the inland waterway when netting mullet for bait. Most are small (less than 4-foot), and they aren't very aggressive. But, be aware that they may just think of your pond as a pretty good buffet.
Regards,
Ken
