Yes sir Dave, SW Louisiana is gator country. Not so much where the new place is. Beauregard Parish has two parishes between it and the Gulf Coast. It is due north of Lake Charles. Where I work at the oilfield dock in Morgan City, La is a t the south end of the Atchafalaya Basin, probablly one of the largest swamps in the US. Right now the Atchafalaya River is coming up and the water is over the dock, we just work in hip boots. No lie, the gators swim thru the yard. Just this evening we had one at the foot of the steps to the office. I had to run him off to walk to the living quarters. While I got you here Mr Dave. I wanted to ask which of the forums should I ask about the 1st steps in determining what this small pond needs. I saw where someone else gave alkalinity, hardness and pH. Also about the muck and debris in the bottom. I'm guessing in the Renovating a Pond or Lake. You don't need to answer here if we need to put this somewhere else. Don't want to get in trouble on the Forum right off the bat. I wish I had my camera with me a could get a pic of approx 7 or 8 gators in one pic, by standing on the porch. Those critters are really a nuisance down here. But don't get caught killing one w/o a tag. Also they are great to eat fried, but you got know how to clean em

Tim