Meadowlark :

Great post. It is important to -1 learn as much as you can-2 think outside the box-3 research and ask for help-4 think about the + and - of the decision to be made , but-5 most of all enjoy the journey.

An important part of # 5 is to share the trip with others { kids, family, friends and fellow pond bosses}.

In that respect my mistake was to fail , early on , to include others and to delay subscribing to Pondboss and participate in this forum.

Every pond boss has made mistakes . Most come from not paying attention to #s 1-4 above . Nature has limits that no pond boss can avoid. Patience is usually rewarded.

Thanks--ewest