Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond Manager? Biologist SE Ohio

Looking for a pond manager or biologist in southeast Ohio- Athens 45701 area. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Just because someone sells fish does not make them a biologist nor a good pond manager. There are lots of fish sellers out there with biased opinions. It is helpful to ask the right questions, however one needs good basic knowledge to ask the best questions. As our mentor B.Lusk always says: You don't know what you don't know and this applied to lots of fish sellers who think they are very knowledge qualified and want to sell you something. If you don't have a good knowledge basis it is hard to ask the best questions. That usually happens to us when going to the medical doctor.

I suggest that what ever opinion/s they have, get a second or third opinion from us on the forum. We are not selling ANYTHING except free very qualified, experienced advice. Then with a few choices and opinions chose what best fits your needs and goals for YOUR pond.

What Ohio town are you close to??

I was also in search of a pond manager/biologist in my area and gave up. The Yellow Pages (err, Google) is certainly not overflowing with them. There are a number of "lake management" companies around, but their business seems to be selling chemicals, aerators/fountains, and annual maintenance plans. They are not super knowledgeable in pond design, sportfish, desirable plants, nor habitat.

Instead, I am going the DIY route and using the information in this forum, PB magazine, and PB podcasts. Also, pond management bulletins from the State of Michigan and surrounding states of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio have been very useful. I am not a biologist, but an engineer, and scientific principles come easy to me.

If I ever need professional help, I may call SOLitude, simply because they have a big presence in PB magazine and a lot of info on their webpage. Maybe nearby forum gurus like esshup or Bill Cody would be willing to make a consulting site visit to Athens.

To me, anything Bill Cody advises is gold! You may not need pond management company with the advice given here. I was in the same boat as you (you don't know what you don't know) but after buying a couple books, subscribing to the Pond Boss Magazine, and getting priceless advice on here, I feel confident I'm heading in the right direction. As Bill has asked, defining your goals will help tailor advice to your situation. After that, shoot your shot, are you building/have a new pond, old pond new owner, problem with existing pond, etc. Lots of topics already covered on here, search helps a ton.

Ya know, those of us that have been doing this for awhile started at ground zero. And, we still make mistakes and still ask others.

When I started seriously looking to buy or build a pond, I ordered back copies of PB Magazine & found them to be a tremendous help. I still made loads of mistakes, of course, and was surprised by Mother Nature a few times, but it would have been far worse without the extra knowledge.

As long as transportation and time is covered, I can go anywhere in the country.