Posting pond construction pics?
Yes - that is okay to put them on the forum. I hope you find that process smooth and relatively easy. Posting is a little too technical for me in that one needs to use a stepwise process and an outside provider for storage of pics such as I think its called imgur. Here is a link for lots of "ole" posts and suggestions of how to do it. The last post (included below) on 21/04/21 with a link is probably the best and most current way to post pictures. Old thread and old methods first -
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92443#Post92443Here is the newest way to post pics.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=534153#Post534153For new ponds in my area, my advice to the owner with a new pond especially for a swim use pond or a domestic water use pond is to live it for a full year. No or minimal fish. This is similar to a partnership or relationship of a marriage. This way ...... one learns a lot about how the pond will behave and it altogether will provide a baseline of information before it has any fish or a significant amount of fish. IT IS THUS A BASELINE OF WHAT THE POND IS ALL ABOUT AND WHAT TO EXPECT AS FUTURE PROBLEMS AFTER THE FIRST YEAR. Is it clean and easy going or is it green and full of problematic green stuff?.
Watch for water clarity changes, various types of plant growth, and colonization or progression of invertebrates and larger critters such as frogs & turtles as the pond ecosystem moves forward as a "clean" or newish water filled basin. This then serves as a starting point with its minimum basis of nutrients. In many of these cases the only fish I suggest are a few tilapia and or minnows. Several tilapia in a new low nutrient pond will keep it swimming pool clean all summer.
If they do not do it then the pond initially had a "FLUSH" of too many nutrients from the very start. In these cases the pond will be a cantankerous plant / algae problem every year. Too many initial nutrients with too much fertility for a good easy to care for swimming type of pond.
Normally a new pond quickly springs to life developing numerous life forms due to the amount of initial nutrients that are incorporated in the 'dirt' basin and from any nutrients coming in with water runoff events. This first year will be the baseline of annual pond activity. This then serves as a comparison to the continual changes that will happen as the pond ages. Organisms from tiniest microscopic algae to larger aquatic bug types; they live, grow and die daily in a pond. Normally the first year, the pond will be the nutrient and plant cleanest basis that it will be as it ages into the future. Thereafter plant growth increases because of more plant growing nutrients are being added each year even if it is just one duck or goose visiting and placing in manure or tree leaves dropping or blowing into the pond. A dugout basin having and collecting nutrients without a frequent overflow means there is a constant accumulation of more fertility in the basin. No losses of nutrients unless something such as plants or fish/critters are removed. Nutrients are trapped inside and are continually being used and recycled to continually grow more and more "STUFF". This is called Eutrophication aka aquatic succession or pond aging.
