I apologize in advance for the long winded post, however I am seeking some advice on the final steps of my dream pond that is nearing completion about a year and a half after starting it.
It is a 1.4 acre pond in New England that is 22' deep, fed by watershed and groundwater and am looking for recommendations on stocking, forage selection, habitat and water chemistry. I have spent a lot of time as a silent spectator on here, learning a great deal along the way. I have read and reread every book I can find on the topic and it has become a bit of an obsession, so I want to get it right. My goals, in order of priority, are:
1. large YP with a self-sustaining population (I'd be thrilled with 10-12" perch)
2. an adequate SMB population to keep a good balance. If I could raise 3-4 lb bass I'd be very happy. They are so fun to catch and taste great as well.
3. brook trout. Although it has running water going into it 99% of the time, an expert on the matter recently educated me on the highly unlikely chance that BT would recruit in meaningful numbers in this fishery, therefore I'll likely stock them at 6"+ to avoid predation by the SMB and expect trout to be a put and take bonus.
4. esthetics. This pond is adjacent to our yard and is a focal point of our property (55 acres of forest, nothing concerning in the watershed).
5. the geothermal temperature exchange for the heating and cooling of the house. This is a contained (closed loop) system that does not circulate pond water.
6. swimming. I am putting in a small beach with non-woven geotextile fabric as a base, pea gravel instead of sand, and lined with Eastern hemlock logs to keep it all contained.
7. fire protection, on the worst day.
After scouring through this resource and any others I could find, I have tentatively selected the following forage:
1. FHM (a universal and easy choice). I have 16 pounds on order now and will be adding them in the next couple weeks when they arrive.
2. Eastern silvery minnows. This seems like a rarer option, however from what I know they could be the perfect forage for this fishery. They max out at less than 5" and are more typically about 3". I can buy them by the 1000 but not until ice-up in the winter, therefore I was planning on adding 1000 as soon as I can get them (probably mid January). GSH are easy to get, however I am leaning away from them given their bait stealing tendencies when they grow beyond the sizes that SMB tend to prefer.
3. I'm considering adding PK shrimp from the eBay source who has been mentioned several times on here. I don't see any downside to them if I can get them to thrive in my fishery although I have some doubts about how well they will do with my current water chemistry (particularly calcium and hardness, see below).
4. papershell (calico) crayfish. These seem to be highly regarded for a fishery such as this. Water hardness and calcium may be a limiting factor with how prolific they will be, however I have found virile crayfish in there already so I will give them a try.
5. The naturally occurring forage that has already moved in includes green frogs and their tadpoles (by the thousand), along with Eastern Red Back salamanders and toad tadpoles. I expect the frogs and their tadpoles may be more palatable than the toads and salamanders. If the green frogs aren't decimated by the fish, I may add some bull frog tadpoles in future years as well, in hopes of an occasional frog leg dinner.
I will also be hand feeding with whichever of the top brands of feed (Optima, Purina, etc.) that I can get delivered locally.
Habitat includes 36 tons of stone that I have added as rock bars, rock piles and erosion control. Stones range in size from 3"-40". Cattails have found there way in and I'll be doing my best to manage their spread. A rush or some sort has found it's way naturally as well. I'll add wild rice seed next Spring and am considering pickerel weed, cardinal flower and iris. I'll be adding SMB spawning beds a la Dr. Cody's articles, as well as YP spawning habitat when they need it and some structures I have made specifically for FHM spawning.
The pond is a DIY labor of love that I started about a year and a half ago. I got it about 1/3 done and let it be for about six months while I deployed last year. It filled quickly and held water well. After 1-2' of top soil, it is dense grey clay all the way to China as far as I can tell. After the clay turbidity settled out, the water was the color of ice tea, as is every other waterbody nearby. Although oak is often implicated in tannin stained waters, I believe that Eastern Hemlock is the primary tannin producer here. After letting it be for six months, there were no emergent plants below about 2' of water depth, likely due to the decreased light penetration I am guessing. Despite the dark color, there was a distinct thermocline below about 3' deep even in late summer.
I collected a water sample from the watershed (not the pond itself, as it was still very turbid with suspended grey clay). Here are the results with * denoting lower than optimal levels:
Hardness 15 ppm*
Calcium 4.26 ppm*
Alkalinity 4 ppm*
pH 6.22
Salinity 0.031 ppt*
Nitrite 0.010 ppm
Total ammonia nitrogen 0..47 ppm
Unionized ammonia 0
Chlorides 40ppm
Total nitrogen 1.1 ppm
Total phosphorous 0.05 ppm
After searching far and wide for pellet trained YP and SMB, I have finally found some and plan to put them in around early October. They are expected to be 3-5" by then.
Thanks for sticking with me so far. Now for my questions, in order of priority:
1. Is the stocking of 3-5" YP and 3-5" SMB at the same time a bad idea? I understand that it is not the typical approach, however I will be sourcing them from very far away, so I'm hoping to only make one trip (early October). How many of each is recommended?
2. Does the forage and habitat seem adequate? What adjustments would you recommend regarding species and quantity? For those who have tried Eastern Silvery Minnows, what has your experience been with them?
3. How many crayfish should I add? When is the appropriate time to add them?
4. TAMU offered the following recommendations regarding the water test: 2 tons of calcium carbonate (ag lime) to increase alkalinity, hardness and calcium and and 1.5 tons of non-iodized salt. I haven't added them yet, partly because I haven't had the opportunity to and partly because I wonder if their impact will be only transient. I estimate that I am getting a full pond turn over about every 10 days, meaning that if the pond was pumped dry, it would refill in about 10 days. This same watershed supports naturally reproducing brook trout populations who seem to be doing ok with this water chemistry. What is the advise of the experts here regarding this?
5. When should I add trout, and about how many would you suggest (given that YP and SMB are my #1 and #2 priority)?
6. Should I anticipate needing aeration? Unfortunately I don't have any DO numbers to share yet. Is there a DO meter that is reasonably priced and reliable?
Thank you in advance for any input that you have. I'll get some habitat photos up soon.
Mainer
