Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat New 1/4 acre pond

Hi y’all! My 0.25 acre pond is almost complete in a very arid part of SW Texas. My pond builder just completed covering the bentonite layer with 12” of caliche material & topsoil that came from the hole. My plan is to grow the largest BG’s I can while providing a source of drinking water for deer, turkeys and doves. Thinking of stocking CNBG at this point strictly for the size aspect. Possibly some RESF and traditional BG as well.

I just ordered an aeration kit from Amazon that will be here next week. The builder will be back at some point between now and then to construct a waterfall (aesthetics and further aeration). I’ll be supplementing our low avg annual rainfall with my water well. I first considered fencing the pond to prevent feral pigs from wallowing and making a mess of it, but was told pigs will only help seal it by their use. (For the record, I have about as much regard for feral hogs as I do fire ants and coyotes, but if they’re not detrimental to the pond, … 🤷🏻‍♂️)

I’ve been advised to create fish structure with cinder blocks and construction adhesive and to lean more towards vertical, rather than horizontal. Considering the small size of the pond, I’ve been advised against using natural materials such as logs, dead trees, etc. as they will decompose/rot over time and be messy, as in future muck. I’ll be adding a dump truck load of pea gravel to one end of the pond for bedding purposes.

With all this in mind, please consider offering your advice on any/all of the above. I’m particularly interested in recommendations for structure/habitat, growing food/bait, specific BG species to stock, etc. I’d also like to know how soon I can start adding fish once I have the pond full of water. I’ve also seen it said that new pond owners should concentrate on growing forage or bait first before stocking with the target fish. If that’s true, where should I start? Minnows? What about small crawdads or fresh water shrimp? I’ve also seen “beneficial” bacteria for sale. Are there certain plants I should consider as well in and/or around it?

Finally, should I add dye from the get-go to help prevent unwanted masses of algae, or wait until a problem actually arises? I may not have much of an issue with that with all the aeration, but I don’t know. Anything else you can add will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!