I have a similar question. I have a 1/3 acre (when full) water table pond here in southern Delaware. The climate here is similar to Maryland or Virginia. The pond was dug this past fall during a drought and has now filled up and is about 4’ deep. With the spring rains, it will likely top out at 5’ deep.

With an aerator on, I tested the water ph and got a reading of 4.5. That pond is murky and muddy looking and has no established plant life yet except the contractor mix that stabilized the banks this fall. The pond is also in the middle of a loblolly pine forest and mainly gets its water from the groundwater table plus a small amount of runoff from the banks. The area around the pond is clear so a ton of pine needles don’t fall into the pond. The surround soil layers are about 6” of topsoil, 4’’ of loamy sand, then grayish blue and white silty clay as you dig further down.

Frogs, turtles, and insect like creatures love the drainage ditch next to my pond. I assume those same creatures will like my pond too.

What about plants? I ordered a wetland Maryland coastal plains seeds mix for the banks. (Lots of fox sedge)

What about fish? Will ph 4.5 be ok for minnow, sunfish, bass, pickerel, yellow perch?

Should we consider adding Ag Liming to the pond and surrounding soil? (I want to have small amount of hybrid striped bass but I assume the ph is way too low.

Should I just let nature do it’s thing and keep watching the ph?

Please direct me to the correct forum if I’m in the wrong place.