Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Small pond stocking ideas...

Abq Brian,
If you build the 1 acre pond at only 6ft deep, you will have some very important decisions to make. Shallow ponds can become big plant management problems. One acre of pond bottom can grow a LOT of problematic weed concerns once they become established. I tell all my customers that shallow water is your enemy for a pond. Plant probems are rarely in the deepest parts that have more than 8ft of depth. Most of the weedy problems mostly grow in shallow water that receives the most sunlight and yearly produced layers of organic nutrient rich sediments.

1. Do some good research of how to control algae and submerged vegetation in just 6 ft of water depth. Water just 6 ft deep has a high likelyhood of growing lots of problematic plant growths. An acre of weeds growing up from the bottom is a lot ot plant mass. AI says the average depth is 4-6ft for Aquaculture and Fish hatchery ponds. These fish farm guys are Pros for dealing with shallow water problems. Almost all of these commercial ponds constantly deal with problematic plant growth. These facilities control pond weeds by usually shading the water using fertilizer and producing algae blooms that shade out the sunlight. There are lots of pros and cons for using fertilizer in recreational fishery ponds. IMO there are more disadvantages than benefits to fertilizing a shallow, fishery goal, recreational pond for minimizing algae and weed problems. USDA Extension says this about pond fertilization.

""What kind of fertilizer should I use in my pond?
Fertilizers suitable for farm pond use are available in liquid or granular form. Liquids are generally cheaper than granules and are superior in promoting phytoplankton growth in ponds. Granular fertilizers, however, may be more readily available than liquids in some areas. Phosphorus (P) is the most important nutrient in pond fertilizers and usually gives a much greater increase in fish production than nitrogen or potassium. An ideal farm pond fertilizer application should contain 4 to 8 pounds of phosphorus and 2 to 4 pounds of nitrogen per surface acre.
Concentrated liquid fertilizer may be sprayed over the shallow water edges of ponds with a power sprayer. A handheld garden sprayer can be used on the edge of small ponds. For small ponds (1 acre and less), liquid fertilizer can be diluted by mixing with 10 parts water and splashed over the pond surface. Do not pour liquid fertilizers directly into ponds because they are heavier than water and will flow to the bottom and not mix well.
Granular fertilizers should be kept from direct contact with pond mud if possible because the nutrients become trapped in the mud and are not available to the plankton. A fertilizer platform positioned just under the water surface keeps fertilizer off the bottom, allowing it to dissolve slowly into the water. A platform with a surface area of 45 square feet is sufficient for every 5 to 10 acres of pond surface. In some instances, bags of fertilizer may be placed directly in shallow water and cut open, allowing natural wave action to dissipate the fertilizer as it dissolves. Formulations for granular fertilizer vary widely, but a typical starting dose should provide approximately 8 pounds of phosphorus (P) per surface acre. The N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) content will be listed in that order. Each number indicates the percentage of weight of each nutrient. An example of a complete fertilizer is 8-8-8, which contains by weight 8 percent N, 8 percent P, and 8 percent K. In other words, a 100-pound bag of 8-8-8 contains 8 pounds of each nutrient.""
END of USDA.

Pond fertilization generally requires frequent measurements of the amount of plankton, water color, and water testing for nitrogen & phosphorus to maintain a Proper plankton bloom. IMO this is too much routine testing for a general recreational fish pond. Improper nutrient balance can easily result in various water quality issues that can result in producing unhappy water that can cause harmful toxin producing algae, too too much algae of the wrong kind and probably fish kills. Too little algae bloom allows more water clarity and light penetration that results in large amounts nuisance filamentous algae and or submerged weeds because of the prior fertilizer loads that have been applied to the ponds. Once the nutrients are in the pond it is VERY difficult to get them back out. Nuisance plant growths are most often controlled by uses and sometimes improper, and too much uses of algacides and herbicides. New practical pond management is showing that just because the water is green does not mean the green is caused by the "good" algae but it can be primarily the harmful Cyanobacteria or bluegreen algae. Studies are showing a lot of these blooms of Cyanobacterial 'algae' are very poor foods for growing the food chain. A few stories have been written about this in PBoss Magazine. I will try and find the reference article in a back issue of PBmagazine =
Pond Boss Nov-Dec 2022 pg 42. CYANOBACTERIA DURING A DROUGHT. B. Chesser & Dr. Sink tell you a lot about this problem causing organism in ponds and lakes that can occur in nutrient enriched water. What to look for and how to deal with it if you see visual and color signs of it occurring.

My point is, it takes a diligent effort to properly use fertilizer to control nuisance plant growth in shallow ponds. One big dilema IMO of a shallow pond is it is continually accumulating MORE nutrients that in themselves grow more plants as often nuisance vegetation especially in the areas of shallow water which is a big part of a shallow 6ft deep pond. Then routinely adding more comercial fertilizer can accenuate the weed problems.

Use of pond colorant or dye is another plant management option to reduce plant growths. Note the dye label says the pond dye is not real effective in water less than 2 or 3 ft; that could be a significant percentage of the area of a 6 ft deep pond.