Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Un-natural Structure

I pushed two dead live oaks (3' diameter trunk, with 5' diameter root ball, and a few limbs) into my pond for structure upon completion. 3/4 surface acre.

Now, I've added two more un-natural structure elements, and I'm second-guessing the decision. One is 4 285/75/r16 truck tires wired together forming a cube, and the other is my old pipe BBQ pit which rusted through, opened up like pac man trying to munch the bottom of the pond. I thought it would be a good catfish hideout.

The environmentalist/naturalist/purist in me is wondering if I should remove everything but the trees? What do you guys/gals think?

PJ,

The live oaks, if recently felled, are more likely to cause you a problem than the other stuff...ask Dave D about his experience with them in a pond for structure.

PJ, what ML is talking about is me totally killing everything that I stocked due to recently felled oaks. The tannins(sp) leached from the trees and leaves and created a toxic mess. After spending a lot of money trying to chemically treat the water, I had to pump it dry and start over. That ain't fun in arid areas. Lethal may be a better word than toxic.

Bob Lusk once posted about why it would happen in my area but maybe not in other areas. It had to do with the soil which creates the alkilinity. I've never found the post again.

If it were me, and it's not, I'd jerk the trees out immediately. Let them sit on the bank until the leaves were history and the trunk was dry.

I was told by a dozer operator about a job they did on a large ranch. Rather than burn a huge bunch of newly downed oaks, they pushed them into a 5 acre pond. He said that catfish started floating within a week. Other fish weren't far behind.

Yeah, I read the earlier postings about the oak trees and tannins killing fish. Mine are dead for years, leaves and bark long gone, only thing left is the nearly petrified trunks and some substantial limbs. I'm not worried about them.

Well I too like the idea of keeping my pond as natural as possible. But that being said if some unnatural cover was placed where it wouldn't be seen then I wouldn't have a problem. My pond is just too clear to place pallets, tires, or other unnatural items around the shore without being an eyesore.

bassandgrass reminds me:
Yikes! I hadn't considered this possibility! My primary goal for our soon-to-be pond (absent the "praying" graemlin)is to create a beautiful, secluded water feature. The notion of taking it to the next level as a fishin' hole is mostly the result of finding and following this forum. It makes perfect sense, and now is the time to do it....but....I don't want to compromise the main reason. The bottom will be appropriately sculpted, but the entire basin is naked of any other structure. It was my intent to use the 35 truck and tractor tires I have staged, along with some PVC trees, skids for FH spawning, and possibly some freshly felled Shagbark Hickory trees. Am I gonna regret this structure thing? I truly hope not. I'm really pumped on this whole project, but would be heart-broken to know that the million dollar view I have planned has been self-compromised.

As far as un-natural structure, placing it in depths where it can't be seen is a solution. In very clear water, I don't think seeing the nasty structure would be long term because I believe 95% of the structure you could place would soon develop a green or brown slime all over it.

Correct me if I'm wrong on that. Certain types of fish (maybe tilapia) might eat all that coating off??