All,

I have an outside of the box thought and wanted to pass it along to the Pond Boss team and get some feedback.

I have a 1-7/8 acre pond at home, 40 year old cow / horse watering hole that was re-worked 5 years ago. I have LMB, CNBG, NBG, RE, CC, HSB that were stocked. I had a shock survey done and found all the above and chum-suckers.

I have 3 acres at a higher elevation with about 1.5 acre water shed coming into the pond from my tree orchard. The pond is equipped with a 6" surface overflow.

Problem: about a 1.5 years ago the pond went from 2.5 years of algae bloom to yahoo chocolate water color. The thought process was catfish were working up the bottom due to CC spawning.....catching small CC on worms.

We stopped feeding for 2 months and then added a hoop net to start removing CC.......since then we found out we have bull heads in the pond. Not sure how, no incoming water source. We have pulled 3 out, 2 over 1.5 lbs.......

During all this, we had several days of steady rain, pond rose to maximum level, overflow working steady. After a couple week of steady flow, the water began to clear, enough to start seeing the fish moving in the pond near the banks. Rain stopped, 2 weeks went by, water turned back to yahoo color.

So, with that said, what if I were to design a pumping system to pump the pond water out of the pond and into the tree orchard and fill the pond from a water well? The trees will have the nutrients from the water for growth thus lowering my fertilizer applications and the pond will have a water small water change like an aquarium.

Distance from pond to orchard is approximately 50 yards to the peak of the crest so I am thinking trenching just past the crest, tee off and run another 50 yards each way to the far ends of the orchard, (Valves to isolate each end) and setting up a timer to run as per tree requirements on moisture.

I have a power pole just to run the aeration and that pole is half way between the pond and the tree orchard to power is not an issue.

Tree selection is Pecan, Persimmon, Oak, Cherry, Mayberry, Mayhaw, crabapplle.

Thinking electric pump, 4" water well, 6" PVC pipe.

What pro's & cons would I run into?

Coupe

I am wondering just what your "goal" is with the partial water changes....?

I think you want the water to not be muddied, and if that is the goal, you need to kill off the bullhead. Bullhead could have swam upstream and into your pond during a rain event, or were stocked as hitch-hikers with other fish.

You could pump the water into your orchard, but I would put netting in the flow back to the pond to catch any size fry, then sterilize the pond with Hydrated Lime and refill/restock. Once you have the problem fish out, you could water your orchard without concern.

I think I am leaning towards Rex's idea, start over. In the long run, it will be easier and cheeper.

If you want to save the fish, use a holding pen in the other pond.