Pond Restoration - 03/25/07 03:36 AM
Hey everyone great forum. I signed up to this great community to enlighten my pond brain cells and maybe get some help along the way. I hope so because your looking at a man thats beating himself to death, because im doing it myself, by shovel, yes.
Well, NO actually its not very fun, but I decided I need to get into shape a lttle more and the exercise factor is already payin'off. I will feel better knowing it was done by my own craftsman ship, these hands. im weird like that, sorry.
Anyway, lemme give u a quick rundown on the history, then current problem and solution I have enabled.
About 5 years ago me, my brother, and a few friends, had alot of great fishing holes, we decided to make a small stock tank style type pond to hand feed them into monsters.
Didnt know much about pond building nor our soil, so we just got a backhoe for a day and dug a 7 foot, no slope pond about 60x20 oval. Well we notice there are springs everywhere next when its filled, it wont hold.
I then discover a huge tree stump in the middle of the back dam and begin to dig a trench 20 feet beyond the back of the dame and clay pack it, then built another dam making the pond into like and L shape.
I did that with a shovel and had blisters for 2 Christmass's. The pond withstood through Katrina and I guess all the rain and wind and trees that fell in it cause it to settle cause it actually held at 4 feet until yesterday.
I decided it was time to make it deeper and develop it more. So the 2 pumps i use for aeration, i used to pump into a 15x20 hole I have right next to the dock for a stock tank I JUST DUG 2 DAYS AGO, after im done i will create a nice 7 foot waterfall from that point.
I got the hole dug, it wont hold water so i have divided the pond that 90x 60 ina L shape as of now into three section by hand digging a pumped area after I drain it, and let the waste high deep muck settle so I can get it out. Im gonna pump the water into the small hole to keep it filled, which is aerating it, while the other end I have in the 3rd of the other part filled is aearated as well. And I just can give up, I'll tell you why now.
The pond has 10 channels 15 plus pounds, I threw 30 bluegill in the tank thats well over a pound and a half I mean HUGEE. And one lonely but happy bass. Thats the prob, that bass is 8 lbs but the coppernose in there and a few hybrids have over produced to were it looks like 10 million minnows were overtaking the entire pond. Also, now I got thick green slime type of algae formed so I drained the back end and began my adventure.
Now the conclusion. As i was diggin my trench for my pump i notice all over the pond it starts with model like clay gray/red. then I hit the tips of tress stumps? and white sand is about 2 feet down, then it goes to a ornage/red/gray clay and sand thats as hard as cement. The good thing it this is about how deep I would want it. it would be about 6 feet, enough to where I would feel fine with stocking some bass, instead of the bg that are killing my pond by overpopulating. I'm gonna take alot of pictures of my my different question and hope you can help on my journey. I just wanna make sure that bottom point i hit will hold water, cause i dont have the money for a liner. I spent my money to liner the small stock pond and the waterfall area.
My first questions are. What kind of soil does it seems I have? does that third layel I hit of rock hard clay/sand mix that I can't even get my shovel make every alright?
Also where the sand and tree stumps are springs are flowing even where my stock small hole is when I fill it, I can see water flowing out the back I gotta plug that. Thanks and pictures coming- Josh
ps- glad to be aboard
Well, NO actually its not very fun, but I decided I need to get into shape a lttle more and the exercise factor is already payin'off. I will feel better knowing it was done by my own craftsman ship, these hands. im weird like that, sorry.
Anyway, lemme give u a quick rundown on the history, then current problem and solution I have enabled.
About 5 years ago me, my brother, and a few friends, had alot of great fishing holes, we decided to make a small stock tank style type pond to hand feed them into monsters.
Didnt know much about pond building nor our soil, so we just got a backhoe for a day and dug a 7 foot, no slope pond about 60x20 oval. Well we notice there are springs everywhere next when its filled, it wont hold.
I then discover a huge tree stump in the middle of the back dam and begin to dig a trench 20 feet beyond the back of the dame and clay pack it, then built another dam making the pond into like and L shape.
I did that with a shovel and had blisters for 2 Christmass's. The pond withstood through Katrina and I guess all the rain and wind and trees that fell in it cause it to settle cause it actually held at 4 feet until yesterday.
I decided it was time to make it deeper and develop it more. So the 2 pumps i use for aeration, i used to pump into a 15x20 hole I have right next to the dock for a stock tank I JUST DUG 2 DAYS AGO, after im done i will create a nice 7 foot waterfall from that point.
I got the hole dug, it wont hold water so i have divided the pond that 90x 60 ina L shape as of now into three section by hand digging a pumped area after I drain it, and let the waste high deep muck settle so I can get it out. Im gonna pump the water into the small hole to keep it filled, which is aerating it, while the other end I have in the 3rd of the other part filled is aearated as well. And I just can give up, I'll tell you why now.
The pond has 10 channels 15 plus pounds, I threw 30 bluegill in the tank thats well over a pound and a half I mean HUGEE. And one lonely but happy bass. Thats the prob, that bass is 8 lbs but the coppernose in there and a few hybrids have over produced to were it looks like 10 million minnows were overtaking the entire pond. Also, now I got thick green slime type of algae formed so I drained the back end and began my adventure.
Now the conclusion. As i was diggin my trench for my pump i notice all over the pond it starts with model like clay gray/red. then I hit the tips of tress stumps? and white sand is about 2 feet down, then it goes to a ornage/red/gray clay and sand thats as hard as cement. The good thing it this is about how deep I would want it. it would be about 6 feet, enough to where I would feel fine with stocking some bass, instead of the bg that are killing my pond by overpopulating. I'm gonna take alot of pictures of my my different question and hope you can help on my journey. I just wanna make sure that bottom point i hit will hold water, cause i dont have the money for a liner. I spent my money to liner the small stock pond and the waterfall area.
My first questions are. What kind of soil does it seems I have? does that third layel I hit of rock hard clay/sand mix that I can't even get my shovel make every alright?
Also where the sand and tree stumps are springs are flowing even where my stock small hole is when I fill it, I can see water flowing out the back I gotta plug that. Thanks and pictures coming- Josh
ps- glad to be aboard