Hi all! New member here! I have read several threads but hoping you all can answer questions specific to my location and size of pond. Little about myself... we have 5 kids now and one due in June. We live in Southeast Louisiana and should be moving into a new house soon to accommodate our growing family. We have built a 1 acre pond that is approximately 15 feet deep (maybe less with silt that has washed into the pond due to no grass yet) we have a ledge (or burm) around the perimeter of the pond that is about 2 feet deep and 5 feet wide. We currently have very little vegetation growth around the pond and zero tree and the water has been brown since it started filling with water due to erosion. Just planted some winter rye to help stop the erosion and silt washing into the pond.

STOCKING: so here is my main question... we currently have a bunch of minnows in the pond that have come from birds dropping eggs or whatever but now I am trying to stock it adequately and keep it healthy. I assume I need some sort of aeration but not sure. Had a established smaller pond when i was growing up in Alabama and we never had any aeration but had quite a few fish. I called Arkansas Pond Stockers today and have 800 bluegill, 200 redears, and 10 lbs of fatheads coming next week (however i can change it if needed) .

question 1: Should I have the water tested if naturally occurring minnows are currently there?
question 2: Should i get aeration? any suggestions if on a budget?
question 3: Should I get fatheads first and then bring in bluegill and redears? if i can do all 3 right now, should i do large mouth right now too?
question 4: should i even buy any fish right now since the water is brown from erosion?

Any other advice? I am open to all recommendations as i am new to this.

Thanks in advance for all your help and expertise!

Welcome to the forum. You need to find out what the "minnows" are in the pond first before stocking anything. ID the fish and then go from there.

Thanks! So I think they are Gambusia. They look like guppies.

Need to figure out how the gambusia got in the pond. Is there a connection with any other body of water during flooding. Was there water already in the pond area before construction? Was it bucket stocked by people? This is important if you want to be able to control what species are in the pond. If you have gambusia, you may have more species in the pond.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103258.htm

On the other hand:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smar...ransport-fish-eggs-new-waters-180975230/

Get a test kit and check alkilinity and ph. Post results here. Get some Bermuda started on dam; and sides if needed. The gams could live in a sewer. Game fish don’t do as well. Give the gams a chance to spawn a couple of times. Then., Add 3 to 4 inch bluegills, maybe about 700 to 1,000. If everything goes well, stock about 100 three inch bass. Catfish are optional, maybe 100 stocked with the bass.

Keep up with alkilinity and Ph. This stuff is all about water quality.

Use long shank hooks to cut down on fish swallowing the hooks.

Have fun.