Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Small pond In SW Arkansas

First off I have already learned a ton from this site. So a big thanks to the experts who contribute.

I recently purchased a house in SW Arkansas about 4 months ago. It has a small (approx 1/4 acre) pond with max depth about 12 feet. Previous owner did not aerate or seem to actively manage his pond. Throwing catfish pellets would quickly have 8-10 catfish feeding with numerous other small fish. A few fishing expeditions resulted in easy catches of catfish and some small bluegill or other sunfish.

About 4 months into ownership I had a massive fish kill. A number of factors occurred with 48 hours. The hay field around my property was fertilized, a massive rainstorm hit, and temps were over 105 degrees. I ended up filling five 5 gallon buckets full of dead fish. It seemed that all of the catfish died and countless bluegill and redear sunfish. Every since the event I have not seen a single fish. Throwing pellets has only attracted the turtles.

I installed a DIY aeration system which seems to have worked well. At a minimum has broken the thermocline but I have no way of measuring DO. The water has also changed to a rich green color. I have seen little to no FA.

That's the background and current situation. My basic questions are:

1. Are ALL of my fish dead?
2. Is the rich green water good or bad?
3. To regain some visibility do I need to restock and establish a food chain that will eat the algae?
4. Any suggestions on restocking plan/rates?

My basic goal is to have a nice looking pond that I can catch dinner out of occasionally. I don't have a great desire for trophy fish.
Green Water 1
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Pond 1
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Pond 3

First off, welcome to PondBoss!!!

You may want to add some tilapia next year to help control vegetation and it is extremely unlikely you lost all fish. On the bright side, at .25 acres, if you have the budget and desire, you could drain and reclaim the pond pretty reasonably and re-stock for your goals.

I agree it is unlikely all fish were killed. This is bad, in that you really have no idea what is left. It can make restocking very difficult. I would recommend you invest in a water pump and pump the pond dry. Any small puddled can be treated with hydrated lime to ensure all fish are dead.

At that point you can restock. I would look a combination of HBG/CC/HSB. All three are excellent small water body fish. As there is little to any reproduction, mean you can closely manage the fish. If you feed them, they will show great growth rates. Every couple years you can restock. You can do a forum search as this combination has been extensively talked about.

Thanks for the advice. I believe that the pond serves as the watershed for at least my own property as well as most of the surrounding fields. In short I don't think there is anywhere I could pump the water to that it wouldn't just drain back in. I doubt my neighbors would like me flooding their lawns. Although, I may be missing something as I have never emptied a pond before.

Thanks again. This forum is a great resource.

Where does your pond drain in a rain event??? Just to be technical, watershed is the terrestrial surface area that drains into your pond, not the pond itself.

Even better for you is that being in Arkansas, Hopper-Stephens and Keo Fish Farm are close and provide excellent fish at awesome pricing. Mike at Keo specializes in the HSB, but can pick up other fish for a one stop shopping trip with some notice.

I haven't owned the pond long enough to see what happens with truly heavy rainfall. Although with "Isaac" coming through I may see it soon. Per my neighbors the pond simply overflows the southern bank and then through a large culvert under the road and into the lower lying lands of my southern neighbors. While they don't have a problem when it happens naturally they may be opposed to me pumping the pond dry.

I am a fairly naive when it comes to ponds and am being forced to learn quickly after my fish kill rather than easing into it.

Thanks for the recommendation on fish farms. The number of choices can be a bit bewildering.

Ask them.....it isn't like you are breaching a dam and a wall of water is coming.....a 2-4" trash pump moves a lot of water, but will take far more time than you realize.