A few weeks ago I went to see how far down the ponds were. It was bad, but today was worse. I started to see how the bottom felt by the dam and sunk 1/2 way up my thigh. I am now starting to think I might as well just nuke the pond (it has some crappie in it) and have cleaned out. The dam also has trees on it so I might as well get it cleaned up too. I don't really have a good idea how much muck is in there but it's a few feet at least.
What do you the more experienced PB people think? I really have no idea what was in the pond fish wise. So I am kind of thinking it will be better to start fresh with a clean slate.
How much would you think I was looking at to do the dozer work cost wise.
Also should I retonone (sp) wait a few weeks and then transfer this oh so precious water to the other pond (IF there is ANY left by then)?
Yes! I don't really know how deep it gets as you go away from the dam but it is not sliding all the way off the dam area. I will attach 2 more photos behind the two little chunks of pipe, is the dam. Behind the dam the ground drops off about 12 or 15 feet. This pond might be 30 years old for all I know?
Getting that muck out isn't easy. As you have found, it has the consistency of pudding. A dozer can't get in there and a backhoe isn't always that efficient.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Yea I was wondering about that too. Even in the areas that have been dry for over a month it's still soft.
Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
Getting that muck out isn't easy. As you have found, it has the consistency of pudding. A dozer can't get in there and a backhoe isn't always that efficient.
I have had several stock ponds cleaned out. The guy I use breaks the dam with a trackhoe once drained he just starts digging pileing the mud/muck up in piles. Once he gets down to the original pond bottom he will dig it deeper if I want. After he is done it looks pretty terrible. Then after it dries out and it wont take that long he repairs the dam with good soil/ clay then pushes the muck and spreads it down the dam just making it a more gentle slope. I have one for sure I am going to do now. It is tough if you have a pond with good fish and it is silted in. But with our droughts I figure its a good time to get them cleaned out for the future.
Thanks dale, I guess I could also try to draw down and transfer the good fish to my other tank one by one?
It looks like I am in need of some recommendations for good pond dirt movers in the central Texas area? Any recs for guys in the Fayette County or surrounding area?
Good Dozer operators are able to do it in certain circumstances. Don't rule it out, check with some of them. Around here, I know of a couple that could probably do it. One of them starts in an area and goes down into the pond pushing the muck. At the same time he peels up just enough dirt from the bottom to start creating a false dam so the muck doesn't come back at him. Since the muck is fluid-like it flows away as he keeps pushing the false-dam into it. He then takes a backhoe from an area up on solid ground and starts dipping out the muck and hauls off with truck, unless of course you have a spot near by that it can all be pushed to. Be aware though, it takes a lot of room to spread it out.
Dale's idea works too if it can be dried up some. Kind of what I did when I started.
Call Mike Otto. He should be able to help you out. It can take a few years for muck to dry out completely. We have had it in piles for two and half years before it is ready to be worked with once again.
Wow, ok thanks. I was thinking of just pushing it over the dam because it is a wooded area and not in the way at all. I think it might make for a great garden area once it gets a little dried out?
The muck can act much like a mudslide. You can push it over to the backside of the dam, but depending on its consistency, it will behave in different ways. It may stay somewhat piled up near the top edge, or it could run all the way to the bottom. If trees are there, they may stop it, however if to much goes against them, the muck will push them over and shear them off like a avalanche. Weird stuff.
Ps..if it does get deep, keep dogs and anything else out of it till it firms up!!
After the 2 year drought in kansas i seen over 50 ponds that were cleaned out that looked very similar to yours. around here they use a large track hoe and dig a hole on the water by the dam and have a large dozer push the muck to him and the track hoe sits on the dam and scoops out the much. They were charging 300 per hour for both pieces of equipemnt i would say aound 3000. I had a 1/2 acre pond done and it was $1300. they did a great job. good luck
Conditioning is a rudimentary type of learning. What fish don't have is reasoning ability. Deduction is not a process they use.
I just now found this post, tucked away in this thread. I've always felt that fish have the capacity to learn....I suppose the next, logical question would be, "to what extent?" Thanks ewest, I sometimes got the impression that this was not a.... comfortable? topic for discussion, so I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on the matter.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
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