Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New to real ponds, or as they say in Texas, tanks

I have done small home "ponds" in the "burbs", with a few koi and lilly pads, but I'm looking at buying some in the country that has a pond (or as they say in Texas, a tank). It appears to be feed by run off and is very muddy. I will be able to ask questions of the owner and builder on Saturday. I am looking for a basic primer to understand what I'm looking at and what questions to ask, so you input is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Phil

Welcome to the forum. You are in for a steep learning curve.

I don't know all the particulars about ponds in Texas but I know a little bit, enough to be dangerous.

If the water is muddy, is there vegetation around the pond or is it new? If new, then it can be fixed pretty easily.

How big is the pond (area wise) and how deep is it? To verify depth, take a fishing rod a bobber and a weight heavy enough to sink the bobber. Keep adjusting the depth until the bobber floats. Measure. Most if not all ponds are much shallower than they are advertised to be..... Trust but verify is the motto here. A 10-15 foot deep tank is good, a 5 foot deep tank not so good.

What are your goals for the pond?

Ask them how old the pond is, what sources of water fill it, and if it's been tehre for a while, does it hold water?

Depending on your goals, the fish species in it may or may not matter.

How steep are the banks? i.e 3:1, 2:1, etc.

Check back here in the morning too. Dave Davidson and Fireishot are from there as is a few other members. Many are in bed by now tho. They usually hop on here first thing in the a.m.

H1RZ, first welcome aboard.

I hope you get the property you want, and if it has a tank/pond, then you'll be set up for lots of fun. Personally, I feel like the classic cow watering tanks are the most underutilized BOW's in TX. IIRC, B Lusk has said that there are close to a million of these ponds in TX, and the vast majority are unmanaged. The good part is you can have a blast with them and don't need to spend an exorbitant amount of money doing so.

If I was you, I would do 3 things first. 1) Go to Google Earth, and view the historical pictures of this pond. Did it ever, or does it occasional completely dry up? If so, then some long term decisions may already be made for you. 2) Go to the edge of the pond and turn around. How much watershed do you have, and is that area sodded? If the runoff area is covered in dirt, then it may be extremely difficult to clear it up with all the exposed dirt coming back in during every rain. 3) Do a jar test. Get a clear jar and fill it up with the tank water, and see if it ever settles. If it doesn't settle in a few weeks then the suspended solids can be addressed.

TX A&M water testing

I would also send a water sample to TX A&M and get the water tested. This will give you a better idea of the overall health of the water.


As far as stocking these ponds for recreation, other guys will chime in with that. I presently have 2 of these tanks I play with, but they are both single use tanks.

What part of TX is the property in?

Phil, the best primer I've seen is Lusk and Otto's book "Perfect Pond.. Want One?". It goes into how to identify the right area on building and on buying land for or with ponds. Best investment you can make and is available at the Pond Boss bookstore.

No idea on how to advise you on buying land with a stock tank without knowing what part of Texas we are talking about. Heckuva lot of difference in Galveston, El Paso, Texarkana and Amarillo and location really matters here.