Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Starting to build new small pond, thoughts, advice?

Hey everyone,
I have just started building a small pond on my property. this forum has been such a great resource.
The pond will be around 35'x40' with a max depth of around 5'. I plan and using a liner and using old carpet as an underliner(which i have an almost unlimited free supply of). I would like, if possible, to stock a few catfish in there for occasional recreational fishing, but mainly the pond is for aesthetic purposes.
I have a few questions however.
First this pond is dug into slight slope. I created a dirt barrier about 2' above ground on the low side. I am planning on having the water level reach about 1' above ground on the low side. Has anyone had problems with this or would I need to reinforce it with some sort of wall.
Also I plan on feeding the pond from my well. I was planning on having the well run a small waterfall into the pond everyday for a while, and havin an out flow on the low side which would help water some trees and drain into a small natural creek. Howe much waterflow would I need and would this be harmful to the fish? Would I also need an additional pump and an aerorator or would this flow provide sufficent circulation and aeration?
Also I am still undecided on how i should have the pond's bottom surface.
Should I leave the bare liner, cover with a layer of dirt, or gravel/rocks. I would like to put some rocks and gravel down but I am concerned about puncturing the liner and bacterial growth.
Also would a pond this small be able to sustain a few catfish or bass? Btw, I am in Southern California. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Shaun

Welcome!

Can you provide a photograph of your "dirt barrier"? It would be easier to envision what you're trying to acheive.

If your well water is baffled through rocks or over a waterfall it will be sufficiently aerated to make the pond habitable for fish. Channel Catfish do not require incredibly high dissolved oxygen anyway. Also algae will provide you with considerable amounts of oxygen provided your fish density is kept within reasonable limits. It you believe you have sufficient inflow from well water it sounds to me as though you won't have to worry about stagnation issues. Again, you will want to start with smaller amounts of fish biomass at first. The amount that you feed the catfish will also have a significant effect on overall water quality. Feeding can be very fun, but you will have to assess the amount of water you are willing to provide on a daily basis so that you stock an appropriate number of fish.

Also your liner, your lack of significant depth and landscaping are all issues that would need to be addressed.

Water from a well can be very low in oxygen, cross fingers the water comes up free of pollution. You may well need to oxygenate a pond if it is constantly being topped with well water.

If your pond holds water well, you might put the pump on a timer switch to output for a few hours before dawn, when the aquatic plants are still putting oxygen in the water

If you have heavy hoofed critters about, six inches of sand over the liner might cut down on punctures, from storm tossed tree branches, as well. A branch flipped from fifty foot high might just about penetrate six inches of sand

A few rocks and boulders can be an attractive feature, though a surplus of rocks about are going to trap debris which can create a build up of stagnant, eutrophic pockets.

Bear in mind if you want to walk in the pond to do simple maintenance or paddle, the consequences of stepping on a large rock that presses upon a sharp pebble next to the liner, can be regrettable

A reasonable guideline for fish stocking, whether ornamental or for sport, is one fish per thousand gallons, that would have would have a fair safety margin. Low density fish on a healthy pond makes for quite pleasant healthy fish, they tame quite easy to be quite a spectacle if you get the hang of offering them a few tasty tid bits, rather than a hook

Regards, andy
http://www.members.aol.com/abdavisnc/swglist.html

I would exclude bass unless you get a few feed trained bass. They need something to eat. With bass and catfish there isn't anything available other than the bass's offspring as the catfish won't do much successful reproducing without containers to spawn in.

Bruce, would this be a candidate for your horizontal aeration scheme?

shaunsd - from my calculations I estimate you will have about 30000 gallons on this pond. In southern CA you should not have to worry about problems associated with ice cover. Andy's idea of sand on the bottom seems like a good idea to me. However this may still leave some of the steeper sides of the liner still exposed. Dogs going in and out of a liner pond can puncture the liner. And as Andy wisely mentions other things can puncture the exposed liner. Since you have unlimited supply of free carpet it might be a good idea to place carpet on the steeper sides as liner protection. Carpet may need to be replaced periodically; every three to five yrs. I would think that some habitat in this pond would be good if you put fish in it. Habitat is not primarily for the fish but for the biological communmity that will grow on it to help process wastes and overall keep the pond healthier and cleaner compared to no habitat prsent. In your particular situation, I suggest you look into placing 10 to 20 Aquamats (Lake variety) in the pond. Aquamats are available from well stocked pond supply retailers and "Aquatic Ecosystems". Try to buy them close to you since they are heavy and shipping will be less. These are designed to be biofilters and fish habitat. In your situation you are mostly interested in the biofiltering ability and fish habitat second.

I think a very good fish to use in your situation is stocking adult male bluegills. As Anys suggests about 20 to 30 adult fish is a safe number. They will grow to 10" and up to 12" long, provide some insect control in the pond, they will respond well to artificial feeding, and if not fished too hard or too often they are good for angling and or eating. Frequent fishing for them (catch and release) will train them to be hook smart. If you use only male bgills you will not have to worry about reproduction and overpopulation problems. There will be an article in Pond Boss magazine this spring about the details of selecting and stocking adult male bluegills in small ponds.

Burgermeister,

You very well may be right! Here's the link for shaunsd.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=11;t=000125

You could use a smaller sweeper nozzle oriented to circulate the water around the pond for aeration. The little nozzles do about 2-2.5 gpm.

Funny you should mention it because I just spent all afternoon installing the system in order to have it ready after ice out next spring.

Bruce