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Water clarity

Attached is a picture of the water in my pond. You should be able to see how clear it is. Does this look good?

We haven't had any rain since the pond was filled and with the temperatures being well above 100 degrees, we have had some evaporation, but the pond is holding very well! The rocks are well above where the water line should be so don't let that be your guide.

The best guide is the green grass line (we planted Bermuda seed). I hope to keep the pond right below that green grass line.

Since I have to wait until cool weather to stock fish, what is the best way to take care of the pond and prepare for the fish?

The first video is a fun clip I wanted to post of two minnows spawning. If you zoom in to the top of the screen under the small rock that is in the water, there are two busy minnows making a way for more baby minnows!

Spawning activity under the little rock


This video is of the minnows busy eating the fish food. Question... Can there ever be too many minnows in this mini pond?

Minnows and more minnows

I think there is always a limit on how much fish a pond can handle. But minnows would take an enormous amount I would think. How big is your mini pond? It's hard to tell from pictures sometimes how big they are. Anything else in it?

It's very small. 0.04 acre. There are only minnows until fall when I will add a very small number of HSB and tilapia according to Bill Cody's plan for my mini pond.

Never seen a fish creating a nest under a rock.

To be fair, DD, how many rocks have you turned over to look for them?

After you add the HSB and if they are 8"-12" all those abundant minnows will be come scarce minnows. You will be surprised how fast they disappear. Each of those HSB will eat at least 10 to 20 maybe 30 minnows a day even when you feed the HSB pellets daily. HSB are eating machines when they are growing well. When they don't get much food they do not grow or they grow slowly.

Hey, I did see one a couple of days ago. A minnow ofsome kind was digging around under a flat rock

Pond weeds are beginning to grow around the edges of the west side of the pond. I raked some of them out and took pictures for identification please.

The first time it rained my pond was muddy and developed a green film that floated to the west edge. That film disappeared after a few days, but meanwhile, I bought Cutrine-Plus Professional Strength Aquatic Algaecide, 1 gal on Amazon. I just put the Cutrine-Plus in storage until you guys tell me when it's necessary to use it.

We will be putting in the bubbler in a few weeks. The temperature of the water was 79 degrees this morning. I am so impatient for fish!

So my question is... What should I do about the weeds while they are still on the edge?

No idea what it is and plants are OK as long as they don't take over. Use caution with herbicides. They can kill algae that you do need. If you see a noxious plant/weed that you don't want either pull it or spot spray it.

It looks like you have Mud Plantain...



That's a very nice plant to have. It's not aggressive here in Missouri, usually stays on the small side and in shallower waters if not on the muddy banks. I'd be thrilled to have it in my pond as I have tried to transplant some...it did not take. The smaller size of this plant makes it susceptible to being crowded out by taller plants.

I cannot say what the other photo is of. If could be the same thing, but I have no size reference or close-ups. It kinda looks like a type of Pond Weed, or maybe arrowhead. Too hard to tell in it's infant stage.

Quarter Acre, That's exactly what it is!

With the second picture I backed up and took a picture of what the plant(s) look like from the shore view. I don't know if the "moss" is Mud Plaintain in its infant stage or another variation of weed. So should I rake the "infants" out to keep it under control the best I can?

Now my question for you knowledgeable guys out there... Does this mean my pond is producing well? Silly question, but remember, I am a grandmother trying to prepare her pond for fish.

Bill, I really like this plan. It affords for some large fish and it is amply conditioned with the challenges. I would like to add some thoughts as they pertain to tiny ponds. These thoughts arise from my own considerations about potentially constructing a tiny pond in the city and are shaped by my own enjoyment of harvesting and eating fish.

A pond can reach capacity in a single season given a stocking rate that will support it and if the fish reach a harvestable size by the end of the first growing season, they can be harvested and restocked the following year ... or in the case of HSB which are available in the fall ... be stocked in the fall and harvested the next fall. This type of stocking program doesn't allow for multi-year growth which means one is harvesting fish at smaller sizes. Depending on goals, such a plan can be a non-starter. On the other hand, it ensures that carrying capacity isn't breeched, it is less prone to learned hook shyness, provides a greater number of fish to catch, and it maximizes the production of fish. Also because the harvest is large compared to carrying over large standing weights year to year, the harvest serves to slow the accumulation of nutrients. This is also a benefit of harvesting tilapia which sequester nutrients that can be harvested as opposed to allowing them to recycle through a winter die-off

Another, idea I have had with tiny ponds is to have both a winter and summer growth season. So after a bountiful fall harvest a winter trout grow out is also possible for good springtime fishing.

The mossy stuff is not Mud Plantain. Hard telling what it is.. A type of algae I'd bet. I would let it be along with the Mud Plantain and see how it all develops.

The fact that your pond is growing plant-life is a good sign that it is not polluted..that's always good to know. Beyond that...these plants are the start of it's life cycle and you will just have to wait to see what happens.

You could try to control (or direct) the progression by adding some other plants for diversity. Arrowhead, Thalia Dealbata and Pickerel Weed are also nice to have in the shallows along the banks. I have had good luck with these here in Missouri. I cannot advise much on submerged plants as I have not had any luck at my pond getting those established (yet) and some can get pretty thick. Submerged plants are not on everyone's wish list, but I think I would like some (American Pond Weed seems to be a favorite of those who want submerged plant life).

Should you chose to add plants to your pond...I suggest looking at other ponds/lakes in your area, talk to the owners about the plants and how they like them, identify the plants, research them, and transplant them to your pond if you like what you have learned about them. This can be a fun task and can save some money. It's amazing how fast a few purchased plants can add up to a hundred dollars and if they don't make it...then I feel cheated and out the money. Also, plants that like growing in your neighbor's pond have a better chance of liking your pond compared to ones raised in another state even though they are "supposed" to live in yours.

Thank you for all the great information! jpsdad, I enjoy learning about different options.

Quarter Acre, I especially needed to know more about plants. I will leave what I didn't clean out and watch it carefully. I have wanted to add some bog plants, but I didn't know if this was the right season, or what plants to plant. I have found one nursery that has bog plants, so I may just go look at what they have.

Consider stocking a few FHM this fall.

ewest, I have already stocked some FM and feed them fish food. They are doing great!

I called Overton Fisheries and they are closed until September 3rd. The recording said they had tilapia available in the fish market. Since I plan to do HSB and Tilapia, can I go ahead and get some Tilapia? I will stick to the plan and only get about 15. Then when HSB are available I can add those. Or should I put the bass in first?

We plan to put the aerator in this weekend.

Chandler, there is about 2 months left to grow TP this year. By the end of October, the growth will slow way down and you will need to harvest them before dying. Given the short time this year, if you do get TP, get them as big as you can and feed them once released.

HSB are usually available in the fall and fall is a good time to stock them.

If you have any algae or thin delicate leaf/stem weeds then tilapia will do you some benefit eating that stuff for the remaining summer. They won' eat the plants in your pictures above. If you up rooted the plants the tilapia would eat the roots but not coarse stems and leaves. Feeding some some fish fish food is also fun and interesting plus it enhances their growth. They are aggressive eaters of pellets. Feed them up to 3 times per day. If you want some good panfish type fish to catch, then do as jpsdad suggests buy the largest ones available. With ample food they will grow 2" each month so by end of October they should be close to 4" larger. As a panfish they are very aggressive and scrappy on the end of a fish pole. Fish for them before the water drops into the mid 60F temps. 70F and above is best temps for catching tilapia.

It's a three hour drive to Overton Fisheries. Will the tilapia survive the drive back?

Does anybody know a closer place that might have some tilapia?

Overtons will prepare the fish for the drive home; just tell them the drive time going home. Make it a nice day trip. Keep the fish out of the sun and don't stop for dinner on the way home. Tilapia like 90F water and tolerate low oxygen. Trust Overtons - they will treat you well. I've hauled fish longer than 3 hours packaged the proper way. Tell them Bill Cody @ Pond Boss sent you to them. Also ask if you can buy 5 -10 lb of their food. They are probably the only TX place where you can buy the larger HSB if you want to start with larger HSB. You can check with Overtons with a pond call if it is okay to haul tilapia for 3 hours now in TX. They will confirm.

After the torrential rain we had this week, the pond is full and the runoff created a new bank. Is there any hope this bank won't get bigger? We are having our property fence in a couple of weeks and there will be screening to keep the dogs in. Will it keep the silt out?

Suggestions?

Runoff will continue to move silt/sediment into the pond and enlarge this aresa until there is a good stand of some sort of grass or ground cover on the area surrounding the pond.

Bill, our neighbors have not put sod down yet, so we are victims/beneficiaries of rain runoff. We thought we had prepared the watershed well, but it looks like a silt fence is our next purchase until we get some ground cover planted. The pond is extremely muddy looking ever since the rain. We have the aerator now, but should I get something to clear the pond?

I talked to Overtons and they have some adult Talipia I will pick up this Wednesday. They recommend I get some bluegill when I get the HSB, even though I said I would be pellet feeding them regularly.

A grandmother question: the minnows have slowed down eating the pellets. Are they finding food in the pond now? Or is it the muddy water ever since the torrential rainfall. I do see tiny, tiny minnows now so the spawning under that rock worked! lol

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help. My husband said today he has never seen me this excited.