Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat SMB & YP Pond Construction--Group Project

As some of you might have read from an earlier thread, I am strongly considering a SMB/YP pond.

Here is the skinny.

-Digging starts late July
-Location--Washington state
-Size--1/4 acre (heart shaped kinda)
-was planning 8'(flexible)
-combo execavation/embankment
-reinforced spillway-no plumbing
-areated
-lots of trees
-mostly a sky pond-diverting most runnoff
-tons of giant granite boulders onsite for structure
-24 cubic yards of river rock
-lots of pea gravel for SMB spawning (what size?)
-bushy trees for YP spawn sacks
-sandy swimming beach
-water lillies
-minnows/crawdads


Goals

-self sustaining (for the most part)
-no feeders
-healthy fishery (don't need trophy fish)
-fun/safe place for kids to swim/fish
-my own slice of paradise

I was planning on an 8' deep bowl with a 4' shelf for spawning. Also provide some 1-2' areas with water lillies/rush for nursery cover. Do I need a deeper basin for the YP/SMB? Would I aereate the very deepest part or leave some deep/cool areas? I was going to concentrate the river rock away from the dam to keep the crawdad damage to a minimun. Plan on getting the minnows/crawdads started this fall.

Sorry for the rambling post. So the question is, if you had to build a YP/SMB pond, within the given parameters, how would you set it up with regards to depth, structure, plants, forage, etc.???

Thanks,

Joe

Hey Joe:

See here for some pretty good info and links on SMB beds.

Theo--thanks for the links. I spent a lot of time searching through old post. I found just about everything I need to get started, except depth. I still would like some input on the depth of the pond. I was planning on a single 8' basin, surrounded by shelves of various depth.

Do I need to go deeper? How deep? Would I aerate from the very bottom of this depth, or would that raise the temp too much?

Thanks,

Joe

PS I am suffering from a Bill Cody,Ewest,Sunil,Brettski, Doc Bruce hangover trying to absorb all of that info.

An extra foot or two of depth is almost never regretted.

If you invest in the extra depth and have good water quality, and have a good aquatic plant base, you can have oxygen all the way to the cooler water on the bottom without aerating the entire water column. This would save you money and decrease the maximum water temps you will acheive during the summer.

How hot do the air temps get in the hottest part of the summer?

What do other sky pond's have for water quality in your immediate vicinity?

Bruce,

Our weather is pretty mild...not too hot, not too cold. However I am pretty sure somebody's been eating my porridge. Our summer highs are usually in the upper 70's/low 80's.

I have traded emails with one local pondy from this board, Duane, and he seems to have a pretty successful SMB pond going. I will pick his brain a little more.

I can control the depth and I am pretty sure the water quality should be fine, but how would I ensure a good aquatic plant base? I was planning for some lilies, iris, rush for my emergents, but I still don't know about the submergence's. If I am not mistaken there is a low growing eel grass, but I haven't tracked it down yet.

I have a call into fish & game and so when I get a hold of the biologist I will try and pick his brain for some local low down. Which reminds me...the great state of WA has deemed gambusia and fathead's as "invasive". Nice, real nice.

Joe