Thanks Guy's. I am definetly a novice on pond management, about as green as they come. Like alot of people I learn as I go and from my screw-ups. By the time I am eighty maybe I will know something.
My pond is very very small, approx.1/8 acre supplied by run off with a average depth of 4'. 7' on one end and 3' on the other. As you can imagine, this little hole can become a septic pool real quick and I knew that when I built. So I read, and read, and read every thing I could get my hands on. What my pea brain got out of it was, I need to aerate and maintain a balance. Aerate, no problem. Balance, What the he.. is it and how do I do that? So again I do a little research and read about this "Benifical Bacteria" stuff and blue dye. So I build a venturi aerator, buy some so called bacteria and blue dye and start doing my thing. I let the water sit for 1 1/2 years before I stocked a little fish, 3 Bass, 25 Gills, and 5lbs of Fatheads. That was two years ago and now I got to remove a few of the little Bass ( it appears I have about 30 ) and the Gills are, no kidding 1 lb. fat and sassy.
I do not use alot of dye, just enough to maintain a little color, visability ranges fro 6" to 12". There are a few water plants here and there and some weeds. Good forage like bull and green frog tadpoles and I stock twice yearly with Fatheads. Overall, I think things are good in this small environment? Never had a fish kill and they have great color and appear to be real healthy. Real fun to catch the gills now and then with a barbless hook.
Does anyone think I am poisoning my little freinds with the dye? does anyone have a comment on the bacteria?
