I guess I forgot to mention my goals/ideas in my original post.
Short term: Goals/Plans
1.) I would like to get the algae under control preferably with little to no chemicals, I have nothing against them I just prefer to take a more natural approach first if its available. I will try the tilapia this year, is there a specific type/amount that I should get? From what I've researched it seems like Blue Tilapia is my best bet but I would like input from others. I would also like to confirm that 30lbs per acre is a good amount to get, since I'm only looking to get them for algae reduction do I need this many or will less do the job/ how is the amount of fish to algae ratio determined? Also do the Tilapia just eat the algae on the top of the pond or will they eat it off the bottom too? What should I pay attention to/look for when buying tilapia/fish?
2.) Maintain our current fish population and learn what we have...Yes to do this I must get out there and do some fishing! That is a must for this year, and will post some pictures of what I catch, so I can learn what I have and what I can do to help keep them around.
3.) We have a 2 year old lab that loves to swim, we certainly want to keep everything in good order for him to enjoy the pond as much as us, and hopefully not come out smelling like the bottom of our septic tank.
Long Term: Goals/Plans
1.) Add a Dock. The pond currently doesn't have one but we would like one, I am thinking of adding a cantilevered dock, but haven't really made up my mind, I'm open for suggestions or options.
2.) Revive/Restore the beach area. We bought the house in the middle of summer and the pond itself was surrounded by weeds, come to find out that fall/winter with things died off we have a Beach Area!! I've attached a photo (not the greatest will take a better one when I have a chance). The area is a little deeper (distance from yard to edge of pond) so I would like to make it a little shorter. The first 10 to 15 feet into the water gets a lot of weeds and algae during the warmer months, and your feet get sucked into the ground (is this a muck issue?) I would like to eventually turn this in to a nice but small little beach area that we can enjoy. Hopefully I described this well.
