Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Establishing new Maine pond.

I stocked 200 golden shiners in April 2021 and 1500 fatheads in June 2021. The various pond plants I borrowed from local ponds are doing well. I've noticed many very small fathead/goldens around the pond this week so they did fine over winter. A local hatchery, Shy Beaver, put 100 brookies and 100 rainbows ( 75 weight ) in late March after ice out and no floaties so far. I did get a bucket of feed to supplement as they become accustomed to their new home. Fed them today and they fed very well and they look terrific with some rainbows looking almost green. Very pretty. Will be ordering some Water Celery and other plants from Kesters next week to help oxygenate and provide cover for the GS/FHM. I had my pond dug Dec 2020 and its water table fed. Sounds like yours will already have good chemistry and ecosystem whereas mine had nothing. If you are draining yours build the habitats before you refill, so much easier. I put in some tree stumps, logs, Christmas trees and lobster traps after the pond mostly filled and it was much harder than planning ahead. Plan ahead and put a lot of thought into it and it will be so much easier. I'm no pro as this is my first pond but will share my experiences. Good luck!