Pond project and care

[Mojoe]

I know this may not be interesting to many, but having spent a bit more than a year working over a pond, I thought I would share some info.

 

We bought our house last year with a 1 acre pond on the property. This was a huge draw to me buying the home; as I had been wanting to be able to relax by the water, and fish more. There was a ton I did not know about pond care and maintaince, to have a healthy pond. I wasn't looking for a swimming pool, just a great environment for healthy and hopefully big fish.

 

There were a good assortment of fish in the pond already, a big ass carp, bass, crappie, blue gill, and catfish. How many of what, I had no idea. I added feeder minnows, 50 catfish, 50 bass, and 200 blue gill last year. I also added 10lbs of feeder minnows in late fall, and then again once the ice melted this year. In the Spring I added 30 hybrid striped bass, 3 carp, and 5lbs of feeder minnows.

 

The algea was the first thing I had to get under control. I did use an algaecide and water dye. Dying the water dark blue makes the pond look great, the dark water stops light getting to the algae, therefore stopping growth. But, it wears off. I was treating once every 2 weeks and struggling to get head of it. Then winter came, so there was nothing to do but wait. I read a lot and planned for spring. As soon as the water melted, I walked the edge of the pond with a swimming pool net, scooping out every bit of algae. This sucked, a lot. BUT, it turns out, that is what was needed. I have treated with algaecide a few times, but very lightly and only in some areas. I no longer have an issue. Most ponds have a muck issue. Muck is the breakdown of grass, sticks, leaves, and anything else decaying at the bottom. This is where methane gas can build up and be bad for your fish. I have used a liquid muck treatment a few times now, and it has cleared up the water well. You have to be careful using this in conjunction with any algaecide, so as not to use both items in a close time frame. Even though this is all "safe" for the fish, you can still screw things up. Follow the directions.

 

In my opinion, the number one thing for a healthy pond is aeration. This has been the biggest consumer of my planning, time, and money. I built a solar powered surface aeration pump set up. The pump was a 7.3 AMP pump and it was killing my electric bill. An additional $100 a month, and I wasn't running it all that often. So I went solar. Everything is perfect and running great; until I decided I didn't want the surface aeration. A submerged aerator is better off for a pond because ponds get thermal layers, deeper than 4'8". There is literally a cold line in the water. There is very little oxygen below that mark, limiting fish habitat. A submerged aerator will act like a blender and mix the water and temp, all the while pumping massive amounts of needed oxygen to all levels. You have to introduce the submerged aerator a little at a time. To do this, run it for an hour, and then off for 3 hours. Run it for 2 hours, then off for 4 hours, to building up to running it all the time. Doing it in this interval will get the temps to neutralize and you can get to leaving it on all the time, which is what you want. If you just dropped it in the pond and turned it on, you could have what is called pond flip. You basically flip the cold layer and the gasses from bottom to the top, the fish die off because of the temps, gases and oxygen levels not changing yet in the flipped layer. Huge fish kill could result. The sweet thing about the submerged aerator I picked up is it runs on .5AMPs. Stupid low draw, therefore, no more need for the solar setup on the pond. Not sure what I'm going to do with it all yet.

 

Over all, it has been a lot of managing. However, I have caught some great fish this year, and the pond is right where I wanted to see it for this time of year. I will continue to add 10lbs of feeder minnows in the spring and fall, as well as add stock of fish as I see fit. I do plan to rebuild the dock with composite wood, it needs redone. Next year and the following year should have some fun sized striped bass, and more large mouth in the 4lbs range.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Mojoe

[MrMeanGreen]

When will you add the shark?

[TurboRust]

he did...have you ever caught a hybrid anthony?

[Mojoe]

When will you add the shark?

 

Have you seen the pics I have posted? http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116882&page=4&highlight=fishing

 

No shark's, but it's been a fun year. Those stripers are going to be a lot of fun once they get to the 12" + mark.

[MrMeanGreen]

I think it was the Bull Shark that can survive in freshwater conditions.

 

Bull Shark > Bass

 

But in all seriousness, your pond is very nice. I need to come see it now that you've done more shit to it, but I don't even have time to take the boat fishing.

[Mojoe]

Thanks. Looks wise, it isn't all that different looking. The condition of it is way better and the fish are doing very well. I should have added that I have been steady pellet feeding them for 2 months now. The hope is to keep the pond from freezing in a small area over the winter, so I can continue to feed them. The new aerator will help with that.

 

Water is a little low right now. I have been running the hose from the well to it for a couple hours a day, the last few days.

[Second Gen]

Joe - Been looking for a place with a pond to build a house on and may tap into some of that knowledge when I get closer (Most likely this Fall). Current property (Looking at) is about 6 - 7 acres and it has about a .7 acre pond sitting on the back (Estimating on Google Earth)

 

Also miss the RX7 and might sell the Z4MR in the Spring. Of this goes well I will find another one to start building. Its horrible, but I miss wrenching on my old RX.

[Mojoe]

I'd be glad to help, Dave. Good to see you on here. We need a few more RX guys on here.

[Mojoe]

Bumping this to update.

 

Pond care is year round for it to be what I want it to be in the warm months.

From OP:

"Most ponds have a muck issue. Muck is the breakdown of grass, sticks, leaves, and anything else decaying at the bottom. This is where methane gas can build up and be bad for your fish. I have used a liquid muck treatment a few times now, and it has cleared up the water well."

Today started my "all the time" muck treatment. As I said above, I had treated with liquid treatment the last half of the year. I would apply it by going out in the boat and pouring it in throughout the pond. I think it did an ok job. Problem is, cold water sucks and can freeze. So, I switched to a Muck Block. These are good for 30 days and can treat 2 acres. With the new aerator, I still have a large portion of my pond that is not frozen over. I think If I can maintain that opening, it will keep the water moving, which it what the Muck Block needs. It will also keep the oxygen levels high, which helps the fish grow and be more active.

As for feeding the fish, they stopped coming to the surface once the temps hit low 50's. So, no more pellet feeding, because they don't sink. I'm looking for something to still feed with, but not comfortable using Koi food. And that is all I'm seeing that sinks. I'm looking for 20lbs bags for about $20 ish. Koi food is stupid expensive. I did add 10lbs of feeder minnows in the Fall, so that helps for food in the cold months. Looking forward to the warm months for the pond.

 

Added info:

Cattails are terrible. They are an overbearing weed that has to be kept under control. In late fall, I used a machete and chopped down all I could reach. They were starting to dry out, and that's a good time to get to them. The root system they have is nuts. They are all connected to each other. I pulled up many by hand, but plan to burn them once the snow is gone.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Mojoe
Damn cattails

[Berto]

interesting thread. I have a pond on the new property but i don't fish much. Maybe since I have a pond i'll pick it up again.

 

I don' know if there are fish in there, def saw some big bullfrog tadpoles.

 

I think that helps my pond is that a small creek feeds it when it rains, and then has a spill way into another creek. So water is pretty much flowing through when it rains. I'll have to keep an eye on it.

 

Do anything for mosquitoes?

[Mojoe]

Mosquitoes haven't been as big an issues I thought. Keeping the pond clear of algae is helpful too. I will be stocking in the Spring with https://www.jonesfish.com/content/mosquitofish

 

Looking through that site will give you some ideas for pond care and stocking. Fishing is extremely relaxing and gratifying for me. And, is is a secondary food source, if needed.

 

A pond with a feeder stream is great. However, if you stock it, be sure you have a screen to keep the fish you have added. The above minnow could be a challenge. depending on the amount of current and debris, the screen could l be blocked easily and often.

[Mojoe]

I thought I would bring this thread back to life, not realizing it has been two years. Several people I have talked to on here have surprisingly read this thread and mentioned it to me. There have been some progressive updates in my pond management, so I thought I would share.

 

Cattails are a pain still. Chopping them only works out if you can do it when the water level is low and cut them low to the ground. Then, when the Spring rain has the water level over what you cut, they don't grow. But, then you have the cut stocks that are an eye sore for your shoreline. This year I treated with a chemical that was suppose to kill them down to the roots. It brown the leaves a little, but not enough to kill the plate. I treated again and got the same effect. You have to treat them after June and when they are in full grow. As of now, I'm still pulling them by hand, and it sucks miserably. I will likely rent a small backhoe and dig them out and re-edge the pond at some point.

 

Algae is going to always be an issue with any pond that does not have a in and out flowing source of water. I have used algaecides in past years with success. I don't like putting chemicals in the pond, but I can't say I have seen any harm to this product, https://www.amazon.com/Cutrine-390104A-Applied-Biochemist-Algaecide/dp/B00QXNPE1S/ref=sr_1_66?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1475417286&sr=1-66&keywords=pond+algae+control

 

I have tried putting barley straw and other natural corrective additives to the pond, but there was no noticeable fix to the algae. Last year I have read about the use of Tilapia, a warm water fish that feeds on algae and other bacteria. Read below copied from Wikipedia:

 

Tilapia has been used as biological controls for certain aquatic plant problems. It has a preference for a floating aquatic plant, duckweed (Lemna sp.) but also consume some filamentous algae.[15] In Kenya tilapia were introduced to control mosquitoes which were causing malaria, because they consume mosquito larvae, consequently reducing the numbers of adult female mosquitoes, the vector of the disease (Petr 2000). These benefits are, however, frequently outweighed by the negative aspects of tilapia as an invasive species.[16]

Tilapia are unable to survive in temperate climates because they require warm water. The pure strain of the blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus, has the greatest cold tolerance and dies at 45 °F (7 °C), while all other species of tilapia will die at a range of 52 to 62 °F (11 to 17 °C). As a result, they cannot invade temperate habitats and disrupt native ecologies in temperate zones; however, they have spread widely beyond their points of introduction in many fresh and brackish tropical and subtropical habitats, often disrupting native species significantly.[17] Because of this, tilapia are on the IUCN's 100 of the World's Worst Alien Invasive Species list.[18] In the United States, tilapia are found in much of the south, especially Florida, Texas, as well as far North as Idaho where they survive in power plant discharge zones.[19] Tilapia are also currently stocked in the Phoenix, Arizona canal system as an algae growth control measure. Many state fish and wildlife agencies in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and elsewhere consider them to be invasive species.

 

I added 10lbs of tilapia to the pond last year and noticed a great difference. I wasn't worried about the invasiveness of them, as they spawn every 18-30 days. I actually wanted them to do this, so as to provide more feeder fish to the predator breeds I have stocking the pond, such as bass, strippers, catfish, crappie, and some perch. This season I bumped it up to 15 lbs of tilapia and I think that's the right amount for my pond. I had to do some algae treatment early in the season, April and May, but I believe the mild winter was much of the cause for this. Stocking of tilapia is based off of waster temps being over 60 degrees to add them. Most hatcheries don't stock them, due to the sensitiveness of them and fail rate in keeping them alive. Jones fish has done well with this. https://www.jonesfish.com/content/tilapia

Last year I did not harvest the fish, however this year I will be doing a harvest on Oct 15th. No sense in letting them just die off when the water is cold.

 

Feeder for the pond.

https://www.amazon.com/Moultrie-6-5-Gallon-FeedCasterTM-Fish-Feeder/dp/B001RE3JSS/ref=pd_sbs_86_4?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001RE3JSS&pd_rd_r=QJYP3ZCRF53EEPSMW294&pd_rd_w=5L4by&pd_rd_wg=OROzZ&psc=1&refRID=QJYP3ZCRF53EEPSMW294

 

https://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-FILMED-MONO-CRYSTALINE-DESIGN/dp/B0010YA5M8/ref=pd_bxgy_200_img_3ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MR5WHHV2XEAJBXA8GXM3

 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsmans-choice-floating-pond-and-catfish-feed-40-lb?cm_vc=-10005

 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsmans-choice-trophyfish-feed?cm_vc=-10005

 

Supplementing food was something I was disappointed that I had not done sooner. I use to hand feed some pellet food, but not enough to really get benefit from it. Adding a timed feeder and a high protein feed, is really a great combo. I actually added a second on on the other end of the pond a week after putting up the first one. I wanted to be sure the fish were using the whole environment, not just hanging around the food source. Although I only started this about two months ago, I know I have set the fish up for a good Winter and some late season growth. I can't wait for Spring, and a full next season. Pellet feeding should be stopped when water temps hit 60 degrees, or if they get in the high 80's or more. My pond loses water level often, so the added food is another benefit to offsetting feeding options for fish. The feeders are set to auto feed 3 times a day for 15 seconds in the morning, 5 seconds in the afternoon and then another 5 seconds in the late evening.

 

I just ordered another 15lbs of feeder minnows for the fall, 150 3-5" blue gill, and twenty 6-8"large mouth bass.

Those sizes for stocking are important, because anything smaller than that may not spawn in the Spring and may be small enough for the current predator fish to feed on. As a note, blue gill spawn very often Vs hybrid blue gill do not. Red ear, also do not spawn as often. I need to up my spiny fish population to get the catfish bigger and the bass.

 

My goal is for friends and family to catch fish often, and some of the bigger fish they have caught. Having a secondary food source is an added bonus too, plus the fun of going out and reeling in a fish when I want to.

[Mojoe]

I haven't updated this in a while, but the pond has been an on going project. I added some fish last weekend, with 25 hybrid stripped bass, 100 more gluegill and 25lbs of fathead minnows being added this weekend. Here is a short vid with info.

[Rustlestiltskin]

Awesome! That's a nice size pond. Toss a paddle boat on there and have fun

[Mojoe]

Thanks, Paul. You can see the paddle boat in the background at the 2-5 second mark.

[xlr8tn]

cool stuff.....I would think those stripers would eat pretty much everything in the pond at some point. Any blue cat or shovel heads in there? If I had a pond that's a fish I would have in there just because I enjoy catching them.

[cruizin01]

Cool thread. I have hard enough time keeping up with my koi pond that I adopted let alone something of this size.