Pond Management Instructions from Instructables

Everyone has an expertise, and that is the basis behind Instructables, The World's Largest Show and Tell.

This Instructable, from Progressive Farmer explains how to manage your farm and fish pond. It covers the basics, and gives you a good idea of a few things involved when considering a pond for your recreational property.

Here is the video-- with an outline and prompts at the bottom:




Introductions:

Dan Miller, Senior Editor of The Progressive Farmer Magazine
Terry Goldsby, from Aqua Services, Inc.

Building the Fish Pond-- :55

There is no recommended set size for any pond, but for bass under an acre is difficult to manage, but 2-3 acres is a good size.

Goldsby recommends not having cattails around the pond. They are weedy, and should be avoided.

Levee by the Pond-- 1:10

Here they are using compactable dirt to raise the water level, and for aesthetic reasons they are covering the aeration pipes.

Pond Slope-- 1:30

It is important for your slope to be steep. When the slope causes the pond to get deep quickly it prevents weed growth.

The Pond's Natural Water Source-- 1:51

It is important to be able to control your water source. In this case they have built a dam on an existing drainage ditch.

When you are able to control your water source you are able to control:

• weeds
• algae
  
• wild fish
• nutrients

You should also use a rain gauge in order to know how much the rain affects your water level.

Evaporation should also be a concern. You can lose 12 gallons/minute/acre, and that is up to 15,000 gallons of evaporation from every acre of pond a day.

The solution is to have an alternative water source like a well.

Fish Habitat-- 2:53

You can create spawning beds with pea gravel in a 10x10 square.

3:17-- Aeration systems are important to have in place in order to provide adequate oxygen for the fish.

3:34-- Fish Attractors

You can buy a fish attractor that acts as a fish's habitat or you can create them with trees and rocks.

3:52-- Natural fish attractors can also by cypress trees. They will grow in the water acting as a fish's natural habitat.

Stocking Fish-- 4:27

When stocking fish you need to form the basis of the food chain. In this case they stocked the pond with small blue gills and small shellcrackers six months before they put in the large mouth bass.

Feeding Fish-- 5:10

Getting an automatic fish feeder is a good idea. It is programmable and throws different quantities of food in at different times.