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wrennflint
05-25-2016, 12:02 PM
Pond size: 100x50'. Depth ranges from 1' around the edges to about 15' in the middle, depending on the time of year and how much rainfall we've had. We still have some digging to do on one end, and we are getting FIL's backhoe soon for that task.

My pond was little more than a hog wallow (literally) and erosion control retaining pond for many years before I moved into the house. I've been there about 10 years, and 4 years ago my dad dug out the pond with a trac-hoe. We put in bluegill and redear, which have done very well. It is inhabited by all manner of turtles, frogs, snakes - everything one would expect from a natural pond in Mississippi. We had 5-8 wild diving ducks that visited during the winter this year. That was nice to watch from the dining room with coffee in the morning. Haven't seen any gators yet, but it's not unheard of here. They mostly stick to rivers so they can migrate in colder weather, but people have a bad habit of turning out pet baby gators when they outgrow their aquariums. :uggg:

We've had various floating fountains over the last few years, and have put in a floating sack of barley this year to control the algae. It seems to be working, as the algae is nowhere near as bad as previous years. We also have an alligator weed problem. A bad alligator weed problem. There is a small leak on the levee that has likely been caused by a tree root or a gravel deposit. I have bentonite ready to apply when the water goes down a bit. We can't really drain the pond entirely, and the leak seems to be near the water line. Wish me luck.

Recently we put in a few koi and shubunkin in. They are of a size that the bream haven't bothered them, and they are lovely to watch when they deign to appear. Feeding them has helped get them used to seeing us on the bank. They are strictly for our enjoyment, and I'm hoping they might help control the alligator weed. I'm considering getting a grass carp or two for that task, but I have water lilies I'd like to keep. Not sure if the grass carp eat those. Not many plants around the perimeter, because we've been trying to clean up all the trees, grass and weeds that came from years of neglect. Replanting a few select things has been nice.

We have decided to put in a much bigger pump and waterfall feature, and I'm super excited for that. A small deck will be built beside the waterfall. The side it's going on is a straight 4-5' drop from the yard, so it's pretty perfect. Again, we will need the backhoe for this task.

I promise to come back with pictures, but I'm sneaking in a post at work at the moment. I just wanted to say hi and tell you guys about my current setup.

icu2
05-25-2016, 12:27 PM
Welcome to Koiphen and thanks for joining! :clap:
Sounds like a great pond and looking forward to those pictures...
Enjoy the forum!

tinyfisher
05-25-2016, 01:46 PM
Hi! Good, finally someone else to ask a bunch of questions so I'm not the only one! Can't wait to see your pics.

wrennflint
05-25-2016, 02:20 PM
Hi! Good, finally someone else to ask a bunch of questions so I'm not the only one! Can't wait to see your pics.

:D:

cindy
05-25-2016, 02:55 PM
Welcome, looking forward to pics

wrennflint
05-25-2016, 07:20 PM
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160525/e905d6d2e0d46d7e0e7d8e9d90718e76.jpg

View from the back porch.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160525/5789ed9f521710ee53e78d766699e530.jpg

Seating area where the "observation deck" and waterfall are going.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160525/9e376e5d514d363f672c797e9532feb3.jpg

From the levee. Waterfall is going to the left of the chairs.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160525/f7a978a5f41ca54998e2b016d0323519.jpg

The LED fountain that makes nice noise but does very little in the way of aeration. (53 gph) We're fixing that sooner rather than later.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

wrennflint
05-25-2016, 07:22 PM
The bream are spawning or I'd take a pic of the goldies and koi feeding. The water looks like coffee.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

icu2
05-25-2016, 08:51 PM
I know many who long for a natural mud pond! :thumb:
Beautiful start! A little waterfall and observation deck sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
Hope you'll continue to share pictures along the journey!

wrennflint
05-26-2016, 09:38 AM
I need some rain soon! The leak needs to be plugged, and it doesn't leak fast enough for me to find it unless the pond is full. It's about 1.5' low right now.

KoiPhan
05-29-2016, 03:27 PM
Does your pond rely on run off only to keep the water level consistent?What material is being used to line the bottom?We used local clay,when I helped my uncle dig a few ponds.