I have Been Hand Digging /working On a Small Fishing Pond that I have hidden on my property I plan On Having this as another addition to our homestead to help us be just a little bit more self sufficient . In the long run I plan on this Pond to be as self sufficient as possible Like most Ponds I am still researching and working out the kinks But here are some Images and Videos and I will try and keep you guys updated starting my secret fish pond by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr P1130686 by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr P1130684 by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr P1130678 by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr P1130676 by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr pond by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr
thats pretty cool, what are the dimensions if you dont mind me asking. also what did you use as a liner?
Very interesting idea? My question is... why does it have to be a secret? Are you not allowed to have a pond there or is it "hidden" as in safe from thieves and poachers? Either way you have my respect just for the amount of hard labor you had to put into digging that by hand! We are getting ready to put one in here too, but out in the pasture behind the house. I can't wait to get it to the point where we can start fish in it. I have a lot of reading to do as far as how to prep it for fish and how to stock it etc... You did a great job there!
What fish species are you considering and how do you plan to feed? Are you planning to stock regularly and harvest the lot or have breeding stock? Lots of questions, but this has piqued my interest. Thanks.
If I had to guess I would say Its about 17 feet long and about 12 feet wide , most of the pond is over 6 foot deep but the deepest part is about 7
Right now i have some red ear sunfish or shellcracker and Several Hundred Minnows in there , I really havent made up my mind on what to put in there maybe talapia But still researching I really Plan On Having this Pond be Self Sustaining If I can get it to that point I am planning on making some changes to the highest sided bank wall by changes I mean I am Going to Shave off the top of the bank and move it back and Create a Shelf in which more shallow water surface area is available for Plantlife and Additional Nesting areas for fish . I plan on Introducing some duckweed and maybe some water lillies and any other Pond plants that I can Find I regularly Drain Hundreds Of Gallons from this Pond Monthly to water Plants around the house, the garden And I replace with Well water and i have been working on a Large Surface area Rain water Catchment system That Drains Directly into the pond
Hidden from theives and from Neighbors Inviting themselves over to use it This Pond Resource I want to be just for me and my Fam And I Try and keep as Little people in the loop as possible We Have a garden Plot That Is "Hidden" or "secret" in this way aswell. Now with all of this said I dont want to come off sounding like a isolationist or "lone wolf" Or The "I have it all figured out" type Im Not The lone wolf type and Im Not Perfect nor are my Plans. I believe in neighbors helping neighbors when possible I Actually Am working on stocking enough Basic dried grains to be able to Help Persuade Neighbors to Possibly set up Camp on our property to banned together in worst case scenarios where My family cant Bugout to 1 of our Two Bugout options Most of My Neighbors have gardens Plots and Ponds that would put mine to shame But The difference is Like their home Theirs is Right on the side of the road out in the open . I just have chosen to keep my assets more low key when possible
Plants are important but do yourself a favor and RESEARCH that Duckweed before you put it in there. In a little pond you can scoop out the excess but it would probably take over your pond there. I think I read that it gets so dense on the surface that it lowers the oxygen level in the water and that kills your fish. Anyway, read up on it in case I got that right, lol.
http://www.controlduckweed.com/duckweed.php http://www.ehow.com/about_5438006_problems-duckweed-ponds.html
You may want to consider some apple snails and carp for algea control. That may remove the need for a filter. Do you have a solar or wind powered plan for aeration? If not, maybe consider catfish who can come up for a breath on their own. Overall, cool idea. Please keep the updates coming.
Yes Kathy thanks for the warning Duckweed does seem to have some pros and cons I have done some Reading on duckweed , Supposedly It makes a great Chicken feed Supplement and also your right duckweed Goes Great with Smaller Ponds that it is Easily Scooped Out of Which this pond is pretty easy to Maintain and It wouldnt take that Much Time and effort with the Telescopic Pool Nets and Tools that I have . It Being in a pine forest I have to regularly Scoop out the pine needles anyways It takes about 10 minutes to get all or most of emm even after a storm . I have been reading that a 20 % coverage of Duckweed is healthy for a Pond It Gives Shade and also is a food source for some types of fish as well as food for humans , It Is a rapidly Growing ,water quality Improving Plant that consumes Phosphorus ,nitrogen and algae Alot of pond owners hate duckweed Because it can cover an entire Pond Blocking out sunlight And in turn killing off Plant life on the bottom this can cause a Major decrease in Oxygen levels .
I have a Few baby Male Carp in the pond , As far as solar or wind power i am not that far along Here is a photo of 1 of the fish I caught today out of the pond to check size and health P1140416 by PatriotSurvival, on Flickr
Check this company out when you get ready for pond aeration via wind. Once i finish my "diversion ditch/pond" i will be looking into one of these. http://www.pondaeration.com/
That would be nice to have a windmill setup like that lol i just realized i have two accounts on here
What a good idea! That is a pretty neat set up. A problem that I have seen around here with small ponds and water features is Blue Herring. They are beautiful birds but they will pick a koi pond clean in short order. One way to overcome that is with some netting laid over the pond. Just something to keep in mind.
Same problem with Great Blue Heron here. Trick is to keep the water at least 4 feet deep. They can't wade in it then and your fish are safe.
Same here , deep water 4foot plus , we put 3 broken plastic patio tables that I scrounged , pulled the legs and drilled the table to let all air rise, mounted on 3 concrete blocks that we now have lily pots on top of & the fish can hide under. cat-tails / bulrushes also in pots , humming birds use the tails plume for nests here. Sloth
Cool idea with the patio table I might Try something along those lines to make more shallow water space for egg laying So far I haven't Had any problems with Coons or Large birds that Im aware of Probably because most of it is so deep But im sure as time passes they will find my Pond and hopefully by that time i will have enough fish in there to consider a bird or Preying animal a healthy part of the eco system of the pond and if they ever become a pest .......Click...BOOOM! Heron stew or maybe i will grind emm up and feed them to the fish lol