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fishkeeper1

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 27, 2008
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GA
I live in GA with that thick red clay. And i got a cheap idea. You see all those large ponds and lakes that have no liners right? So why cant i not use a liner for my bass pond? I was thinking of a 10ft long 5 or 8ft wide pond at 5ft deep max and averaging around 3-4ft. it would be at least 1875 gallons. I am alos not using a filter but natural like plants and ect for oxygen. Then i am goign to make a feeder pond around 500 gallons for either fatheads or bluegill or maybe 2 feeder ponds?? This was a quick brainstorm so i dont know but coudl you guys give me ideas and will this or will it not work?
Thanks
 
Well, if you don't use a liner, just don't expect to ever see the fish. The water will continually leach color/mud out of the clay, and probably stay cloudy (like most large ponds do). I would suggest using a filter though, maybe at least a bog filter. They're pretty easy to set up. I'm sure Noto or Muske will chime in with some more thorough information though :).
 
yes thta is a downfall to the cheapest method of doing it. And could someone please describe a bog filter? and i heard from another site that ponds over 1,000 gallons dont need a filter because they are a. too big and a filter is too expensive and b. the bacteria or someting naturally filters the water?
 
I think you could get away without a filter on some large ponds but I doubt so with just 1000 gallons. Maybe with a really really light bioload.
 
You can have clear water in a clay pond. There are several reasons clay ponds may be cloudy:

1. The ponds is used by large animals (cattle, for example) that kick up sediment

2. The pond is inhabited by large, bottom-rooting fish such as carp

The solutions to 1 and 2 are obvious- keep the culprits out!

3. The clay in the pond is unconsolidated

Solving 3 requires a little more work. You should consult an experienced clay-pond builder in your area to see what he recommends, as it will vary depending on specifics of pond and soil type. This problem may solve itself over time.

4. The pond receives silty runoff

There are multiple solutions to 4: you can build your pond above grade so that no runoff runs into it; you can build ditches or dikes around the pond to divert runoff; or you can surround the pond with a bog garden which will absorb and filter runoff.

The presence of dense underwater foliage, such as hornwort, myriophyllum, chara, or similar, will also help with moderate sediment load by capturing the sediment.

A bog filter is basically a shallow area with lots of plants; the pond water is pumped into it and allowed to trickle back. Both the plants and bacteria in the substrate use up nitrogenous wastes. The only difference between this and just a pond with plants in it is the pump- keeping the water circulating through the filter makes sure all the nutrients in the water column come into contact with the filtering organisms. Whether you need a pump will depend on your bioload.

You could link the ponds in series- pump from the bass pond to the bog filter, which will overflow to the feeder pond and from there back to the bass pond.

There are several good pond forums that will have more info. I like Koiphen- http://www.koiphen.com/. It's mainly a koi and goldfish site but has lots of general information that is useful for any pond build. They even have a dedicated mud pond subforum!
 
Thank You Noto that info was extremely helpful!
I am making the pond 10ft long, 7ft wide and the spot i picked i am actually going to build a "dam" Its a slight downhill pitch in the landscape but thats good because now the pond will DEFINATELY get water but i will control it by plating plants, putting down rocks, ect... to slow it down. Also planning on adding plamts to oxygenate the water for cover and to clean the water what little it will and it just looks more natural. As for the bioload 1-2 largemouth bass in a 2,625 gallons shoudl be enough? Heres my MAIN CONCERN:
Forage: I will build 1-2 ponds 5ft in diameter 3ft deep for fathead minnows. Why fatheads? They are a. Hardy fish that could easily live in a muddy pond. and b. proflic as anything. So thats not going to cut it because a largemouth needs 10lbs of farage for 1lb of growth. But it SHOULD be less for me because its food will basically come to it rather than it go to the food. Also feeding it Mice, Crickets, Earthworms, Bluegill, Fatheads,Pellets (maybe) and whatever else stumbles into the pond! P.S. its in the woods so it could have some decent lizards,snakes,crickets,mice,chipmunks, ect... fall in the water.
 
I hate to break it to you, but a 10x7 pond is tiny. Without a liner, it will probably fill in really fast, especially since you say it is in a forest. And 10x7 is not enough room to grow large bass without huge water changes, heavy filtration, and lots of food.

People get lost in gallons for ponds, i think. They hear xxxx gallons and think its huge. But the reality is a 2000 gallon pond is effectively a puddle. For an aquarium, maybe so, but a pond is a different animal.

I wish you luck in whatever you decide to do, but please realize that your current plan is slightly flawed.
 
badisbadis101;3548654; said:
I hate to break it to you, but a 10x7 pond is tiny. Without a liner, it will probably fill in really fast, especially since you say it is in a forest. And 10x7 is not enough room to grow large bass without huge water changes, heavy filtration, and lots of food.
Click to expand...

It depends on how deep the 10x7 pond is. If its 2 feet deep, then yes, its a puddle. If its 4,5,6 feet deep, then its a decent sized pond, and should be adequate for 2 bass... especially if he doesn't put much else in there. Although pretty much anything he adds is going to end up being a meal at some point.

How fast is a pond that size going to fill in? It takes a while for leaves to accumulate several feet deep, and even silty runoff shouldn't add too much sediment, especially if he's got rocks and plants lining the edges to help prevent that very thing. Its going to require some maintenance, but it won't fill in that fast. It's not like he's digging a whole in the woods and then leaving it alone for a few years.

Again, some type of filtration or at least water movement with a pump through the bog area would be best. And if you can make a point of skimming leaves off of it regularly, it should do ok.
 
You may be able to install bottom drains in your pond. This will allow you to drain some of the muck and silt at the bottom of the pond periodically. I'm not sure how easy this is to do in a clay pond.

Your local agricultural extension office should be able to give you lots of info on pond-building that is specific to your area.
 
what could i do for the bottm layer aka liner, cement, ect... what is a cheap effective way to cover a pond? im only going to do this for the bass pond i dont care too much about the forage ponds because 3ft is plenty deep fo 4 inch minnows
 
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