Making A Fish Pond From A Farm Pond

Making A Fish Pond From A Farm Pond

Many families have moved from the cities into the suburbs, and much of rural America is now suburban. In these areas, many farm ponds exist, and the owner of such a property may be wondering what to do with existing farm ponds. An unused farm pond can become a recreational haven, an extra food source, and possibly, even an extra source of income. The farm pond can become a fish pond, and if you like fishing, eating fish, or want to work on making a little extra cash, this is for you.

Making a backyard fish pond from a farm pond

Have a pond? Why not turn it into a fish pond? If you have a reasonably large impound, that is, more than an acre, you can probably raise a crop of bass for your fishing and eating enjoyment. If you have a smaller pond, or just like catfish in general, you can raise all you can eat in a small area.

Catfish ponds

For raising catfish, there is not a lot you have to do, except feed them. If however, you are willing to do a little extra work, you can have a better crop of healthier fish in your fish pond. To do this, you will basically need to do the same things for your catfish pond as for your bass lake.

Fish pond pH

Having the proper pH in your fish pond or lake is important for every other part of the fish farming process. If you are lucky enough to know this before you build a fish pond, you can add lime directly to the bottom, and you will have about five years before you need to worry about it again. If you have inherited the pond or lake from the previous owners, some testing is in order. This can be done easily and inexpensively with a pool testing kit. If the pH is lower than 6.8 you should add lime. Check the pH, and if lime is needed, the proper amount should be added evenly over the surface of the water. One relatively new resource for this is liquid lime. this can be applied from a boat with little effort. Otherwise, you will need to load agricultural lime onto a boat, and spread with a shovel, or use a pump and hose to spray it off a plywood platform on your boat.

Clearing the water in your fish pond

If the water is muddy, it will irritate the fish. Irritation causes weight loss in fish, and other problems as well. Clearing the water in a fish pond is a matter of getting rid of the sediment source, like a watershed denuded of vegetation. Some additional vegetation on the watershed will act as a sediment barrier. The use of alum or some other flocking agent will cause the sediments to drop to the bottom. Less irritation to the fish means more pounds of fish for the table.

Fertilization

Fertilization will allow algae bloom, the production of single cell algae. This algae bloom, is responsible for the blue green tint seen in well maintained ponds and lakes. It should be maintained at a level where sunlight will penetrate the water no deeper than 24 inches, 18 inches is about optimum. This test is known as a secchi test, and is performed with a secchi disk. When light penetrates less than 10 or 19 inches, you should back off the fertilizing chore.

Algae bloom provides the food for the things that provide food for the fish. This insures a balanced and continuous flow in the food chain.

Cover in your fish pond

Fish, like all animals, like places to hide from predators. If you have a small pond, with only catfish that you feed, this will not be a big problem. If you are trying to raise bass, it is an important issue. There are natural covers like trees in the water, and man made cover, but successful bass production must have cover in one form or another. If the cover does not occur naturally, you can sink a tree or two, or an artificial barrier of some type to provide it.

Native aquatic vegetation also provides cover, but please avoid adding any vegetation that is not native to your area. Avoid such plants as hydrilla, water hyacinth, and salvinia. In most states, they are illegal, and they might just take over your lake or fish pond, eliminating all your fish and fishing fun!

For further details see: Lake management and pond management

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