Managing Farm Ponds

I'm looking for some guidance/advice on our farm pond. We do have a great book to refer to but I'm also interested in people's experience.

Our newly dug pond is approximately 60ft x 200ft (and 7 feet deep at its deepest point). It's been holding water fairly well now without a rubber liner but with water constantly flowing in from our spring to keep it at a consistent level, so there is some leakage and so far we're okay with that.

Anyways, we're so new to this and it is so new, we have done nothing else with it yet. As of a few days ago we noticed brown blobs floating on the surface and have determined we have an algae bloom, which is not uncommon apparently at this stage. We do have a certain amount of aeration going into it from the bottom's deepest part as we sunk the line from the spring down there and it throws out some oxygen along with the water but that's it.

What do others have going in their pond to keep any overgrowth from happening - bottom feeders, crayfish, proper aeration systems? Of course the ducks and geese will come but not this year. No time to build proper accommodations for them.

Appreciate hearing anyone's experience and/or some good links to read.

Thanks!

Those are going to be some mighty lucky waterfowl.

Well I have no experience with ponds, but I know ACV helps prevent algae in water, though you would need quite a bit and that could get real pricey fast. I googled preventing algae (some links below) and from what I’ve read providing shade can slow growth down a good deal, though it doesn't stop it completely. And there is the barely ball method. But they need to decay in the water for at least 4 weeks before they start to work, so says the internet. Then there is this nifty build-it-yourself filter. http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm


http://www.ehow.com/how_5602822_prevent-farm-pond-algae.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

http://www.naturalenviro.com/Article.php?ArticleSKU=Controlling-Algae


Best of luck with your pond.

Aw Flicker. Thanks for going that extra mile for me and finding some links. I'll check them out.

Instead of AC Vinegar (which I'm a big fan of), I'd use food grade Hydrogen Peroxide if it didn't cost $55 a gallon. I love that stuff to for all kinds of things. Anyways, we'll get there and when it's all up and running and the waterfowl are on it, I'll send photos!

No problem. I look forward to the pics.