A Look at Fresh Water Ponds With Fish

As a child growing up on our farm I enjoyed having 4 ponds but only one had any fish in them. Three of the four ponds were meant for our livestock to drink from while the other was for our enjoyment. These ponds were made by my older foster brother and was quite a thing to watch. They had no big equipment to create these ponds, just a tractor with a big scoop, which looked like a big shovel with two handles to control the depth and direction. Hard work but a great result.

What Are Ponds?

Well, ponds are small bodies of water, usually fresh water, that can support life forms. Some ponds get as large as a small lake while other I have seen are just a half barrel in size. Most ponds are usually man made and have their very own life ecosystem. My favorite fresh water ponds come with fish, frogs and other organisms in them. Fresh water ponds with fish and other animals are the most interesting to have in the yard in my humble opinion.

What You Need To Know To Make Your Own Fresh Water Ponds With Fish

Our ponds were deep enough to walk and swim in but even as a kid the depth never went over my head or even past my arm pits. So even though they were fairly big they weren't deep.

Chuck was always careful to check out the are a pond would go so that it was going to get the best lighting conditions but would also have some shade to protect the fish that would eventually end up in the pond. I used to catch catfish from the river at the back of our farm and put them in the ponds that cattle would drink from. My dad would get ticked at me and tell me I was trying to scare the cows.

A lot of extra work was put into the fresh water pond that wasn't for our farm animals to drink from. Chuck would go to the river and get water cress and other plants that looked great around the edges of the pond. We didn't have the lilies or plants like I see in ponds today but that was almost 50 years ago now and times have changed. But the plants that Chuck put in the pond helped to keep it shaded and to keep the water cooler than if it got direct sunlight all day long.

Note: Once you have picked the best spot for your fresh water pond the next step is to decide how deep to make your pond. You need to keep your pond safe for people but also for any fish you might put in your pond. You need to keep it deep enough so the water doesn't heat up too much and kill your fish but you also want to keep it shallow enough so that if any one falls in they won't drown.

As a kid I only put catfish in my pond and they seemed to live just fine but most fresh water ponds that will have fish will most likely need a filtration system and an aerations system as well. Our ponds had dirt bottoms but most ponds today are made from artificial containers such as cement, plastic and others. Plants and waterfalls or fountains can help with the aeration process.

The kind of fish you will put in the fresh water pond must also be considered. Fresh water ponds with fish need to accommodate the size and number of the animals in it. You can not have too many fish in a small pond. You must also consider that other animals might take an interest in your pond such as frogs and insects. Snakes might also like the idea of a lot of frogs so be careful of the also.