How to make a fish pond with your own hands. Breeding fish in ponds from A to Z

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Reservoir, even a small one, many would like to have in their suburban area. A small pond can not only create a wonderful microclimate right next to the house and diversify the landscape. Very often it also becomes a source of income. All that is needed for this is to arrange a pond for fish. This task is not too simple, but if you have the desire and certain knowledge, it is quite doable.

Where to start?

First of all, you should decide on the shape and size of the future pond. If desired, you can arrange round, square, oval, etc. water. Success in such a business as fish breeding does not depend on the shape, but on the size of the pond. It should be borne in mind that the option is smaller than one meter and already ten in this case is completely unacceptable. The larger the pond, the faster the young growth will grow in it and the easier it will be to care for it. The best option is a fish pond with a size of approximately 25–50 m2.

Pond device. Ground Rules

When constructing a reservoir, it is necessary to observe somerecommendations from experienced fish farmers. This will make the growing process much more efficient. Success in fish farming is only guaranteed if a number of conditions are met.

1. Correctly selected soil for the bottom of the reservoir.
2. The bottom of the complex terrain has been arranged. Shallow waters should alternate with deep waters.
3. Correctly chosen place for the reservoir itself.

How to choose the right place

A fish pond should definitely be arranged in open areas. In this case, it is best if during the day one part of it is illuminated, and the other is in the shade. It is also very important to ensure that shrubs and trees do not grow in the immediate vicinity of the reservoir. The fact is that their roots, penetrating into the water, will certainly begin to cause decay processes, which will negatively affect the weight gain of the fish. In addition, rotting leaves constantly floating on the surface of the water will not decorate the pond in any way.

When choosing a place for a future pond, it is also necessary to take into account such an important point as the possibility of supplying electricity. It is useful for aeration in the winter.

Varieties of fish ponds

So, you have decided where to make a pond. Breeding fish in it will be successful only if you have taken into account all the above recommendations. Now you need to decide what exactly the reservoir will be. Today, there are several types of ponds,suitable for fish farming.

1. With concrete base. The device of such a reservoir is somewhat laborious. However, the result will be guaranteed to be durable.
2. Pond made of plastic. Suitable mainly for breeding ornamental fish, as the size of such a reservoir is limited.
3. Pond made with PVC film. It can have an arbitrary shape and large enough sizes. However, film life is limited to 10 years.
4. Unlined body of water. This option is ideal for a site with a high level of groundwater. The bottom and walls in this case are coated with clay and lined with turf.

Most often, a concrete pond for fish is arranged at their summer cottage.

Building a concrete pond in stages

In the selected place, mark the contours of the future reservoir using pegs and a cord. Next, proceed to the excavation to the required depth (the depth of the pond plus the thickness of the concrete). The side walls are made inclined (an angle of about 20 °). The soil at the bottom of the pit is carefully tamped. In the event that it is too soft, it is necessary to perform additional reinforcement with crushed stone. The latter is also compacted and covered with a layer of sand on top.

For pouring, take a concrete mixture in a ratio of 13 (cementfiller). At the bottom, on wooden blocks, a reinforcing mesh made of wire with a diameter of 3-4 mm (30 cm step) is installed. Next, pipes are laid in those places where there will be holes for the inflow and outflow of water and the bottom is poured with concrete.

After everything hardens, proceed toinstallation of formwork for the walls. You can make it from ordinary boards. The concrete mixture is laid in layers of 10 cm and carefully compacted. This way you can get a very durable pond for breeding fish of any shape, size and depth.

The formwork is removed after about two weeks. The sides and bottom of the pond must be plastered. To do this, use a concrete mix also in the proportion of 13. The thickness of the plaster in this case should be about 2.5 cm. Experts advise adding a special waterproofing additive to the solution. This will increase the life of the bottom and walls of the pond.

Cultivation of fish in ponds. General information

Success in breeding fish in a country pond, as in any other, depends primarily on such a criterion as water quality. In this case, the most important parameter can be considered the amount of oxygen dissolved in it. Its deficiency will necessarily lead to a stop in the growth of fish or even to its death. Oxygen can be wasted in the process of decay. Therefore, it is very important to clean the pond from pollution in time. In addition, you should purchase in special. store an aerator of the appropriate capacity for the size of the pond.

Also, for the normal functioning of fish, various kinds of minerals are needed - iron, nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, potassium and calcium s alts, etc. It is also important to consider such an indicator as the level of acidity of water. Neutral (PH7) is suitable for most fish species.

Launching fish into the pond

So, we figured out how to make a pond for fish. The next step is to launch it. Of course, aquatic plants must first be planted at the bottom of the pond. They can become an additional source of oxygen. Water poured into the reservoir for the first time should stand in it for about a month. During this time, natural silt forms on the walls and bottom, and the plants take root. After standing, the water is drained and a new one is poured. Fish are introduced into the reservoir gradually, starting with no more than three or four individuals. It is best to do this in the spring, after waiting for the water temperature to reach about 25 °.

What fish is best to breed in a country pond

The following fish can be bred in the country pond.

1. Pike perch. For a year, young growth reaches a length of 30 cm. This fish is very voracious. When growing pike perch from the larval age, you will need 300 pieces of juveniles of other fish.
2. Perch. A very unpretentious fish that feeds only during the daytime.
3. Som. When it is grown, the pond is usually populated with small fish that feed it - bleak, stickleback, etc.
4. Gobies and ruffs. Pretty suitable fish for a pond in the country.

All of these species can survive in a small body of water and even breed in it. However, carp, tench and crucian carp are most often bred in country ponds. These are the most unpretentious, not too voracious and fast-growing fish. We will talk about how to properly care for them below.

Breeding Tench

Ling is a sedentary fish and is quite capable of existing in water bodies with a very low oxygen content. For successful cultivation and breeding, a pond will be enoughone meter deep and 310 m in size. In the case of a line, the second parameter can be considered more important. The larger the area of the reservoir, the faster the young will gain weight. This fish grows quite fast. Already by the second year of life, it is gaining a commercial mass of 150-180 g. However, this is only if all the necessary breeding conditions are met. Those who wish to grow tench in the country should know that this fish loves warm water very much. In well-heated reservoirs, it grows much faster.

Cultivation of fish in ponds, including tench, begins with the selection of producers. Launching into the reservoir is carried out in the spring. For a small pond, 1 female and 2-3 males will be enough. Tench spawning begins in late May - early June.

The fry that appear in the pond will need to be fed. You can use for this grain waste, as well as seeds of weeds. In addition, the tench is fed with a mixture of vegetables, passed through a meat grinder. For this purpose, beets, potatoes and carrots are just perfect. You can also use compound feed. These types of food are always given in a strictly defined place, in shallow water. Otherwise, the fish pond will quickly become dirty and silted up. To catch the tench, the water from the reservoir will need to be drained. This fish is very fond of digging into the silt, especially in autumn, on cold days. Therefore, catching should be done as carefully as possible.

Carp breeding

Carp is also a fish bred in ponds quite often. Its distinguishing feature is rapid weight gain and unpretentiousness. To get goodAs a result, when breeding, it is necessary to ensure that there are no more than two individuals per square meter of the reservoir, and even better - one. The optimum water temperature is 24-26 degrees. Too cold habitat carp does not tolerate. At a temperature of 12 ° simply stops eating. This fish does not need a particularly deep pond. It will be enough 1–1.5 m. You can feed the carps with compound feed, as well as legumes and cereals once or twice a day. In order for the fish to develop a conditioned reflex, food should be thrown into the same place.

Cultivation of crucians

Kras - perhaps the most unpretentious, and therefore just perfect for breeding in a suburban area, fish. Even in a very small pond, up to two dozen fish (weighing up to 300 g) can be settled. They feed carp in the same way as carp and tench. From time to time, in addition to other types of food, you can throw pieces of bread into the pond.

Very often, owners of summer cottages release fish caught in lakes and rivers into the pond. In this case, you need to follow one simple rule. Be sure to equalize the temperature of the water in the container in which the fish is transported with the temperature of the water in the pond. The package is simply placed in the pond and waited for a while.

Farming fish in a small pond is an exciting and profitable business. If you want to arrange a pond for fish with your own hands in the country and you can start carp or carp in it in just one season. The finished reservoir will surely becomea real "highlight" of the suburban area.