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Silver Perch pond http://byap.backyardmagazines.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16559	Page 1 of 4

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 17:56 ]

Post subject:

Silver Perch pond

Just thought I would share a few picks of one of my favorite areas of our back yard.

I had this pond and its spillway dug out in september 2010. we get a pretty high anual rainfall and often get storms that dump 100mm of rain in a day or night. I have since contoured a few hundred M2 of ground to send the run off into the dam. During heavy rainfall the little spillway turns into a white water creek.

Of course the main reason for the little dam was to grow fish to eat. I have succsessfully grown out a batch of 30 Silver Perch. I just added 75 fingerlings a couple of months ago.

As a bonus I have also harvested a heap of fresh water shrimp and dozens of Yabbies (mostly used for bait in fresh water rivers for BAss, Cod and Yello Belly Etc.)

Attachment:

File comment: Day 1 first bight at the clay, were lucky we have almost pure grey clay under a thin layer of top soil in this part of the yard, it holds water very well.

dam 2.jpg [ 122.62 KiB | Viewed 19485 times ]

Attachments:

File comment: now were making a hole in the yard

dam 3.jpg [ 149.28 KiB | Viewed 19485 times ]

File comment: The blank canvas before we started 09/2010

DSCN0088.jpg [ 112.71 KiB | Viewed 19485 times ]

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 18:11 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

More digging, finnished digging and shaping in about 4 Hrs total.

I left a shalow ledge all around the sides for water lillies and so on.

That night we had 60mm of rain in a short heavy storm. Woke in the morning to find it nearly full.

The next day I dug turf from the other side of the yard and lined the banks and the spillway to stop erosion and hold everything together.

Attachments:

File comment: Still digging

dam 11.jpg [ 140.08 KiB | Viewed 19481 times ]

File comment: Hole dug deepest point is about 1.8M (6 foot)

dam 19.jpg [ 104.96 KiB | Viewed 19481 times ]

File comment: Next day after heavy rain fall over night.

dam 24.jpg [ 95.8 KiB | Viewed 19481 times ]

Author:	ccBear [ May 13th, '13, 18:17 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
Well done mate did not realise that you had done all the work. I thought it was a natural pond.. How many beers did it take?

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 18:40 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

Spillway finnished and complete with its own small pond (Youl see why soon).

Lined with heavy duty black plastic and 3/4 drainage gravel.

Starting planting water plants and fringe plants. At this time we had a few hundred plants potted up and ready to plant into the yard, mostly coloufull stuff and palms.
The missus is the green thumb, I just dig the holes and make the garden beds.

Attachments:

File comment: Spillway pond planted up

DSCN0013.jpg [ 173.38 KiB | Viewed 19476 times ]

File comment: The spillway pond with first couple of water plants added

dam 29.jpg [ 118.44 KiB | Viewed 19476 times ]

File comment: Added the bridge across the spillway, used recylced iron bark donated by the neighbors.

DSCN0014.jpg [ 145.97 KiB | Viewed 19476 times ]

Author:	blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 18:48 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
ccBear wrote: Well done mate did not realise that you had done all the work. I thought it was a natural pond.. How many beers did it take? Yes mate, its fair to say I enjoyed a cold drink or seven at the end of that day, several of them while i was admiring the big hole in the yard, daydreaming about one day going fishing in there. I also back filled a network of agg pipe drains with a semi and dog drailer full of 3/4 drainage gravel the same day. Its no wonder I feel a bit worn out these days.

Author:	rsevs3 [ May 13th, '13, 18:53 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
Excuse me blind freddie... Less talk more photos! Looks like a very nice spot to sample a dozen brews!

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 18:57 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

Every pond needs a tea house next it.

Sorry Revs theres not much on the telly tonight so you guys are copping it :wave:

Attachments:

File comment: Started bulding next to the Spillway pond

DSCN0015.jpg [ 143.04 KiB | Viewed 19475 times ]

File comment: I love building with logs and sleepers.

Img0022.jpg [ 113.73 KiB | Viewed 19475 times ]

File comment: Cant have a pond without a tea house to sit in and enjoy the view I thought.

Img0025.jpg [ 155.82 KiB | Viewed 19475 times ]

Author:	Charlie [ May 13th, '13, 19:09 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
Youve put a lot of work into that mate, very impressed

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 19:12 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

Spent a few bucks on timber that month

Attachments:

File comment: Final inspection by the missus

Img0035.jpg [ 111.82 KiB | Viewed 19468 times ]

Img0030.jpg [ 162.13 KiB | Viewed 19468 times ]

File comment: more logs and sleepers

Img0033.jpg [ 88.92 KiB | Viewed 19468 times ]

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 19:25 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

Charlie wrote:

Youve put a lot of work into that mate, very impressed :notworthy:

Thanks mate, I love that type of work. I dont draw up plans, I just think about what I want, do a quick sketch and then build. I did the whole thing single handed using clamps and temporary braces to hold things in place.

Started building pathways and planting up the back yard around it next. More truck loads of rocks, mulch and gravel moved with the old wheel barrow. Very thirsty work over the Xmas holliday period

Attachments:

014.jpg [ 121.77 KiB | Viewed 19462 times ]

Author:	seamonkey [ May 13th, '13, 19:30 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
Unreal!! Im enjoying this very much. Great work!!

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 19:35 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

seamonkey wrote:

Unreal!! Im enjoying this very much. Great work!!

Thanks mate, I didnt want to bore anybody, i was hoping others might enjoy the picks too.

Its a great spot to sit after a crappy day at work, within minutes the work day is a distant memory :thumbright:

Attachments:

File comment: This is the only patch of grass we have

001.jpg [ 132.74 KiB | Viewed 19454 times ]

Author:	rsevs3 [ May 13th, '13, 19:48 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
That is a beaut mate. So why the little pond in the overflow?

Author:

blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 19:52 ]

Post subject:

Re: Silver Perch pond

Have had a cormerant eat a whole batch of fingerlings in one week, 100 fish in total. By the time I realised what was goin on it was to late.

When I set up my first AP system I stocked it with a dozen year old silvers from the pond.

The first life forms added were small feeder fish and shrimps from a local creek. They have bred up to good size populations.

I now harvest heaps of the feeder fish for chook food, and the shrimps and yabbies for fish food and bait.

Attachments:

File comment: Fresh water shrimp used for live bait, The wild fresh water fish love them

phone downs 22 04 2012 034.jpg [ 78.41 KiB | Viewed 19452 times ]

File comment: Snappy the crocodile, to keep the bloody cormorant's and Kookaburra's away from my fish fingerlings

006.jpg [ 62.46 KiB | Viewed 19452 times ]

File comment: The shallow end

005.jpg [ 138.32 KiB | Viewed 19452 times ]

Author:	blind freddie [ May 13th, '13, 19:59 ]
Post subject:	Re: Silver Perch pond
rsevs3 wrote: That is a beaut mate. So why the little pond in the overflow? Just for effect realy, its right next to the tea house and the spillway /man made creek runs under the tea house. I have planted irises and gingers around it sow at different times of the year its a mass of colour. After heavy rains the water flows for a few days and sounds great cascading through the small pond.

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