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Before
filling the pond
Fertilizing
the water
How
to make plant compost
How
to make animal compost
Building
a crib
Putting fertilizer into the crib
When
is your pond ready?
191 Make sure that the screens on the inlet, outlet and overflow are in place and tight.
192 Make sure that the outlet is tightly closed. To do this, wrap a wood plug with old cloth, put it in the outlet pipe on the outside of the pond and tap it lightly with a hammer so that it will stay in the pipe when the pond fills with water.
193 If you have built a better outlet with a T or an L piece, turn it to the upright position.
194 If your pond has a monk, put in the boards and put the screen on top (see items 1 13 to 1 19).
195 Put rocks on the bottom of your pond under the inlet where the water will fall when it begins to come into the pond.
196 This will keep the bottom from washing away. It will keep the water from getting too muddy. It will make the water splash when it first comes into the pond and bring air for the fish to breathe.
197 Now you are ready to fill your pond.
Figure 111 - FILLING YOUR PONDS ONE BY ONE
HOW TO FILL A POND WHEN YOU HAVE A MONK
Figure 113 - 2 the boards should be as high as the water depth that you want in the pond
Figure 114 - 3 pack the space between them with good clay soil to keep water from leaking out
Figure 115 - 4 let water into the pond
Figure 116 - 5 when the water reaches the top of the boards, stop the flow of water
Figure 117 - 6 leave the screen in place to act as an overflow if the water becomes too high
198 You can fertilize the water in your new ponds with
199 You can also fertilize your ponds by soaking bitter cassava roots in the water, at regular intervals.
200 Items 202 to 209 tell you how to make animal compost. If you do not have animal manure, you can fertilize your ponds with compost made with plant material.
201 To make compost with plant material, make a compost pile using layers of grass, chopped leaves or other plant material mixed with a little topsoil. Dampen it with water to make it rot faster.
202 Make a compost pile near the pond. Put it in a shady place protected from rain.
203 Make your pile in layers. Make the first layer of grass or leaves mixed with a spadeful of topsoil, and dampen it with water to make it rot faster.
204 Then make a second layer of animal manure mixed with a spadeful of topsoil and some water.
205 Use animal manure from sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, chickens or ducks.
206 In place of animal manure you can also use cotton seed, spoiled fruit, household garbage, ashes from the fireplace or night soil.
207 Then make another layer of grass or leaves, and another of manure, until you have a large pile.
208 Keep your compost pile damp by watering it every few days.
209 Let the compost pile rot for about a month.
210 Take compost from the bottom of the pile or the old part of the pile, where it is most rotten, to put in your ponds.
211 Add new layers to your pile every week so that you will always have compost.
212 If you have too much compost you can use some to fertilize your land.
213 In each pond build a crib from bamboo or wood to hold the fertilizer. Build it in one corner in the shallow part of the pond. The drawing below will show you how.
214 If you have a pond that is bigger than 500 square metres you should build two cribs in the pond. The drawings below and on the next page show you where to put them.
Putting fertilizer into the crib
215 When you first put fertilizer into your crib, pack it down well and fill the crib to the water line. This will be about 60 centimetres deep in the shallow part of the pond.
216 If you are going to fertilize your ponds with animal compost you will need to put in 10 kilograms of compost for each 100 square metres of pond each week.
217 If you are going to fertilize your ponds with animal manure you will need to put in
or
or
218 If you are going to fertilize your ponds with animal manure, but you do not have enough of any one kind of animal manure, you can make a mixture of several kinds.
219 You can make a mixture using 1 part poultry droppings, 2 parts pig dung and 3 parts cow dung.
You will need to put in
220 If you fertilize your pond with animal compost or animal manure, the water will start to turn green in two or three days. If you fertilize your pond with plant compost or plant material, it will take one week or longer.
221 When the water begins to turn green, you will know that natural food is growing in your pond. It will take about a week to become green enough.
222 You can make a simple test to be sure that the water is green enough. Put your arm in the water up to your elbow. If you are just able to see the ends of your fingers, the water is green enough.
Summary
YOU HAVE LEARNED HOW TO PREPARE EACH POND TO RECEIVE FISH
Check the screens, close the outlet, open the inlet and protect the bank under it
Fill the pond with water
Fertilize the water:
Wait until the water becomes rich in natural fish food
