Hello James, from SE WA,

wow, oh wow! This sounds so very kewl!

With that big of pond, a 20' long creek, you won't need a filtering system.
Make the predators your friends and Mother Nature will keep your stocking down.
I would look more at native fish. It doesn't hurt as much when a heron makes
off with one. Contact the fish and wildlife folks and they can help you with
stocking. The rest of the critters will move in and set up shop.

A skimmer, on the other hand, would be a good thing as it will reduce overall
maintenance. Especially with a tree so close - will look wonderful and a
skimmer will help 'harvest' the leaves and reduce the amount of sludge that
will build up.

A natural setting will also mean less maintenance.
Consider putting all your plantings in pots, securely anchored so you won't be
spending time mowing down cattails. Same with bamboo - consult with your local
nursery as it can get scary...

Deeper is better for all concerned.
Should I use a rubber liner? Concrete? Clay?
Good question, this is where your county extension can help. Some areas can
support an earth pond, just dredge it out and let it fill up.
There is an excellent book about earth ponds:
EARTH PONDS SOURCE BOOK by Tim Matson.

For algae - low stocking, keeping rotting vegetation out of the pond, water
movement will all help keep it at bay. Also the siting of the pond, run off
into the pond is bad, especially fertilized run off. Plantings can absorb that
run off, building berms, raised edges.

Others will chime in. I'm going to go look at your
webpage.


kathy :-)
A HREF="http://www.onceuponapond.com/"Once upon a pond/A