2. LOCATING YOUR FISH FARM

WHERE TO PUT YOUR FISH POND

(20) You must choose a good place to put your pond.

(21) Remember that a pond for fish is only one use for your land. Be careful not to build a pond on land that could be better used for something else.

(22) It is best to put a pond in a place with a gentle slope or on a hillside so you will not have to dig too much soil to build it. A pond built on a slope is also easier to drain.

(23) Do not build your pond in a place that is so low that it can be flooded during the rainy season.

(24) Do not build your pond on a steep hill.

(25) Choose a sunny place for your pond, close to your home so you can take care of the fish easily and so people will not come and take your fish away.

WATER SUPPLY

(26) Your pond must be near a good supply of water such as a spring, stream, lake or reservoir with plenty of water all year round.

(27) You must be sure that you have enough water to fill your pond when it is time to fill it and to add more water when you need it.

(28) Do not depend on rainwater to fill your pond. When it does not rain, there may not be enough water to keep your pond full and the fish may die.

(29) Your water must come from a place that is higher than the pond so that the water will flow into the pond by itself.

(30) The water should not have a bad smell, taste or colour. It should not be too muddy.

(31) The water should not have wild fish in it. You do not want wild fish in your pond because they may eat your fish or keep them from growing.

(32) Water from a natural spring close to the pond site is usually good and there will not be wild fish in it.

(33) Water from a stream or from a lake or reservoir is usually good but it may have wild fish in it. You will have to be careful that the wild fish do not swim into your pond.

SOIL QUALITY

(34) The soil where you build your pond should not be too sandy. Soil with too much sand or gravel in it will not hold water.

(35) In sandy soil the water will sink into the ground and there will not be enough water for your fish.

(36) If the banks of your pond are built of sandy soil, they will not be strong enough to keep the water from flowing away.

(37) The soil where you build your pond should have enough clay in it. Clay soil holds water very well.

(38) In clay soil, very little water will sink into the ground, and banks of clay will be strong enough to hold the water in the pond.

TESTING SOIL

(39) You should test the soil to see if it is good for building a pond.

(40) The first test is easy. Take a handful of soil from the surface and squeeze it into a ball.

(41) Throw the ball of soil into the air and catch it.

(42) Bad soil with too much sand or gravel in it will not stick together and the ball will fall apart.

(44) Dig a hole as deep as your waist. Early in the morning fill it with water. Fill it to the top.

(45) By evening some of the water will have sunk into the soil.

(46) Then fill the hole with water again. Fill it to the top. Cover the hole with boards or leafy branches.

(47) The next morning if most of the water is still in the hole, the soil will hold enough water to build a fish pond there.