So the plan (underway) is to take a kidney-shaped inground pool and turn into into a Yellow Perch pond, however I want it to be reasonably natural (with live food sources) and low maintenance. The pond is 20,000g and the 5,000g side (40" deep, waterfall return) will be planted (planters & floating), while the 15,000g side (9' deep, bottom drain & pond skimmer) will be mostly open (floating plants that I'll return to the 5,000g side). I'll be using 1/2 & 1HP pumps to circulate, an above-ground 60sq.ft. bog filter, and anoxic filter baskets creating a leaky separation between the 5K & 15K sides. I've arranged run-off feeds to average 30% water change/month, with 1/3 of that coming over concrete pavers (keep my kH up, and pH stable). The anoxic filter because I expect I'll need leaf litter at the bottom of the 5K side (for spawning & fry grow-out), and while bog filters are great at removing NH3/4 & NO2, it's the anoxic that can remove NO3 (into N3) and I suspect low NO3 will be important for native fishes). The plan is to run the system for a year (prove equipment & establish micro-organism and micro-fauna for the Perch to eat), and introduce the Perch in 2024. Climate zone is 5a (Ontario) 4C/39F to 23C/74F water range, so everything needs to over-winter (any micro-fauna would need to be native or cold temperature tolerant). Some questions:
1) Do Yellow Perch over-winter like Koi - going into torpor (involuntary hibernation) at around 10C/50F or do they just reduce their activity level?
2) What is Perch (or comparable) tolerance to NO3?
3) What natural food supply should I consider making a habitat for (cray, frogs, smaller fish etc), their habitat details and where to purchase?
Thanks for reading and for any comments or recommendations. Plan view below:
1) Do Yellow Perch over-winter like Koi - going into torpor (involuntary hibernation) at around 10C/50F or do they just reduce their activity level?
2) What is Perch (or comparable) tolerance to NO3?
3) What natural food supply should I consider making a habitat for (cray, frogs, smaller fish etc), their habitat details and where to purchase?
Thanks for reading and for any comments or recommendations. Plan view below: