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Flax Fibre: Processing Technology Fish Pond construction

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Potatoes: A complete Food Submitted by naipagropediaraichur on Tue, 18/12/2012 - 11:43
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हमाचल दे श म वै ा नक ढं ग से बीज आलू Posted in Generic crop Karnataka North east dry India UAS-
Raichur (Karnataka) English CONSTRUCTION fish Pond
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Fish Pond construction
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SMOKED FISH Survey Unverified posts

Before constructing the pond, land is About agropedia

surveyed to find out determine its Kannada POP

topography.
Marking the area of proposed pond is the POP
first step in the construction of a fish
pond.  Download POP App
View POP website
The natural slope where the main wall is to
be built should be ascertained.
The main wall should be marked off at the User login
lower end of the pond, where the slope is
the greatest.  Username: *
Designing

The first step while designing fish ponds Password: *

should be to study the soil type,
topography and water supply.
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In designing the fish farm, it should be
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decided as to where and how many
nursery, rearing and stocking ponds are to
Featured User
be constructed.
In case of a fish farm constructed solely
Hemant Sharma
for the purpose of seed production, only
A User from Hanumangarh,
nursery and rearing ponds may be
Rajasthan,India
constructed, with a nominal area for the
brood stock ponds.
  In case of grow-out farm, more stocking
ponds will be constructed to produce table
size fish after stocking fingerlings.
For a composite fish farm all three types of His contributions to agropedia
ponds are required and their number Other Contributors
should be based on the intended stocking History

density.
Fish ponds should be at least one surface
acre in size. Ponds smaller than one acre New Releases
 seldom support a satisfactory fish KVK-Net
population over many years. They usually vKVK
require much more intensive fish agropedia images
New in agropedia
management and may not justify the
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costs.
It is important to know the exact size,
maximum depth, average depth, and water
volume of the pond. This information
becomes useful in calculating the amount
of herbicide needed for weed control and
the number of fish fingerlings needed for
stocking.

Different kinds of pond

Freshwater fish ponds differ according to
their source of water, the way in which water
can be drained from the pond, the material
and method used for construction and the
method of use for fish farming. Their
characteristics are usually defined by the
features of the landscape in which they are
built. Ponds can be described as follows. 

According to the water source

1. Ponds can be fed by groundwater:

(a) Spring-water ponds are supplied from a

spring either in the pond or very close to it.
The water supply may vary throughout the
year but the quality of the water is usually
constant.

(b) Seepage ponds are supplied from the

water-table by seepage into the pond. The
water level in the pond will vary with the level
of the water-table.

2. Rain-fed ponds:

Rain-fed ponds are supplied from rainfall and

surface runoff. No water is supplied during
the dry season. These ponds are often small
depressions in impermeable soil, with a dike
built at the lower side to retain more water.

3. Ponds can be fed from a water body such

as a stream, a lake, a reservoir or an
irrigation canal. These may be fed directly
(e.g. barrage ponds), by water running
straight out from the water body to the
ponds, or indirectly (e.g. diversion ponds), by
water entering a channel from which
controlled amounts can be fed to the ponds.

4. Pump-fed ponds are normally higher than

the water level and can be supplied from a
well, spring, lake, reservoir or irrigation canal,
by pumping.  

According to the means of drainage

1. Undrainable ponds cannot be drained by
gravity. They are generally fed by
groundwater and/or surface runoff, and their
water level may vary seasonally. Such ponds
have two main origins.
2. Drainable ponds are set higher than the
level to which the water is drained and can
easily be drained by gravity*. They are
generally fed by surface water such as
runoff*, a spring or stream, or are pump-fed.

3. Pump-drained ponds may be drainable by

gravity to a certain level, and then the water
has to be pumped out. Other ponds, similar
to undrainable ponds, must be pumped out
completely. These ponds are only used
where groundwater does not seep back in to
any extent.

According to the construction materials

1. Earthen ponds are entirely constructed
from soil materials. They are the most
common, and you will learn primarily about
these ponds in this manual.

 2. Walled ponds are usually surrounded by

blocks, brick or concrete walls. Sometimes
wooden planking or corrugated metal is
used.

3. Lined ponds are earthen ponds lined with

an impervious material such as a plastic or
rubber sheet.

According to the construction method

1. Dug-out ponds are constructed by

excavating soil from an area to form a hole
which is then filled with water. They are
usually undrainable and fed by rainfall,
surface runoff or groundwater.

2. Embankment ponds are formed without

excavation by building one or more dikes
above ground level to impound water. They
are usually drainable and fed by gravity flow
of water or by pumping.

3. Cut-and-fill ponds are built by a mix of

excavation and embankment on sloping
ground. They are usually drainable, and
water, which is impounded within the dikes,
is fed by gravity or by pumping.

According to the use of the pond

Spawning ponds for the production of
eggs and small fry;
Nursery ponds for the production of larger
juveniles;
Brood ponds for broodstock rearing;
Storage ponds for holding fish temporarily,
often prior to marketing;
 Fattening ponds, for the production of food
fish;
Integrated ponds which have crops,
animals or other fish ponds around them
to supply waste materials to the pond as
feed or fertilizer;
Wintering ponds for holding fish during the
cold season.

Three basic pond types

Ponds can be conveniently grouped into
three basic types depending on the way the
pond fits in with the features of the local
landscape.

SUNKEN POND:

1. The pond floor is generally below the level

of the surrounding land.

2. The pond is directly fed by groundwater,

rainfall and/or surface runoff. It can be but is
not normally supplemented by pumping.

3. The sunken pond is undrainable or only

partially drainable, having been built either
as a DUG-OUT POND or to make use of an
EXISTING HOLLOW or DEPRESSION in the
ground, sometimes with ADDITIONAL
EMBANKMENTS to increase depth.

BARRAGE POND:

1. They are created in the bottom of a valley

by building a DAM across the lower end of
the valley. They may be built in a series down
the valley.

2. The barrage pond is drainable through the

old river bed.

3. If large floods are present, the excess

water is normally diverted around one side
of the pond to keep the level in the pond
constant. A DIVERSION CANAL is built for
this purpose; the pond water supply is then
controlled through a structure called the
WATER INTAKE.

4. Directly fed from a nearby spring, stream

or reservoir, the water enters the pond at a
point called the INLET and it flows out at a
point called the outlet.

5. To protect the dike from floods, a

SPILLWAY should be built. 

DIVERSION POND:
1. The diversion pond is fed indirectly by
gravity or by pumping through a diversion
canal (which becomes the MAIN FEEDER
CANAL), from a spring, stream, lake or
reservoir. The water flow is controlled
through a water intake. There is an inlet and
an outlet for each pond.

2. The diversion pond can be constructed:

either on sloping ground as a cut-and-fill

pond;
or on flat ground as a four-dike
embankment pond sometimes called a
PADDY POND.
3. It is usually drainable through a drainage
canal.

Construction

After the designing, it is necessary to

prepare detailed estimates of the items of
work to be carried out as per the design.
The approximate cost of construction is
also to be estimated.
Construction time

The construction time of the pond is an

important factor for pond management.
If the construction of the ponds is
completed in summer, the pond can be
used for farming immediately for next
season (monsoon).
Preparation of the site
The site should be cleared before the
construction.
All the bushes and small plants, etc.
should be cut and removed along with
their roots. The roots should be totally
removed; otherwise the leakage problem
will arise later on.
If there are any trees near the construction
site, it is better to cut the branches
overhanging the ponds, so that the
sunlight is not blocked and the leaves do
not fall in the water.
It is better to have trees near the ponds,
but only 5m away from the pond.
Mark out the ponds
When the pond area is cleaned, it is
necessary to mark the outlines of ponds
and dykes.
Mark out the main wall or dyke and other
walls with stakes. The walls should be
wide.
Plan the depth of the pond and height of
walls.
 The walls should always be at least 30 cm
higher than the water level for a small
pond, and at least 50 cm higher for a
larger pond.
Excavation of the pond
It can be carried out either by manual
labour or by dozers (JCBs).
The sides and bottom of ponds should be
properly finished and trimmed until a good
slope for drainage is made.
The pond bottom should usually have a
slope of 2-5%. 

The most important feature is to have the

pond bottom slope such that the pond can
be drained.
If the pond site has a natural slope, the
dyke or main wall should be constructed at
the low level side. 

When the pond walls are constructed, the

excavated soil can be placed on the top
and planted with grass.
This fertile top soil will root grass easily
and this will help keep the walls from
eroding.
The pond bottom must be cleared by
removing small rocks, roots, and stumps
 to prevent the nets from getting caught
and torn during harvesting. 

If grass is found in the pond bottom, it

need not be removed, because after filling
up the pond with water the grass will die
and add nutrients to the water.
When the stakes have been established for
construction of dykes, about 2' top soil
should be removed as it consists of large
amounts of roots and other organic
material.
The core trench is cut immediately after
the removal of the top soil. If the soil is
porous, the seepage problem may arise at
a later stage. It would be essential to
provide a clay core in order to prevent
seepage.
A soil which is a mixture of sand and clay
is best.
Pure clay soil will crack and leak.
If pure clay is to be used, it must be mixed
with other soil before it can be used. 
 

Turf, humus or peaty soils should not be

used.
All stones, wood pieces and other material
which may rot or weaken the wall must be
removed before building begins.

Construction of dyke

Construction of earthen dyke is always

economical.
Soil obtained from digging can be used to
prepare the earthen dyke. 
 Construction of dyke

The filling of earth should be done in layers

not exceeding 20 cm in height and
consolidate each layer by watering and
ramming.
The earth work for the dykes should be
thoroughly compacted so that even minor
seepage can be checked.
If the fish farmer is economically sound, he
can go for stone pitched dykes.
The dykes of a pond should be strong
enough to withstand weather action.
In big ponds erosion of dykes is a problem
which requires regular attention.
Brick or stone pitching may be provided to
arrest erosion of dykes.
Earthen dykes can be protected from
erosions with bamboo piling.
Holes should be closed immediately with
stiff clay mixed with lime and cementing
material and should be compacted
properly.
By using concrete blocks, stones or bricks
the earthen dykes will be protected more
permanently from crab or rat holes.
Side slopes of embankments depend upon
the nature of material used for
construction. The slopes should be flatter
than the angle.
Soil with a lot of clay in it can have a
greater slope on the outside wall than on
the inside wall.
A typical embankment is built with an
outside slope of 1:1 and an inside slope of
1:2.
A slope of 1:2 means that for every
increase in 2m width there is a change of 1
 m in height.
Once the embankment is constructed, it is
better to plant grass on it.
The grass roots help to hold the wall
together and prevent erosion of the soil. 

Drainage system

A drainage system is used to empty the

pond.
It consists of the outlet system for letting
water out of the pond and the drainage
ditches which carry the water away from
the pond. 

Drainage of the pond water

 
 Drainage of the pond water

The best and easiest way to have a good

drainage system is to build the pond in a
place which provides a good slope.
The drainage system must be built before
the pond embankment because some
drainage devices go through the walls.
One of the easiest ways to drain the pond
is to place a bamboo or plastic pipe
through the base of the wall into the
middle of the pond.
The end of the pipe, which is inside the
pond, should have a screen over it to keep
fish from entering the pipe. The other end
of the pipe is plugged with wood or clay.
To drain the pond during harvest time, the
plug is pulled out.
Other methods of draining the ponds are
the siphon and the pump. 
 

Drainage of the pond

Sluice
 The sluice can be a screened gate in a
water channel going into the pond or
drainage gate leading water out of the
pond.
The sluice can be made of wood, cement
and brick. It can be made up of one or two
wooden gates which are removed to empty
or fill the pond.
A sluice also has a screen gate to keep
unwanted fish from entering at the inlet
and pond fish from leaving at the outlet.     
             
Water inlet

All the ponds, except for those filled

directly by a spring or by rainwater, need
water inlets.
During the construction of inlets, filters
should be used in the channel so that the
unwanted fish or other materials do not
enter into the pond and the water is clean.
A water inlet can be as simple as a
bamboo pipe of good diameter running
from a water source through the wall into
the pond.
The inlet pipe should be placed above the
water level.
A wire screen makes a good filter.
The horizontal screen is very effective.
A nylon mesh bag makes a good filter and
can be fixed to the inlet pipe.
A sand and gravel filter is also used, but it
requires a small tank at the water inlet, it is
more effective and economical.
If the water is muddy, or has plenty of
leaves or grass in it, the wire screen is
better.
If the water source is free from organic
material, the mesh bag will work.
If the water contains unwanted fish and
more organic matter, sand and gravel
filters are best.
Sealing the pond bottom

Leaking Ponds

One of the most common farm pond

problems is heavy water loss through
leakage. The ability of the pond to retain
water depends largely on the characteristics
of the soil at the pond site. Most leaky pond
problems can and should be prevented by
cautious site selection. Before building a
pond, be sure to test the capacity of the soil
 to hold water. Soils with a high clay content
will minimize seepage since clay particles
tend to swell when wet and, thereby, provide
a good bottom seal.

If the soil has more clay in it, no special

sealing is needed.
If the bottom is sandy, it should be sealed
to hold the water.  To seal the bottom a
clay core lining is built over the pond
bottom.
Another method of sealing the pond
bottom is with cement blocks, but it is
expensive.
The most commonly used pond sealant is
bentonite clay. Bentonite is most effective
on sandy soils that contain insufficient
amounts of clay. For best results,
bentonite should be spread evenly over the
dry pond bottom at a rate of 50 lbs/100 ft
(20,000 lbs/acre) mixed with the existing
soil, moistened, and then compacted with
a roller.
Sealing with flexible plastic sheeting of
polyethylene, or plastic or vinyl, or butyl or
rubber sheet liner at least 2 mm thick is
another method of sealing.
The pond liners should be covered by at
least 6 inches of sand or fine soil.
Technique developed in the USSR, is called
gley or biological plastic. In this method,
the pond bottom is covered with animal
manure after cleaning the bottom. The
animal manure layer is then covered with
banana leaves, cut grasses or any
vegetable matter, and a layer of soil is put
on it. The layers are rammed down very
well and 2-3 weeks are allowed to elapse
before filling the pond.

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