Detailed Explanation of Fish Pond Design Requirements and Design Drawing Reference
Generally, when designing an ideal pond, the requirements are a relatively large area, relatively deep water, sufficient sunlight, an unobstructed water source, fertile water quality, and convenient transportation, so as to facilitate the growth of fish and increase production, as well as benefit production management. Now let us take a look at fish pond design requirements and design drawings!
Key Points of Fish Pond Design
A fish pond is the main structure of a fish farm and can be divided into fry ponds, grow-out fish ponds, broodstock ponds, and overwintering ponds. Fish pond design should include shape, area, depth, and pond bottom.
1. Shape: generally rectangular, oriented east-west, neatly arranged, similar in size, with a length-to-width ratio of 2:1. This kind of fish pond provides less shade and a longer period of sunlight on the water surface, which is beneficial to photosynthesis and reproduction of plankton in the pond, and also facilitates seine netting operations. To make full use of the land and the corner areas around the perimeter, some corner ponds can also be arranged according to the terrain.
2. Area and depth: generally, the area of each intensively cultured high-yield grow-out fish pond is about 10 mu, and the water retention depth is preferably 2.5 to 3 m. Different types of fish ponds have different areas and water depths according to their different functions. Generally speaking, the vertical depth of a fish pond should be 30 to 50 cm higher than the highest water level of the pond.
3. Pond bottom: the bottom of the fish pond should be flat, and there should be a longitudinal slope from the water inlet to the water outlet end, with a gradient of 1/200 to 1/300. Along the longitudinal slope of the pond bottom, a ditch should be dug, called a "fish slip" or "fish ditch" in some places, about 20 to 30 cm deep. This ditch has two functions: first, it facilitates drainage and catching bottom-dwelling fish; second, when the pond is drained, it gives fish or fingerlings that have not been fully caught a place to stay, thereby reducing injury or death.
Fish Pond Standard Reference
| Fish Pond Type | Area | Water Retention Depth | Length-to-Width Ratio | Remarks |
| Fry Pond | 1.5 mu to 2.0 mu | 1.5 m to 2.0 m | 2:1 to 3:1 | Also used as fingerling pond |
| Fingerling Pond | 2.0 mu to 5.0 mu | 2.0 m to 2.5 m | 2:1 to 3:1 | Also used as fingerling pond |
| Grow-out Fish Pond | 7.0 mu to 15.0 mu | 2.5 m to 3.0 m | 2:1 to 4:1 | A wide ridge can be left |
| Broodstock Pond | 3.0 mu to 4.0 mu | 2.3 m to 3.0 m | 2:1 to 3:1 | Should be close to the spawning pond |
| Overwintering Pond | 5.0 mu to 10.0 mu | About 3 m | 2:1 to 3:1 | Close to water source |
Design Requirements for Embankments
Embankments are divided into three aspects: embankment surface, embankment height, and slope. The design should be determined according to the drawing conditions and production requirements.
1. Embankment surface: the width of the embankment surface varies from place to place. The embankment surface width of large fish ponds takes into account six aspects: vehicle passage, planting, burying utility poles, digging channels, building water distribution wells, and pond clearing and silt removal. Generally, the main embankment surface is 10 to 20 m wide. The secondary embankment surface is generally about 8 m.
2. Embankment height: embankment height is the vertical height from the embankment surface to the bottom of the fish pond. Its embankment height is not the same. Generally, the embankment height should be about 50 cm higher than the highest water level of the fish pond.
3. Slope ratio: the so-called slope ratio is the ratio of embankment height to slope base. The size of the slope ratio should be determined according to different fish ponds, different soil conditions, and other circumstances. Where the soil is good, the slope ratio of shallow-water small ponds is generally 1:1.5 to 2. For deep-water large ponds or poor soil, the slope ratio can be increased to 1:3. A larger slope ratio facilitates construction, production operations, and management, is less prone to collapse, and also allows green feed to be planted on the slope surface.
Inlet and Drainage System
The inlet and drainage system consists of the water source, water inlet, various channels, sluice gates, collection pools, water distribution outlets, drainage ditches, and other parts. The inlet and drainage channels should be unobstructed, and the water inlet and drainage of the fish pond should be set at diagonally opposite positions.