rejuvenating pond in S.W. Florida

Question
I live in S.W. Florida.  Have a 100'x 30' pit my dad dug in the 80's and I'm starting to develop a pond from it.  My first project is to develop a waterfall for aeration.   1) how can I prevent all the grass from growing around the wall edges when we are in drought season? 2)can I add crushed shell to help keep the water cleaner? bot is soft mush now. 3)what plants will survive the various water levels?  what fish are good for the heat.  thanksMaureen


Answer
I don't know that you could prevent grass from growing on the edges as the water recedes aside from using poisons or adding more water.  I suggest planting those areas with drought-tolerant marginal plants like spike rush and other rushes and the smaller kinds of cattails and grasses.  They at least are more beneficial for a pond system.  Is the bottom clay dirt or something else? If it's not clay, it may not hold water well.  My page on farm ponds at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/farm.htm has some links to products and companies that deal with larger ponds including sealing them.  Crushed oyster shell (I assume you mean) will raise the pH and hardness of the pond water a little bit which may be ok if the water is soft to begin with.  I don't know that it would help keep water in though.  There are tons of plants that could survive in the pond.  I wouldn't know where to start.  I have an index to lists of pond plants at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/plants/hardy.htm
Since you're in Florida, you could opt for native fish (various sunfish, killifish, flag fish, etc.) or try tropical fish as long as they couldn't escape into the wild and become invasive.  For that reason, some species may not be legal for you to have.  I'm not sure which.  The cooler water fish may not like your warm pond but most other fish will.  Good luck!

Robyn