Thanks so much for the replies....and the photographs are amazing. Wow. Babe is beautiful
![smitten o(:-)](https://www.worldwidewatergardeners.org/forum/Smileys/smilies_smf/smitten.gif)
They are breathtaking...so HUGE! My koi babies are all of six inches long
![Wink ;)](https://www.worldwidewatergardeners.org/forum/Smileys/smilies_smf/wink.gif)
Our family already has two large earth ponds. One is stocked with bass and bluegills, the other is a crawfish pond. Our soil is heavy, heavy black gumbo and the pH is ok. Both fish and crawfish thrive.
I am going to check out the Mother Earth News article. Do you use any external, supplementary aeration? My father designed some wind powered turbines that aerate, but they tend to get choked by aquatic plants and aren't as efficient as he would like. I think it would fairly break my heart to have an algal bloom or pond turnover and associated fish kill. (It happened a few years back in the bass pond.) And, my husband raised a legitimate concern though...how on earth will I keep the alligators out of it? We had a nine footer in the bass pond one time. I used to swim in there, but it kind of cured me of that, you know what I mean?
Still, I am really interested in the idea. The feedback is greatly appreciated!