AQUACULTURE: SYSTEM AND

DESIGN
FISH POND CONSTRUCTION
VAA3023 AQUACULTURE
TS.DR. ZALINA ISMAIL
JSP, FTV, UPSI
Introduction

◦ A large part of the world's fish culture production relies on the use of
freshwater ponds which hold and exchange water, receive fertilizer or feed,
and allow for holding, rearing and harvesting of fish.

◦ The proper preparation and construction of such ponds and their associated
structures are essential for successful fish farming.

◦ Good ponds should be inexpensive to construct, easy to maintain and

efficient in allowing good water and fish management.
Features of a fish pond

◦ Main features and structures associated with them in general: 

- pond walls or dikes, which hold in the water;
- pipes or channels, which carry water into or away from the ponds;
- water controls, which control the level of water, the flow of water through the
pond, or both;
- tracks and roadways along the pond wall, for access to the pond;
- harvesting facilities and other equipment for the management of water and
fish.
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.
According to the water source:
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.
◦ Rain-fed ponds are
supplied from rainfall and
surface runoff. No water is
supplied during the dry
season.
According to the water source:
waterbody
◦ 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
(kolam tambak)), 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.
According to the water source:
pump-fed pond
◦ 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:
Undrainable ponds
◦ 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:
(a)They may be dug in swampy areas
where there is no source of water other
than groundwater.
(b) They may result from the extraction
of soil materials such as gravel, sand or
clay.  
According to the means of drainage:
Drainable ponds

◦ 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.
According to the means of drainage:
Pump-drained ponds
◦ 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:
Earthen ponds

◦ Earthen ponds are entirely constructed from soil materials.

According to the construction materials:
Walled ponds
◦ Walled ponds are usually surrounded by blocks, brick or concrete walls.
Sometimes wooden planking or corrugated metal is used.
According to the construction materials:
Lined ponds
◦ Lined ponds are earthen ponds lined with an impervious material such as a
plastic or rubber sheet.
According to the construction method:
Dug-out ponds
◦ 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.
According to the construction method:
Embankment ponds
◦ 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.
According to the construction method:
Cut-and-fill ponds
◦  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

◦ There may be different types of pond on a fish farm, each used for a specific
purpose: 
(a) spawning ponds for the production of eggs and small fry;
(b) nursery ponds for the production of larger juveniles;
(c) brood ponds for broodstock rearing;
(d) storage ponds for holding fish temporarily, often prior to marketing;
(e) fattening ponds, for the production of food fish;
(f) integrated ponds which have crops, animals or other fish ponds around
them to supply waste materials to the pond as feed or fertilizer;
(g) wintering ponds for holding fish during the cold season.
The physical characteristics of fish ponds

◦ Fish ponds are characterized by their size, shape and water depth.

(1) Size of fish ponds 
The size of a fish pond is measured by its water surface area when the
pond is full of water.
◦ The individual size of ponds can be decided upon by the farmer, considering
the following factors:
◦ (a) Use: a spawning pond is smaller than a nursery pond, which is in turn
smaller than a fattening pond. 
(b) Quantity: of fish to be produced: a subsistence pond is smaller than a
small-scale commercial pond, which is in turn smaller than a large-scale
commercial pond. 
(c) Level of management: an intensive pond is smaller than a semi-intensive
pond, which is in turn smaller than an extensive pond. 
(d) Availability of resources: there is no point in making large ponds if there
are not enough resources such as water, seed fish, fertilizers and/or feed to
supply them. 
(e) Size of the harvests and local market demand: large ponds, even if only
partially harvested, may supply too much fish for local market demands.  
(2) Shape of fish ponds
Generally, ponds are designed with
a regular shape, either square or
rectangular. There are some cases
where it may be simpler and cheaper
to match the shape of the pond with
the existing topography.
(3) Water depth in fish ponds
Except in some barrage ponds built on streams with steep longitudinal
(downhill) profiles, fish ponds are generally shallow. Their maximum water
depth does not normally exceed 1.50 m. Their shallowest area should be at
least 0.50 m deep to limit the growth of aquatic plants. The water depth in
small rural ponds normally varies from 0.50 m (shallow area) to 1 m at the most
(deep area).
◦ Sometimes it is necessary, however, to use deeper ponds: 
◦ in dry regions where you need to store water through the dry season to make
sure there is enough for the fish;
◦ in cold regions where it may be necessary to provide the fish with a refuge in
deeper, warmer waters during cold weather.
Layout of ponds
(a) In series: ponds depend on each
other for their water supply, the water
running from the upper ponds to the
lower ponds.

(b) In parallel: ponds are independent

from each other, each pond being
supplied directly from the feeder canal.
Water has not been used after passing
through another pond. This layout is to be
preferred.
Characteristics of pond Dikes
 
◦ Any pond dike should have three basic
qualities:
◦ (a) It should be able to resist the water
pressure resulting from the pond water depth. 
◦ (b) It should be impervious, the water
seepage through the dike being kept to a
minimum. 
◦ (c) It should be high enough to keep the pond
water from ever running over its top, which
would rapidly destroy the dike.
(a) Resisting water pressure

◦ Water pressure can be readily resisted

by: 
◦ anchoring your dike strongly to its
foundations (the soil on which you
build it);
◦ constructing your dike large enough
to resist the water pressure by virtue of
its weight.
◦ An intermediate dike separating two
ponds may not need to be as strong
as a perimeter dike, so long as the
water pressure is more or less the same
on both sides.
◦ If one pond needs to be drained while
the adjacent one remains filled
however, water pressures will be similar
to those in perimeter dikes, and the
dike should be stronger.
(b) Ensuring impermeability (ketahanan)

◦ Impermeability of the dike can be ensured by: 

◦ using good soil that contains enough clay 
◦ building a central clayey core when using pervious soil material;
◦ ensuring that the thickness of your dike is appropriate.
(c) Choosing the right height

◦ To calculate the height of the dike to be built, take into account: 

1. the depth of the water you want in the pond;

2. the freeboard, which is the upper part of a dike and should never be under
water. It varies from 0.25 m for very small diversion ponds to 1 m for barrage
ponds without a diversion canal;

3. the dike height that will be lost during settlement, taking into account the
compression of the subsoil by the dike weight and the settling of fresh soil
material. This is the settlement allowance which usually varies from 5 to 20
percent of the construction height of the dike.
Factors to be considered in calculating dike heights
Two types of dike height

◦ the design height DH, which is the height the dike should have after settling
down to safely provide the necessary water depth in the pond. It is obtained
by adding the water depth and the freeboard;

◦ the construction height CH, which is the height the dike should have when
newly built and before any settlement takes place. It is equal to the design
height plus the settlement height.
 ◦ You can determine the construction height (CH in m) simply from the design height
(DH in m) and the settlement allowance (SA in percent) as follows:

CH = DH ÷ [(100 - SA) ÷ 100]

Example Design height and construction height

If the maximum water depth in a diversion pond of
medium size is 1 m and the freeboard* 0.3 m, the design
height of the dike will be DH = 1 m + 0.30 m = 1.30 m. If
the settlement allowance is estimated to be 15 percent,
the required construction height will be CH = 1.30 m ÷
[(100 - 15)  ÷ 100] = 1.30 m ÷ 0.85 = 1.53 m.

WD =Water depth
Calculating construction height (diversion pond) FB = Freeboard
DH =Design height
SH = Settlement height
CH = Construction height
Determining dike thickness

◦ A dike rests on its base. It should taper upward to the dike top, also called
the crest or crown. The thickness of the dike thus depends on:
(a) the width of the crest;
(b) the slope of its two sides.
◦ Determine the width of the crest according to the water
depth and the role the dike will play for transit and/or
transport.  

(a) It should be at least equal to the water depth, but not less
than 0.60 m in clayey soil or 1 m in somewhat sandy soil. 

(b) It should be even wider as the amount of sand in the soil

increases.

(c) It should be safe for the transport you plan to use over it: 
◦ at least 3 m for motor vehicles;
◦ for larger vehicles at least the wheel base plus 0.50 m on
each side.
◦ Not all the dikes of your fish farm are to be used by vehicles. But additional
dike width may be required at turning points, based on the diameter of the
turning circle of the vehicle used:
Pond-bottom drains

◦ Pond-bottom drains are ditches that are dug on the bottom of the pond to
help the water flow out and to direct the fish toward the pond outlet when
harvesting. 

◦ You do not always need bottom drains for your pond, for example in small
ponds with a sloping bottom. However, it is better to build bottom drains: 
- when the bottom slope is insufficient;
- in large ponds more than 75 m long;
- in barrage ponds with an uneven bottom relief
Designing the network of drains

◦ Bottom topography is fairly even, it is better to build

a regular network of drains.
- either radiating from the outlet if the pond shape is
squarish;

- or in a fish-bone pattern if the pond is more

elongated.
◦ Bottom topography is very uneven, it becomes necessary to build an irregular
network of drains, connecting the various depressions and ensuring their
complete drainage for harvesting.

Draining depressions in a barrage pond

◦ Paddy ponds, if soil is cut around the inside edge of the pond to form dikes,
the trenches created should be linked in with the outlet drain.
◦ Bottom drains are usually designed as trapezoidal
canals with the following characteristics.
-bottom width 0.3 to 0.6 m
-side slopes 1.5:1
-depth 0.3 to 0.5 m
-bottom slope 0.2 percent