A fish farm delivered some fish to me last week and informed me that I needed to add lime to my pond. I have some filamentous algae rising to the top and I'm in a heavy red clay soil. He told me I could just pout 50 pound bags of ag lime into the pond at a rate of 50 pounds per acre. I have about 10 acres to treat, so I'm looking at 500 pounds.

The local co-op has crushed lime at 4.25/50 pounds, pelletized at 6.00/50 and bulk at 25/ton. I could get the bulk lime in a trailer and use my front end loader to dump the lime in the pond.

Question: Are there any problems using bulk lime instead of pelletized lime for this application?

Thanks.

Negatory. The bulk will spread and work zactly the same as the other. It'll likely be more difficult to handle, but if you can do it, you can do it

Thanks for the response. The guy said not to use the hydrated lime because it could kill the fish if used wrong. I just wanted to make sure the bulk wasn't going to cause any issues like the hydrated might.

Another question: Is there a chart somewhere that gives an idea on the amount of lime to raise PH by x? For instance, if my PH reads 6.5 in the 10 acre lake and I want to raise to 8.0, the chart would give me an idea of pounds of lime needed....

Probably more variables involved, but it's worth the question.

AG Lime (Calcium Carbonate) really can't be over applied and SLOWLY maxes out at a Ph of 8.4...Ag lime is nothing more than crushed limestone and dissolves slowly as acids react with it. Ag Lime can provide benefits for several years....A soil test will let you know the "tons per acre" needed to raise Ph in your soils.

Hydrated Lime (Calcium Hydroxide) almost instantly raises Ph over 12 depending on the concentration and is short lived in water.

most Farm Co-Ops have bulk ag lime and deliver it with spreader trucks...usually runs around $15/ton delivered and spread...just tell the driver to get as close to the water as possible and letter rip.

Awesome! Thanks so much for the information. That really helps me.

I think I'll add a ton of lime to the 10 acres. I'll test PH before adding and then test PH again in 90 days.

What's the ideal PH for a pond?
What will be the benefit of raising it in TwoLakes' pond?

A balanced Ph helps control the filamentous algae that's floating up now. Also makes the fish happier and hopefully helps with plankton blooms.

I'm sure there are other advantages I don't know about.

See this. Best ph/alkalinity is the same as fish blood 7.4.

https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/112/

You want ag lime as per Rex's post.

So in this case it has nothing to do with water clarity or lack thereof.

Following this thread has intrigued me. I tested my pond water with a nice pool test kit over lunch today. Nice Sunny day 72F feels like 76F. Here's what I got:

Hardness - 0
PH - 6.6
Alkalinity - 40
From the link ewest provided I determined a 21.24 mg/l CO2

I have 2500lbs of ground gypsum coming to help clear my muddy water due to suspension in the water. Will I need to go get a couple bags of Ag Lime as well?

Read this link first. Water chemistry involves clarity , turbidity and the effects on the living things in the water.

Many of the principles of chemistry
are abstract (e.g., carbonate-bicarbonate
buffering) and difficult
to grasp. However, a fundamental
understanding of the concepts and
chemistry underlying the interactions
of pH, CO2, alkalinity and
hardness is necessary for effective
and profitable pond management.
There is no way to avoid it; water
quality is water chemistry.


https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/108/

Alum
makes water more acidic. In
ponds with low alkalinity (less
than 20 mg/L as CaCO3) it can
reduce water pH to levels that
may affect fish growth and survival.
In low alkalinity ponds, add
1/2 part hydrated lime for every
part of alum applied in order to
maintain proper pH.

In hard-water ponds (calcium
hardness greater than 50 mg/L),
the water is nearly saturated with
calcium and gypsum may be ineffective.
In that situation, alum will
be the only effective coagulant.

All the coagulants mentioned can
remove phosphorus from water.
As phosphorus is an essential
plant nutrient, it may be necessary
to fertilize the pond after treating
it for turbidity. On occasion, phytoplankton
and clay can mutually
coagulate, so fertilizing to start a
phytoplankton bloom may also
clear water of suspended clay particles.