Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Best aquatic plant for south west missouri

I'm new to this site and pond management. I recently purchased a 1 acer pond, its muddy and loaded with koi. If I do away with the koi and plant some veggitation it should clean it up yes?

Maybe. Did you do a jar test to see if the muddy water will clear on it's own if not disturbed by fish? Are the banks around the pond covered with plants or are they bare dirt?

I have Koi in My pond, they can change the water quality. If yours is loaded with them , thinning them out some might help a little. I do like having them in the pond it is a novelty for me.

I started the jar test yesterday. How long before I know for sure? The bank is grassy with a few willows and cedar tree

You should see noticably clear water in the jar after 24 hrs and even more clarity after 48 and 36 hrs.

I did the jar test and from what I can tell there is a collection of sediments in the bottom of the jar. The water is still dirty but not as bad. What does this mean and is there any thing I can do or add to help my on the clarity?

Without the Koi in the pond, the pond will clear to the level of clarity that you see in the jar.

Try adding some aluminum sulphate to the jar of water.

Were would a person find aluminum sulphate? Also I have been told some plants help with clarity is this true and if so what kinds?

Most submerged aquatic vegetation will tend to have a clearing affect on the water. It does mainly two things: 1. it competes for nutrients with the phytoplankton and tends to 'starve' them and reducing their numbers. Some macrophyte species secrete a chemical inhibitor to suppress phytoplankton growth. 2. Suspended solids tend to collect on the leaves of the macrophytes similar to carbonates collecting on the 'leaves' of Chara. There is probably some sort of chemical reaction causing this to happen.