Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,902
Posts557,128
Members18,452
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,422
ewest 21,475
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,112
Who's Online Now
16 members (jpsdad, rjackson, esshup, Boondoggle, jbird5986, Sunil, Rick O, Angler8689, anthropic, Justin W, Bing, bstone261, DenaTroyer, Theo Gallus, Shorthose, Freg), 959 guests, and 191 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 135
A
Lunker
OP Offline
Lunker
A
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 135
My small pond - .2 acre - has become almost opaque - a brown color like coffee colored. It used to be much more clear and I wonder the best way to clear it some. I would like to try some fish or other natural methods.

Would triploid grass carp eat a lot of what I believe to be zoo and phytoplankton? Other fish species? I would even be willing to try tilapia but would not know where to get them in Ohio. There are already BG, YP and 4 LMB in there. Cattails and other vegetation along the edge only - no further out than 2'.

Lots of dead leaves on the bottom as one side has many large oak, maple and other trees overhanging it.

I realize an aerator would help decompose the leaves in the bottom and of course increase DO. Would it be likely to help or hurt water clarity.

I do not have a seschi disk but I would bet it would not be seen at 18 to 36".


2/3 acre pond 12 miles from that big pond we call Lake Erie.
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
E
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Hall of Fame 2014
Lunker
E
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475
Likes: 264
Check to see if you need lime to offset the acid from oaks and leaves and dirt. It also helps the water's buffering ability. Be sure you need it first. Here is a link to clearing ponds.

Guide to Understanding Water Quality -- see part on turbidity very good

http://aquanic.org/publicat/state/il-in/as-503.htm

Water quality fact sheets

http://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm?catid=25

SRAC 460 Control of Clay Turbidity in Ponds
















Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 969
T
Lunker
Offline
Lunker
T
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 969
AaTW> Grass carp in your size pond would probably make visability worse 18-36 inches is not bad considering the heat you have had and the likelyhood of a minor bloom.Recent rains (4 inches in NW Ohio) have clouded visibility also. ewest gives you some good advice on the checking of the PH level as we often find 5.5 - 6.5 ph levels in Ohio ponds with lots of undecomposed leaves, If the case consider adjusting to 8. You may also find poor water quality and very low DO with all of the organic you have.

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 478
B
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
Offline
Moderator
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Lunker
B
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,112
Likes: 478
I think in another post Asleep mentioned that muskrats are present and probably eating water primrose. Tannin leachate from decomposing leaves are causing the brownish tint (stain) to the water and the muskrats are causing the cloudiness - turbidity of suspended solids in the water. Muskrats are great for creating murky, low visibility water.

Get rid of the muskrats and the water will gradually return to a clearish brown tinted water.


aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management

Link Copied to Clipboard
Today's Birthdays
cro, HC1968
Recent Posts
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/29/24 08:24 AM
pond experience needed
by esshup - 03/29/24 08:19 AM
Can anyone ID these minnows?
by Sunil - 03/29/24 07:31 AM
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by RogersTailgate - 03/29/24 05:45 AM
New pond middle TN: establishing food chain?
by Bill Cody - 03/28/24 07:57 PM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by FireIsHot - 03/28/24 07:33 PM
Working on a .5acre disaster, I mean pond.
by PRCS - 03/28/24 06:39 PM
Fungus infection on fish
by nvcdl - 03/28/24 06:07 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/28/24 04:48 PM
Yellow Perch Spawn 2024
by H20fwler - 03/28/24 04:29 PM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by LANGSTER - 03/28/24 03:49 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5