Hi!
We have a 1/4 acre pond-- approximately 10' at deepest location and averaging about 6' in depth overall-- that was dug a year or two before we bought our home in 1987. While I have had many thoughts about doing more than just observing, enjoying the pond and occasionally wetting a line to maintain fish balance, I never did much from a maintenance perspective. In an amateur fashion I added aquatic plants in the form of common pond weed and water lilies. I guess I thought I was creating a more natural environment and cover for the BG. The pond has just BG and LMB currently. This year has been a year of change for the pond, along with change for me due to my retirement. Without all the details, I had a muskrat invasion that did serious damage to the aquatic plants. I think I unknowingly did-in the muskrats when I put air to the pond water 24/7 to cope with the dead plant matter that turned into a big algae (FA) mess. I noted a very foul odor the first few days. My guess is a release of hydrogen sulfide and methane from the pond bottom by the sudden introduction of air to the pond. I now realize I was probably lucky I didn't kill the fish by putting so much air into the pond water so quickly. Three muskrats weren't as fortunate. I surmise that hydrogen sulfide may have blanketed the pond surface which is of course right where the critters inhabit. Little to no wind present. Within a week three muskrats were either floating or dead near the bank. Anyway, I've been doing searches and reading information on this board on how to better maintain the pond and reduce the muck build-up. I'm almost overwhelmed by the volume of information. Search is my friend! I did subscribe to the magazine and hope to get some questions answered in separate threads once I've done further searching and reading. Wonderful message board! The pond now has an 80 LPM air pump connected to two diffusers in a depth of about 6'. It's a start. Next is beneficial bacteria. Then... well, you get the picture. I look forward to being an active member here. Thanks all!! -Jim