When best to apply pond dye.

I had my pond pretty dark blue to help with the FA this summer and it seemed to help a lot. Now it has been diluted with the rain and I can see bottom a good ways out. I like the idea of clearer water to let the HSB and SMB easier see and work on BG from the late summer hatch. Does the FA grow on bottom over the winter or would it be better to wait and add the dye right before the water warms in the spring?

Different algae grows at different water temperatures. I would wait until the Spring to add more dye. The more sunlight penetration into the water during the winter will allow more phytoplankton to produce O2.

I think I know the answer but I don't want to steer you wrong so I'll let someone with experience answer.

I do have a question for you. I've considered pond dye in the past but I was concerned what the effects of reducing sunlight would be on the plankton and desirable vegetation, i.e. the base of the food chain. Have you noticed an impact from the dye that resulted in a reduction in survival of your new spawn BG, YP etc?

Edit

Looks like Esshup beat me to the pumch. I knew a pro would chime in with the right answer!

Thanks guys. Bill, I haven't seen any difference I can notice. I had little to no YP recruitment even before I used the dye but BG did fine. What little ice we had is gone now and I still have a lot of fish feeding but I cut back on the feed about half. HSB and YP are feeding well but I've seen no small ones from this year and some HBG are feeding too. I'm throwing AM400 and 600

Esshup is the pro but here's our experience. Our place is hyper-eutrophic and we do get algae growth under the ice, which we actually like for O2 production. We add dye right at ice out or just before in the spring time so we don't get those big floating mats. It also allows emergent and submerged plants a chance to establish after the water warms and they compete for the same nutrients as FA.

I also add dye in the winter.

I've only used pond dye for one year, but my experience with FA is you need to get it under controll early. So that means early before the water warms much.

starts last post 2nd page my pond dye experience with most on the 3rd page.

Pond dye starts to dissipate by 4 methods as soon as dye is added to the pond: 1. evaporation with the water, 2. chemical decomposition of the organic dye molecules, 3. sunlight fading, 4 dilution. Rarely can your eyes detect this slow color degradation until a lot of color has dissipated. What this means is, when using dye one should periodically (monthly) renew or refresh with a small supplemental dose to bring the color intensity back up to the original color intensity. In a 1/3 ac pond I usually suggest 1 cup per month of dye that comes in 1 gal (3 cups/ac) jugs. Use a 4 oz supplement in 1/3 ac if you buy super concentrated dye in the 1 quart bottle.

Originally Posted By: snrub

I've only used pond dye for one year, but my experience with FA is you need to get it under controll early. So that means early before the water warms much.

starts last post 2nd page my pond dye experience with most on the 3rd page.

Snrub,

Thanks for sharing your experiences with FA and pond dye.

The following quote hits home with me. Maybe FA fills the habitat void while waiting for the macrophytes to get established?

Originally Posted By: snrub

I also noticed that the floating mats around the edge are a favorite place for frogs to sit. I have a good population of frogs and tadpoles, even though more recently rains have sent the FA mats to the bottom and are pretty much unseen. I think it helps keep the predators (LMB) at bay, giving the frogs much more cover in the mats than they would otherwise have to lay eggs and cover for the tadpoles.

I have a theory. It is not a very good theory because I pretty much don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to ponds. But everybody has opinions, even when they don't know what they are talking about. So here goes.

I believe FA is the organism that takes advantage of plentiful nutrients in a BOW until the time that root based aquatic weeds take over that job. In the absence of said aquatic weeds, the FA provides a valuable function of providing YOY fry, aquatic insects and other "critters" valuable cover, thereby enhancing the long term success of the fishery.

FA can be a good thing. There, I said it. The way it makes a pond look sucks, but as far as the under water portion of pond health goes, it provides a valuable service.

I just came out of the FA "closet". I kind of like a certain amount of the stuff (but not too much

)

I still worry that pond dye could suppress the food chain, but I'm not sure. I think I will continue to limp along with mechanical removal and prevention of nutrients entering the pond efforts until those dang macrophytes "get er done!" Problem I have is the spawning beds for the BG, PS, etc. I don't think I want FA or other vegetation in those areas. Maybe forced to selectively use an algaecide and/or herbicide in those areas?

When I built the main pond a spawning area was made in the SE corner. It ranged from about a foot deep with a mild slope out to about 4-5 feet. About half was covered with various size crushed limestone.

As far as I could tell, the fish never used the area for spawning the first year, but it did grow great FA.

But the second year it was covered with BG beds (I got some underwater video's with a go-pro of males on nests). The larger BG got in early and made the beds before the FA got established I assume. They kept most of the FA at bay till the first main spawn was over.

Third year I dug out the shallowest area near the bank (what I could reach with a TLB backhoe) to get rid of some of the worst FA producing area and the BG used the rest of the area left for spawning.

There is a whole lot more I don't know about FA and BG nesting than I do know.

Originally Posted By: sprkplug

I also add dye in the winter.

Tony what are your reasons for using dye in the winter? I have pondered added a dark dye this winter to keep the water warmer and help prevent ice over.

The same as summer, that being algae control. I get some crazy thick stuff that loves cold, ultra clear winter water. The dye helps us a lot.

Originally Posted By: sprkplug

The same as summer, that being algae control. I get some crazy thick stuff that loves cold, ultra clear winter water. The dye helps us a lot.

We deal with the same conditions in our club pond. We've been using it for the past three winters and it has helped reduce the cold water algae growth considerably. We add it just prior to ice up, which usually lasts us until we get a bloom in the early summer. It has in turn cut down our use of copper products in the spring considerably by doing so.