Pond Boss
Posted By: KYponds Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/03/11 02:12 AM
Looking for suggestions here...We have done the week test by putting the pond water in the jar..Nothing at all settled..So they told us to add 100 ponds of ag lime..we bought the pelleted lime and done so..no change at all...Told us to add 100 more...nothing...so far we have added 400 lbs of the pelleted lime and 500 pounds of the ag lime from rock yard (fine) No change at all...Our pond size is roughly an acre and 14 feet deep...

Any suggestions...We do have maybe 30 fish in the pond somewhere smile as we cannot see them...but have not found any floating..

Thanks for your help!! This pond was dug last year...we have not had rain for a bit which doesnt seem to make any difference with it clearing

Sarah in KY
Check the thread alum kicks butt.....It worked wonders for me clearing my pond from 1/2" to over three feet in a matter of hours. Just be sure to check the ph of your water before and frequently during the application to avoid crashing your ph and avoiding a fish kill...
Posted By: esshup Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/03/11 03:21 AM
Sarah, welcome to the forum! It's a long read, but worth it. I'd use Alum and Hydrated Lime to clear the pond as they did in this thread. It's a long read, but worth it.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=124005#Post124005
Posted By: KYponds Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/03/11 03:52 AM
Thank you both! I was reading up on just this very thread...So is it okay to go ahead and add hydrated lime after I have used this ag lime? Or is there a certain amount of time i need to wait inbetween applications...
Posted By: esshup Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/03/11 04:40 AM
Ag lime and alum are 2 different things. I don't know if you need to add the hydrated lime if you are using ag lime, but then again I don't know if ag lime and hydrated lime will clear a pond. Alum and hydrated lime will...........

The correct amount of Aluminum Sulphate (Alum) will clear the pond, but it will most likely change the pH too much, resulting in a fish kill. You test the water pH as you add the alum and then add hydrated lime to keep the pH in balance. Ask Ozark how that works - he just recently cleared the water in his pond.

Only add the hydrated lime if the pH is out of range. You should be testing the pH as you work so you don't have too large of a pH swing, which will kill the fish.
The alum should clear the pond better than you can imagine but as esshup and others have stated be sure you have the hydrated lime and ph kit with you. Hind sight is 20/20. My error I believe was applying alum over the entire pond first which took roughly 4 hours. Then I went through and added the hydrated lime. BUT in the interim my ph had crashed enough to start killing the fish. The next time I will follow the directions laid out by rainman more closely... Do a batch of alum then a batch of hydrated lime and continue to alternate while monitoring the ph at the same time. But still it was worth the effort. I still have 24" visibility with a good algae bloom going. The plants I have planted have perked up and the fish that survived are very happy.
Posted By: KYponds Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/03/11 09:28 PM
I have looked everywhere today for the alum with no luck...But will try my local Southern States when they open Tuesday...Maybe I can order thru them being farm...I will say..I went to one place I have now some ammonia sulfate smile I didnt pay attention to what they loaded up but oh well..it was only three bags...Misunderstood me I guess..no biggie

So I am going to be applying the alum by spraying it over all the surface of water then broadcast the Hydrated lime? Is this correct...How much water would u recommend adding in with about 200 pounds of alum? Thats what I am going to start out with at first...with 100 pounds of Hydrated lime on hand..I see most recommend doing the lime 40-50% of the alum u use..

Am I on the right track here? I am new to the pond stuff so bare with me !

Thank you all for your help!!

Sarah in KY
Others on here are more the experts than I am but it sounds a little on the light side for a 1 acre pond. I do know if you do not use enough you will not get the desired results. In rainmans post he suggest a 5:1 to 10:1 ratio of water to alum. You are correct in spraying the alum and then broadcasting the H.L. The easiest way for me was to take a fifty gal barrel and I rented a 2" trash pump. I filled the barrel withe pond water then added about ten pounds of alum and switched the hoses and pumped the mixture from the barrel to the pond spraying it across the surface. Again in hind sight A 1" pump might have been better for the job. Read rainmans post again and he states how to figure an acre foot and how much alum to use per acre foot.
Posted By: Rainman Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/04/11 05:35 AM
I have said this many times, but I'm sure I will say it more times...lol

Using Alum to PARTIALLY clear apond is a guaranteed waste of money. Use neough to clear the water completely or fish will re-suspend the colloidal cal that was originally flocculated.

Ag lime and Hydrated lime are NOT the same...Ag lime is slow to dissolve and it takes years for it to be consumed by reacting with acids in water (mainly carbonic acid) Hydrated lime will clear a pond..and kill every living thing in it if misused!

Ozark is correct, for hand mixing the Alum slurry, a 10:1 ratio (55 gallons water to 50 pounds Alum) works best to break down the aluminum sulfate to particulate sizes. Very turbulent mechanical mixing with a trash or sump pump can cut the water needed in half.

Sarah, I can supply you with the Alum, Hydrated lime, advice, do the complete clearing application, or any combination...feel free to give me a call anytime.
Posted By: ewest Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/04/11 04:43 PM
Suggest you read this prior to doing anything so you will understand what is occurring in the pond.

https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/108/
Posted By: KYponds Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/08/11 05:06 PM
Will let you all know how it goes...hoping to start this afternoon when my ph seems to be at its highest point....I will try to post pics as well....

U guys have been great!!!!! One question though...I do have livestock that can get to this part and my dogs...will this be okay while I am spraying...

Sarah in KY
Posted By: KYponds Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/12/11 08:32 PM
Pond looks great!! Thanks everyone for your help..I can finally see my fish that I do have in there!! We could only get 400 pounds of Alum as they were out and went ahead and used it...That done it for us with 8 acre feet of pond...We did end up using a touch more Hydrated lime than we thought as our PH dropped really low...but everything is perfect now...I can see several feet into the pond now and no more muddy water!!! I wish I could post pics cause its so nice now!...

Thanks again everyone....
Sarah in KY
Posted By: esshup Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/13/11 12:35 PM
Thanks for the update Sarah. I'm glad that it worked out for you.
Posted By: KYponds Re: Added Ag Lime still have muddy water - 07/13/11 08:07 PM
Now to decide which fish to start out with wink
© Pond Boss Forum