I have an old farm pond that I have gradually been working on since Feb, added aerator, fenced pond off from cattle, added lime, and other water treatments. Water quality has improved greatly and we have the test to prove it, not just my noise. I'd love to get some fish and throw in it, per the water test I think I'd be fine. My question is, why is my turbidity so high?? And what if anything can I do about it? The water is very very cloudy and it does not seem to be settling out at all. Would this hurt fish and what the heck can I do...

Thanks

Start in this sub forum.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=16&page=1
Quite a few success stories.

I had luck with adding ag lime and a yearly gypsum slurry.
Plus plants and predators to keep the crawfish and tadpoles to a managed level.

It still gets turbid in the winter but clears up nicely in summer.

Start with a jar test. Fill two mason jars with pond water and put one in a closed cupboard. Let them sit undisturbed for a day. Then take some photos with a white background and post them here if you can.

You are checking to see if your turbidity is due to algae (dark jar will clear) or suspended clay.

If both jars clear and the clay settles, then it's likely that mechanical agitation is the source of your turbidity. This could be from run-off, fish, or other animal activity. If neither jar clears, then you might have a colloidal clay suspension that is amenable to further (wildlife-friendly) treatment.

Bocomo nailed it. I like to use a third jar as control...fill it on the day you're testing the dark and light jars to compare with existing water turbidity.

this comes up enough that maybe Bill Cody can assemble a thread with directions on how to do this (or start a new thread) and how to INTERPRET the various results and put it in a sticky or in an easy to find archive.

We can call it the Triple Jar Test. It would be helpful to build a chart to look up results time on one axis, combinations of clear or cloudy in the jar tests in the other axis (jar 1 clear, Jar 2 and 3 cloudy, Jar 1 and Jar 3 cloudy jar 2 clear, Jar 1 and 2 cloudy, 3 clear, etc) and how to interpret or how to fix that scenario in the boxes below the axis.

I'm ready to do a jar test and it would be helpful to have a table to look up results and plan of action. I suspect I have a little bit of brownish hue from bloom as this time of year I usually have some brown hue and floating streaks of algae as lawn fert runoff and warmer pond temps do that. But I think my crayfish/goldfish, or maybe even GSH are stirring up some sediment too and would love to see how much that settles in a jar test.

Goldfish and crayfish can be origin of turbidity...I'm managing 4 ponds currently with dense Northern Crayfish populations which have reduced visibility down to 1-2" in one extreme case - others are around 12". These have all historically been 24-36" visibility ponds - something is definitely going on. All vegetation has been denuded, I fear we're getting set up for a kill event.

In my experience, SMB do not manage Northern Crayfish populations - their top end I believe exceeds SMB gape to prey upon, so adults are safe to continue reproducing. My largest N crays can top 5-6" with claws that are 1.5"+ long. We are trapping like crazy with limited impact on clarity but I suspect the ultimate solution will be stocking single sex LMB. Will be sourcing males from Shawn McNulty at American Sportfish this winter. I feel male is the safest way to go in order to protect panfish population as they will top out around 2 lbs. Using them only as crayfish management devices - I don't need 5-6 lb females hammering my trophy YP, RES, BG, etc. Once we get on top of the crayfish we will begin culling the LMB one by one until the right number for ongoing cray management is achieved.

For the record, I am shocked that even my main pond with dense HSB, SMB, YP, RES, HBCP populations can't handle the cray population. Visibility here is still 24", but that's half normal this time of year. I'm really hesitant to stock LMB in my cool water species fishery, but I trust Shawn to sex the LMB to ensure no reproduction.

Sorry for the hijack - but wanted to report this as it could be useful for many.

TJ, thanks for taking the time to post that helpful info. Do you have lots of crevice structure for the crayfish to escape the SMB? I was about ready to stock SMB to help control crayfish but maybe I need to think that over some more.

Strange thing is that I have no rocks or crevices, not a single weed anywhere and only fallen leaves for crayfish to hide in and yet I don't seem to get crayfish reproduction. Maybe it is water quality or characteristics (hardness, ph, etc?)

The biggest fish in the pond are the 12 or 13" perch so perhaps they could be eating any baby crayfish but not sure why I never see them and can't get them to go in traps.

Sounds like single sex LMB is one of the best ways for you to go.

Thank you too everyone for all the help and advise! I pulled to jars yesterday and am letting them percolate in the prescribed manner listed above. I'm going to try in post some photos tonight if I can figure this dang computer out! How do I post photos? I don't see anything on here for an attachment. Can I just drag the image over and into the conversation box?

Got it figured out! Will post some jar photos this evening! Thanks again!

Well here are both my jars, one on the right stayed in dark closet all night, one on the left on the window, both for 24 hours. I can honestly see no real difference, I have added an agent to make the water appear blue, week or so prior to this test, but both seem very very cloudy still. They are also both filled with little swimmers, what the heck are they? Bacteria of some kind?
Thanks for any help or advice!

It looks like you have a healthy plankton bloom.

An old farm pond that has had livestock in and around it for years is going to be very fertile. Fertile water causes algae blooms. Algae blooms are the beginning of the food chain to support your fish population.

Like John F says, looks like healthy water to me. The swimmers you see are what feeds newly hatched fish after they have used up their yolk sac.

You may have a little bit excessive algae bloom from the fertility, but the aeration should help prevent some of the dangers of an unexpected bloom die off and O2 depletion.

Swimming pool clear water is not good water for raising fish. The algae you see making the water green are part of the food chain. The "swimmers" you see are also part of that beginning food chain.

John Fitzgerald, snrub,

Thank you guys!

I don't mean to sound dumb, but I know nothing about this new road and project I have embarked upon. We have been working with the ole pond for several months trying to get it back into shape. Been doing water test, adding bacteria, aeration and things seem good, but just wanted some professional suggestions before I add any fish into the water.

Thanks Again!!
Jason

Professional? You will have to look elsewhere than me for professional pond management help. I just started down the pond road about 5 years ago.

Now professional goof off or retiree, I can go with that.

But glad to be of any help I can.

Same here. Three years pond experience, lifetime of fishing experience. Professional goof off retiree.

Glad to help.