Had a guy put 8 tons of lime in my 3 acre pond last week. My alkalinity was 21.0 parts per million. The guy got it out of Oklahoma and it was gray in color and coarse. Walt Overton came by and done a water test. Alkalinity only came up to 25 parts per million. Walt said he had never seen lime that looked like that. He showed me some of his, it was brown and very fine. Does anybody know how long it takes the alkalinity to change and if this lime will work?

Was it pelletized lime you spread?

Not sure, they brought it from Oklahoma. It is gray in color it is like tide laundry detergent. Doesn't seem to be dissolving in the water. Pond is very clear, can see it on the bottom. Like very fine gravel. The stuff the fish guy had was powder that dissolved when he through a handfull in the water.

I suspect the stuff you used was pelletized lime (you can google up some photos) and the stuff that Overton had was ag lime.

Could also have been crushed limestone, just with a different mesh:



The larger the particle, the slower-acting it is.

Steve, Ag Lime actually is gravel. It is crushed, Dolomite Limestone (common road rock in many areas) and will dissolve slowly over time as it reacts with acids in the water.

When you lime a field (at least around here) they say that it takes 6 months for the pH to start changing. That's why they recommend to lime in the Fall, it will be working by the time spring planting season rolls around.

Will test the water next week. Just didn't know how long it took to change the ph and alkalinity.

Steve, the changes will be somewhat slow to show up in tests, but an ag lime treatment can last 5-15 years or more depending on many variables.

The initial jump will be slight at those rates. It takes a few mths to make a bigger difference provided you don't have lots of water runoff.

Ok, thanks. The pond has a wet weather spring running in it. Running now I would say 5 gallons a minute. Ponds at full pool now. Trying to get pond ready for fertilize. Put 4000 copper nose in last week. Bass coming in June. Blue cats ate all the large bass and most of the forage fish.

Hey Steve,

Doing a little research and looking at this coarse grey product, we suggest you may have received coarse dolomite lime. Dolomite lime is Calcium Magnesium Carbonate, whereas Superfine Ag Lime is Calcium Carbonate. While the pH buffering capacity is roughly the same with either product, we feel the superfine product is better because it dissolves and reacts more quickly. Hope this helps.

I hope you have those blues under control or they will eat a lot of CNBG.

Im with Eric on this one. Down here in Arkansas we know are catfish and they will eat everything!! They don't care how big it is they will eat it! That's why they get as big a cars!!

People down here look at me with this strange look on their face when I tell them I don't have any catfish in my pond? Like they cant' believe it. I wouldn't have them for nothing but that's just me.

RC

If cats are so voratious, why will a BG, CC pond not work? Or will is it? Will BG stunt? Or will cats control them?

Just asking as I don't know.

Channels and Blues are different. Like Chihuahuas and German Shepards.

IIRC the world record channel is in the 50# range, and the world record Blue is in the 140# range. Now, will they get that big in a pond? Doubtful, but just an example of the difference in size.

Won't they just eat all the bass all over again?

Trying to catch them with trotlines. Caught 15 blues 10 to 15 pounds. Not giving up till all are gone.