Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss WTH is with my pond?

aobut 1/4 to 1/2 acre. Just this year I started noticing a ton of clams? in my pond. I have not seen any the last 2 years. and these are big, not like zebra mussels. Also, pond used to be pretty clear and nice, then we got a gully washer storm/slight flooding a year or so ago and it hasn't cleared back up since. I tried the jar test and it settled just fine. no livestock around etc. I have no Idea. has turtles, and tons of frogs. neighbor also put a few large bass in (w/o me knowing of course) and I can no longer catch any of them, I really don't think they are in there any more. Help me with all my pond issues please.

Please educate me.
thanks

If it cleared in a jar something has to be keeping the mud stirred up. Alot of turtles could do that maybe digging for the clams? I have no experience with clams in a pond but would think an over abundance could contribute to suspended clay.

What kind of fish are in the pond? Could carp have gotten in during the flood?

What kind of turtles?

I had a similar experience with my pond during the Winter/Spring/early-Summer a couple years ago. It finally cleared up. It was really merky like it had suspended clay, even under the ice (saw when a neighbor was ice fishing). I do not know what the cause was. I attributed it to a long drought the previous Summer and Fall that changed the water chemistry, but who knows. I just let it run its course since it was not that merky in previous years. Its been fine since. I do not know of any changes in the critters in the pond. I do have large clams that I added, but I never heard of them causing a problem. To the contrary, they filter the water.

Like RAH says clams or mussels are not part of the problem.As he indicated they would be just the opposite in that they filter water. The fact that they are proliferating means your water is rich in nutrients.



I'm with Ric, something may be keeping the water column stirred up. Any Otters that may be feeding on the clams stirring up the water? Carp and even a lot of catfish, and or bullheads could keep your water stirred up. Do an alum treatment and if the turbidity reoccurs without any influx of turbid water something is keeping it stirred up.

As far as not being able to catch the bass that's not unusual in small ponds unless Otters are doing a number on them. The bass learn to avoid artificials. On the other hand planting large wild bass from another body of water is not always successful. Sometimes they have a problem adapting.

I understand clams will filter the water but does their filtering of water of whatever plankton they eat include suspended clay? If so perhaps the introduction of clams could be helpful in reducing turbidity in problem ponds.
Could an infestation of clams moving around & burrowing in the sediment keep the water turbid?

Cecil, otters crossed my mind too when dchance said he wasn't catching any fish. Otters digging up clams would certainly cause suspended clay problems.

Clams filter everything, but I have never heard of clams helping to remove turbidity. Usually, they don't do well in those conditions. There are a number of species of clams and or mussels native to North America that can live in ponds. When the pond was flooded last year, they probably made entry then and have liked it ever since. The larger sized clams probably don't have much value as food except when they die, catfish may feed on them. However, big clams make little clams and I am sure RES, PS and others love to feed on them. I introduced Asiatic clams to my pond this year, we'll see if they take hold.

Ric,

I don't know enough about clams and mussels to know if they would also filter out clay particles, but it would seem they would at least partially unless they are able to separate food items and expel the clay?

I do know Lake Erie has cleared substantially due to the zebra mussels. Not sure how much of that is non food items and how much is phyto and zooplankton though.

I never could come up with any reasonable explanation for could have been stirring up my pond. Do certain water chemistries favor suspension of small particals? The presence of turbid water all Winter and Spring had me stumped. After the drought, could the "flushing" of minerals from underground springs have caused the turbidity after the rains returned?

Usually if it settles out in a jar without adding anything to assist in the clumping & fallout of the particles it should do the same in your pond. The only reason I know of for the sample jar & pond to differ is if something in the pond is continually stirring it up.

Ya - I should have done the jar test, but I kinda knew it would resolve itself, and I was unusaully patient. If it happens again, I'll scoop some out. I guess my problem was different than Derek's.

dchance, when you said your pond flooded, was this from a stream? If so, the problem is more likely than not, trash fish. Species like bullheads and common carp in even fairly small numbers can muddy a pond quickly.

Another possiblity is after the "flood", the shore was altered to allow erosion from wind/wave action. This problem would be rather obvious though.

Absolutely! Lusk has explained that sometimes clay particles just bounce off of each other due to similar electrical charges. I've seen my trout pond get clearer of the iron (weak solution shows up as a green color similar to an minor algae bloom) after a rain. Go figure.

Speaking of chemistries, I don't know much about swimming pools but don't they "shock" the water to clear it? Something to do with a sudden PH change?

Absolutely my thoughts exactly!

Where did dchance go anyway? I hate that when they ask a question and never come back. It would be nice to have more information.

sorry guys don't get a chance to check regularly. Thanks for all the responses. Hope I can get you the info you need. No otters, no carp, catfish, or bullheads, etc., not stream fed but runoff. There is also no vegetation at all. When it was clear, there were grass carp to keep it clean, I have since got rid of them, and now turbidity is keeping vegetation from growing. The clams I just noticed this summer. Pond was "flooded" as in HUGE downpour rains and so much runoff there was current in the pond, like a river was running, but that was over a year ago. I do have crawfish and turtles, bluegill, and a few bass. Thanks guys and gals for all your help. I would like to turn my pond into a nice little fishing pond with some vegetation and BG and LB to fish for.

Do you have emergent plants in the shallow water around the edge of your pond? This may help as they use nutrients and help slow water running into the pond, They also help prevent wave erosion.

No emergent vegetation. runoff goes through pasture type land. It used to be mowed as part of the lawn, but I let it grow. there is not fast moving water entering, only the one time.

Brought this one back with an update. had a good freezed this winter and now the ice has melted off. Lo and behold the water has cleared up tremendously. I just hope spring rains won't ruin it again.

Do you know the alkalinity ?

Like me, no real explanation. That's what keeps biology interesting...

Better be careful with that. It's listed as an aquatic invasive.

Yes, we've covered the the risks and rewards extensively in this thread: http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...true#Post160088

And this one: http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...true#Post200784

Howdy, Tewks.

I didn't see you come in, but we're glad to have you here.

Greetings to all as well

I am having a similar issue with my pond. The pond is excavated through sandy soil down to a layer of clay. I stocked it with native plants and enjoyed years of mildly clear water. Then a few years ago the water turned murky. I had attributed the change to plankton even though the color of the water is blackish. I then learned about suspended clay coloring ponds and it then occurred to me that a new critter did appear in the pond that could cause the clay to stir up. Scuds! Not Russian made missles, but the little shrimp like crustaceans. It is difficult to know for sure when they arrived (probably with plants brought in) but I think the establishment of the scud population which I guess to have grown into thousands, are digging in the bottom. They could have come in to your pond through run-off.
I am happy with the scuds living in there. Now I would like to experiment with adding native clams to try to clear the water a bit so the plants can grow better.

Welcome to Pond Boss, MarkCK! Glad you joined in with us. Why not start a thread in the new members section to introduce yourself and post some pics of your pond? Again, welcome on board!