Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New member from se Nebraska with questions..

Hello All,
I have been lurking here for quite awhile but finally decided to sign up. I (well, the family) have a farm pond that we have finally decided to get serious about maintaining. It is about 2 acres and 10-12' deep at the deepest. Most of the pond is probably 7-8' deep on average and then the "tailwaters" are about 3' deep and might make up 1/5 of the surface area. The pond is filled by runoff from ag fields and the watershed is approx 60 acres. It was re-built (drained and dug-out, etc.. about 20 years ago).

The main problem we have is the water is VERY dirty. Visibility on a good day is only 2-3 inches. There are no-longer cattle watering in the pond, so that is not a problem. I have read that adding gypsum will clear this up. Does anyone know where to get gypsum in the Lincoln, NE area other than the 30lb bags the home improvement stores sell? I am going to check the ph levels this weekend, so I don't know what those levels are right now.

The pond currently has a good number of channel catfish in it, and started feeding them last summer. 12 years ago there were bass, bluegill, flathead, and channel cats in it, but in the past 3 years, we have only caught cc (mostly small ones) a few bg and 1 BIG crappie. I assume the cc are overpopulated and should be thinned out, but not sure.

Our goals for this pond are recreational enjoyment for our families and children. We would like to make it a balanced fishery for mainly lmb and bg, with some cc too. I am open to hearing any ideas, but I think first we need to clear the water up. We are planning on putting in another silt dam/trap soon if the weather holds. Any thoughts on what to add and in what ratios?
Thanks for the help.

You might also consider Aluminum sulfate, but check your PH and alkalinity first. Is it possible the agricultural run off is contributing to your problem? If that is the case any clearing will be temporary.

Here's some good reading on the subject and how to do some simple testing of the water to see how much gypsum or aluminum sulfate you will need. Granted the first link applies primarily to garden ponds but the principal is the same as is the water sample testing to see how much you need.

http://members.perigee.net/jrjohns/aluma.html

http://ohioline.osu.edu/a-fact/0006.html

Thanks Cecil, and yes, ag runoff is part of the problem. I have seen the osu information before and read through it. We are planning on putting in another silt pond on the feeder "waterway" and I hope that helps, but even after long dry periods the pond does not clear up.

We have done the "bucket test", by taking a 5 gallon bucket of water and setting it in the corner and not disturbing it for a long time (nothing settled out), then added a few bits of drywall scrap (gypsum) and it cleared it up amazingly.

After registering and having access to the search feature on this website... WOW, there is alot of info on here. I think right now, my biggest problem is finding a local supplier for gypsum, or alum. Lime is not a problem to get if we need it. Like I said, we will be checking the ph this weekend so I will have more info then.

An over population of catfish especially flatheads have been known to stir up alot of mud but if the particles didn't settle after a bucket test, you may be on the right track with the gypsum or aluminum sulfate.

Nothing to add except a BIG welcome from another Husker!

For the gypsum, I would try Reimers Kaufman over on Cornhusker hiway. Not sure if they have it but they do have bentonite and other magic powders.

GBR

Don't get ripped off if you order Aluminum sulfate. I've see people get charged an exorbitant amount of money for it when it shouldn't be the case. I was able to get 50 lb. bags fairly cheaply a few years back from a local chemical company that I found in the yellow pages.

There are some commercial products out there for pond clearing that are so marked up the suppliers should be ashamed of themselves. They are nothing more than aluminum sulfate and sodium bicarbonate to stabilize PH.

Yo P-59 - wanted to welcome another Husker to the forum!

You are on the right track with Alum or Gypsum addition. Determine pricing then before you do any ordering I'd recommend checking back with us so we can provide some feedback on pricing then make recommendations on qty and how to broadcast/apply. Yes, we're that good [well, not me, but the experts here!].

After your water clears up, we can start talking about assessing your fishery. Depending on what sampling tells us, you may be in line for a complete renovation. You can establish a quality fishery in two years with supplemental feeding, and your options are pretty vast in terms of species of fish to stock depending on your goals.

Again, welcome aboard. Where are you in NE? I'm up in Lincoln.

GBR

teehjaeh57,
I am actually in Lincoln too, the pond however, is about an hour and 15 minutes southwest of me. Thanks for the welcome fellas! I hope to develop more of a plan after this weekend and the ph testing etc..

GBR

P-59,

Sounds like you're not too far from my neck of the woods. We're in Lincoln, but our farm is west of Wilber about 15 minutes.

I'd second the reimers suggestion. If they don't have it, usually they can get it. Let us know how it goes.

Treeplanter