Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water clam die off, clarity probs

hey group,
I have a 4-5 year old 2.5A pond that will just not clear up. I have tried it all and just can't get results. I dont have much erosion possibilities though I have a small stretch of bank that is not rocked. We haven't had rain here in 6 months and the water looks the worst it has ever looked...grey green with about 8-9" visibility. Pond seemed otherwise healthy until last September when I had a massive clam die off. they migrated right up out of the water and died on the banks. I never put clams in but I had thousands of all sizes die off. No fish kill though. Anyway, the water looks bad and I am at wits end. I haven't tested it but I'm pretty certain the water is high pH and very hard. Any advise greatly appreciated

Hello Mike I have a few things that you might check out.With the winter that we had this year there was probably a oxygen depletion and it drove the clams out or if you had a weed problem last year.there might be a high ammonia level that was due to decomposed material that was developed by the lack of oxy.Just a thought.DOC

Sorry Mike I didn't give you the way to solve the problem if you can get yourself a aerator installed and use some revive that is a water clarifier that works.Just follow the lable and you should see results in a week or 10 days.Let us know if you have any more info that could be used to help analyze your problem. DOC

Hey Doc,
Thanks for the response. I have absolutely no weeds what so ever in the pond...infact I'd actually like a few. anyway, the clams actually died in the early fall last year.(before leaves) I do think it was a toxic response of some kind. Would it not kill fish too. I may have had some type of algae, not fibrous but more planktonic like late last summer and when it died off (settling on the bottom) maybe caused this.?? Same theory but with an algae instead of weeds? I will try an aerator and I'll look for the Revive. I hope it works, this water is so murky the fish have to be bumping heads...I can't imagine how they are feeding. Thanks again

Clams probably died because the sediment went severly anoxic (heavy oxygen loss) in the zone they occupied. You may not have lost all of them only those occupying the strongest anoxic areas.

Hello Mike.If you log on to www.sepro.com/toc.html You can get the info you seek about revive.As far as not having a fish kill and a clam kill I think that the clams are mainly stuck on the bottom and don't enter the upper level of the water if you had an algae bloom and killed it.I would guess that was the cause the fish can escape to the higher o2 at the upper levels of the pond and the clams have to slowly move and try to escape I still would not rule out the ammonia levels try the revive and get some o2 in the bottom that might save the fish you might have lost some fish and didn't know it because they don't always float to the top and if there is some of the clams and the fish decaying in the bottom then that can cause the type of problems that you are having.let me know how it turns out. DOC