Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Pink Sheetrock

I have read most of the back topics and have performed some basic tests using my pool chem test kit. The pond is about 1/2 acre but down due to the really dry last 4 months in S OKla. The Red/brown and creamy clay base (it varies across the pond) shows about 3 feet of exposed bank with no grass. The pond is about 18-20 feet deep at normal and about 2 years old. I had to cut a terrace last fall to catch about 5 acres of runoff to top off the pond and now the terrace is mostly vegitated. The pond color is about the color of a 50% watered down cup of coffee with cream. I have a test quart jar that I can see the temp stick through the side, but only about 2" down.

My PH is about 7.6 at 60 degrees F from the evening (no morning test yet). Alkalinity is about 140-150ppm and hardness about 110ppm.

For grins, I bought some hydrated lime and granualized gypsum (brown base) from the ag store. I did multiple pint jars (16 oz) and both cleared the water within minutes at various levels of additive, 1 TBS, 1TSP, 1/2TSP and 1/4 TSP per jar. I tested the 1/4 TSP jars for PH and the Lime was off the chart well in excess of 8.0 while the gypsum about the same, but with tea colored water, yet very clear.

I realize the hydrated lime will kill the fish in more than cursory amounts, and I feel the alkalinity level is sufficient, but could press 200ppm without damage and would like to push it up with some ag lime. Not knowing how high a PH is tolerable, not sure about this.

The pond might have a slight leak but might also be settling. No running rain for months has all ponds locally down. I'm concerned that the gypsum might "loosen" the clays, hence adding some lime first even if not clearing the water enough to coagulate the clays, drop them and form a layer on the bed so to speak before adding sheetrock.

I have a friend who builds houses and have just dropped a trailer for him to load up drop-offs, when I noticed the gypsum is pink in color between the paper layers. I've just looked on the net to see it "normal". I've also just done some jars to see how it works on a quick basis with no results yet. Before I had the crew load the trailer, I thought I'd post here to see if the pink was a bad deal or not.

I suspect it OK, just curious. We're asking the lumber yard, but in typical form, they just have not idea.

Please offer any comments to parts of the post.

Thanks Chris

Chris,

There was a post some months back in which the author stated that there are some bad additives in sheetrock (fiberglass I think is one) that made it unacceptable in a pond...this author worked in a sheetrock plant, so if true he should know. I wish I could remember the post but maybe you can find it. It made me leary of sheetrock....ag lime is safe and sure.

Chris,

I think this is what Meadowlark is refering to: Sheetrock

Russ

I just pulverized some of the sheetrock with a mortar and pestle and saw no fiberous glass, etc. while mentioned in the MSDS on the Temple-Inland site, I suspect it could stem from salvaged gypsum products that might have traces of asphalt and fiberglass in it. Several have noted it can be used, my worries are with the fact that it is pink in color, hence another additive, etc.

I might not like a pink pond over a tea colored pond either. Can't imagine my buddies coming out to catch the lunker in a few years....and being greeted by a pink water color!

Russ, thanks. I tried to follow the link and it's broken now. But as I suspected, it references fire rated or exterior grade products normally found in commercial projects I believe. Mine is coming from a new house - at most the garage walls may have thicker sheetrock. Thanks for riving the link. Chris

I have just checked the samples from last night using the pink gypsum, and it has cleared the samples nicely. Interestingly, the two that I coarse ground 1 Tsp and 1/2 Tsp had little suspended gypsum, but the fine ground TBS was still suspended. Also noticed some small bubbles rising, like in beer making, etc.

I tested the PH and it has made it rise above the 8.0 mark, while restesting the granulated gypsum (with the tea coloring) was the same at 7.6.

I think that the fact that the granulated has 17% CA by weight has buffered the sample, giving more alkalinity, thus stabilizing the PH...am I on the right track here?

Three questions:

1) Will the tea color ever react out if using the granulated so to keep the PH steady?

2) Will PH being in the higher end 8.0 + be either beneficial or will it drift back to 7.6?

3) I thought about adding some blue dye (not much turnover in the flow through) to color the tea to more of a lagoon color - but not too much to kill off plant life...bad idea?

Thanks for any continued input. I'm having to decide on getting the scraps today so any response would be appreciated.

Here is the story on sheetrock : http://www.usg.com/Design_Solutions/2_2_6_diffdrywall.asp

Tuss, thanks, but I saw that link before, have tried it again and it's no longer working. I've tried to search their new site with no real luck. Do you know of another resource similarly? Thanks for the post.