Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Chocolate Milk

I live in Upstate NY and have a 110' X 35' mud pond with an average depth of roughly 2.5-3'. I had an Alita 80 compressor with two diffusers and a 3/4 hp pump running for a fountain which I have turned off. The pond contains +/- 35 koi ranging from 6" to 14". The only water getting into the pond is from rain and run off from the yard. I've recently started adding sodium bentonite every other day at a 6 cup per day clip. I've not noticed a change in the clarity and have been reading about gypsum but not sure exactly what or where to buy. Some articles talk about plaster of paris....not sure where to go or what to do. Maybe the chocolate milk is from the koi and it will be forever brown. Any input is greatly appreciated !

Anthony, Welcome to the form.

You have a few things going against you for water clarity. The Fountain is not helping you. In a pond that shallow it will keep things muddy. Also the Koi will muddy up a pond all on their own. That being said, adding the sodium benotnite will also muddy up a pond for a short while. Did you add that to fix a leak? Gypsum is a good way to brings the clarity up, however I think that the aforementioned things will make it hard to keep it clear. A little more depth would help. I am sure others with much more knowledge will chime in here and help you as well. Good luck and welcome once again.

I have turned off the fountain and the compressor. The hard part is not knowung the cause. Was it the compressor & the fountain...is it the koi...maybe spring turnover....possibly suspended partials ?? I can't fix what I don't know is broken. And when speaking of gypsum, what exactly is it ??

Is this the first year with the pond for you? When were the Koi added? Was the pond ever clear (prior to spring?)...etc

Koi certainly root around and cause muddy situations. That being said the fountain I am sure didn't help. I am also sure the run off has added to the problems.

The best bet is to do what you have done, shut off one thing then the next ...etc until you see things clear up. If you want to add some gypsum (some people use the drywall boards broken up) you can do that to see if it clears. I am sure that this will help. You can also use barley straw if you prefer a more natural type of approach.

I hope this helps. Let us know how its going.

I've had the pond for four years now. Prior to this year I've always had problems with string algae which is why I added the oxygen and the fountain. I had 8 koi from last year and added 34 more a month ago. We've had little rain and the water level has gone down signigicantly. Is broken up drywall the only way of adding gypsum ?? Thanks for your input so far !

You can add gypsum in many different ways. You can find powedered gypsum in some home builder types of places.

I can understand the fountain and what you were trying to do there, but I think the combination of the lower water and more fish coupled with the churning done by the fountain may have caused you problems. Did the problem really start after the 34 more fish were added?

But eliminating the issues like you have is a good plan.

I've never had crystal clear water but yes, the chocolate milk arrived after the fish. What exactly is powdered gypsum ? Is it plaster of paris ?

Thanks again

Well, I can touch on this subject. I have Koi and have used gypsum in my 2 acre lake.

As far as the muddy water try the gypsum, get a sample of the water from the lake in a bucket and ( just for testing since you might not know where to find gypsum) add some drywall board crumbled up to a powder, mix up. Water should clear in an hour or so. If this works than you can add gypsum over time to clear the lake. I find it where there are Ag stores that sell feed stock , ie cattle feed, fish feed, etc. Also I have found it in bulk in rural towns for agriculture use. It is cheap by the ton. Smaller 40 lb bags run about $6.00-8.00 in Texas. This will settle the heavy clay charged particulates in the water.

Those fish need oxygen and it helps alot if you filter the water.My Koi pond was never clear until I did this. I am not sure how to tackle that on the size pond you have. Try contacting a local Koi service company. Mine is in a cement pond with a fine algae attached to the bottom and sides
.I also use a UV clarifier. My water is crystal clear, like drinking water, and can see the bottom of the pond. My pond is 5 feet deep and I have 20 koi from 16-36" long.

Anthony, go to the US Gypsum website. They should have suppliers listed.