Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants A Whole lotta problems- #1 duckweed

Hi everyone- I'm new here, which my post count will show. My dad has a small pond which is in desperate need of attention, for fear of another fish kill.

The pond is about 1/2 acre (maybe a little more) 7ft at the deepest- 3-4 ft average. It has no flow through, but has well water squirted into it pretty much 24/7.

From what I've read, it appears to be very nutrient rich. I'm certain it's WAY overstocked- it's been overrun with catfish. And now the duckweed has returned and is taking over.

Where do I start!?? Until I'm able to treat the weed growth, would it be feasable to top-drag the duckweed off in an attempt to prevent it from completely covering the surface?
Any help or guidance is VERY well appreciated!
Nooj

Hi Nooj. I don't have much experience managing ponds but I have treated for watermeal which is similar to duckweed. I used Sonar AS and it worked well. It seems expensive, but it's very effective and requires very little effort to use. My guess is that you will need to find a way to utilize excess nutrients in your pond for a long term solution.

There is also someone (bobad?)who beats it into submission with a hairy rope or something....

Welcome to the forum.

edit: the duckweed rope is bz's design. See it here: http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...=true#Post35787

Thanks for the reply- I like "hairy rope" idea, and may try that. I believe my dad has used the sonar before- He said it is in fact watermeal, and not duckweed this time. So, I guess we'll go with the sonar again.

I'm gonna do some more research about reducing the nutrient level, long term.
Thanks again-
Nooj

From what I understand a good way to deal with excess nutrients is to establish other, less invasive plants. It seems to me that there is less info about finding/installing/managing "good" aquatic plants than about other aspects of pond management.

That's a good point... A "guide to helpful aquatic plants" sticky would be great There could be one somewhere, and I just haven't seen it yet... I'll keep looking.

One major issue is that the pond seems to be overstocked. My dad has had friends come over with their family and catch 50-70 channel cats (8-12" average) over a weekend. And did this every other weekend for two months. We can't even tell a difference in the population. I suppose reducing the population would have to help out, and reduce the risk of another low oxygen kill.

Anyone needing some channel cats?

Nooj

No, but if you can pull 50-70 per weekend out of your pond, weekend after weekend, I no longer feel like I have WAY to many. Perhaps just a few more than I want.

What else is in the pond other than catfish? That kind of survival/recruitment rate for channel cats is pretty unusual with any kind of predator base, even bluegill and larger cats. Are you sure they aren't bullheads? Do they have the forked tail of a channel cat?

No matter which cat they are, I would fish heavily and not throw any back in. Don't worry, you can't catch them all.

Eradicating duckweed can be a real character builder even in a balanced pond. If left untreated, it can do a good job of eliminating your overpopulation of cats (and everything else) which are adding to the nutrient base.

A bottom aerator may work wonders to convert the duck weed bloom into phytoplankton.

fishwhiz,It didnt help mine at all.In fact,I didnt have duckweed till after I put in bottom areation. Dont know if it was coincidence or not.But,the rope thingy works great!

What I've seen work..

Aeration, Sonar AS, and nutrient binder. Nutrient-wise, you could encourage native pond plants to grow and lock up nutrients or use something like aluminum sulfate (although it is argued to be only temporary). If you go with Sonar, remember to be patient and make sure you hit the right ppb!

Also, I've seen a topical spray of Diquat (reward) or Aquathol + Diquat on a still day. It worked, but I'm not a real big fan of this method though due to safety concerns and the amount of things that can go wron..

The hairy rope I haven't seen but seems extremely plausable. I guess it depends on how much work/money your looking to spend on it.

hope it helps

Vigorous water movement (aeration , circulator , etc) can help with DW. DW does not do well where it is being turned upside down repeatedly. Waves also do the job. There are several very good threads here on DW. Sonar is the best method but its not cheap.

How much does it cost to build a hairy rope? It's just rope, zip ties and floats right? I'm guessing it couldn't be more than $75. Can anyone who has built one tell me?