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Joined: Sep 2008
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Lunker
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My friend had a small pond built on his property. It's is only 1/10 of an acre at most. It gets about 6ft deep. The water is as muddy now as the day it was filled in. We thought it would eventually settle but it hasn't. He stocked it with Koi which seem to be doing fine but he can't see them to enjoy them. Any ideas?
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How many Koi? If there are a lot of them, they may be what is stirring up the bottom and hence keeping the pond muddy.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling ![[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/ed/b5/e7/edb5e7f935843b996cf52be593c9ebd2--smoothie-smooth-collie.jpg)
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Joined: Sep 2008
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How many Koi? If there are a lot of them, they may be what is stirring up the bottom and hence keeping the pond muddy. I am unsure maybe like 30. But the majority of them are small. The water is like chocolate milk. I find it kinda hard to believe it would be from them.
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He has another pond on his property that is a little bit bigger. This pond also has water clarity issues. This pond was there when he bought the house 30 years ago.
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Do a jar test. Put some of the cloudy pond water in a jar or bucket and watch to see if it settles on it's own in a few days. If the jar settles, something is keeping the clay in the pond (mechanically) suspended.
If the jar remains cloudy, the clay is being suspended ionically; this would point towards using gypsum or alum/hydrated lime to clear the water.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Lunker
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I am gonna do the jar test this weekend.
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Ok we did the jar test. Its been three days and the water did not settle even a little bit.
This is a small pond. My friend says its 75' around and graduates from 18' down to 5' deep. Maybe 15, 000 gallons.
Any reccomendations?
Last edited by MikeC; 10/13/08 09:08 AM.
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Field Correspondent Lunker
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bumpty to the top
Experts?
JHAP
~~~~~~~~~~
"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."
...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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Joined: Sep 2008
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We are thinking about adding Alum but it seems a little complex. Besides that thread is there anywhere else to read about applying it?
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Lunker
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The pond probably hasn't settled because it's filled with soft slightly acidic rainwater, which will keep clay suspended ionically, just about forever.
I would start with 100# of alum. Then add 100# of gypsum, mixing it as best you can in a 5gal bucket. Afterward, add 50# of gypsum per week until it begins clearing.
When the water has a sufficient load of minerals (mostly calcium), even when the koi stir it up, it will settle quickly.
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Can I find alum at an ag supply store such as agway? The pond probably hasn't settled because it's filled with soft slightly acidic rainwater, which will keep clay suspended ionically, just about forever.
I would start with 100# of alum. Then add 100# of gypsum, mixing it as best you can in a 5gal bucket. Afterward, add 50# of gypsum per week until it begins clearing.
When the water has a sufficient load of minerals (mostly calcium), even when the koi stir it up, it will settle quickly.
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You would be better off checking with your local grainery. They should be able to order it if it's not in stock.
 "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." Stephen W. Hawking
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