Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Is pond scum bad?

After 2 years my one acre 6' deep south texas pond is finally back to 1 foot from full. It got all the way down to a puddle about 20' in diameter and 1' deep last summer. if there were any fish that survived that I will be surprised. Any way grass grew up in the dry pond bed and now that there is water in it there is some scum forming on top. I want to start restocking it now and wondering if I need to take care of the scum first. My buddy is ready to donate some small bluegills to start me off. Should I wait until spring? This is my first post. How do you attach a pic? rgds

Welcome to Pond Boss, bkjnf. Glad you found the site.

As for pics, check out this link in the Common Q & A archives.

On the issue of the "scum" on the surface, it could be a number of things. This isn't my area, so I am just guessing, but it could be that the water that was left was so heavily concentrated with proteins or organic materials that you just have a heavy concentration of that stuff that is trying to reach some sort of equilibrium in thew newly filled pond. It could be just a matter of time to balance out or it may require some affirmative steps on your part to rectify the situation. One thing I know for sure is that aeration is always healthy for a pond and can help overcome many water quality problems. If that is an option for you, consider researching aeration systems and determining your pond's requirements. There are a lot of great professionals on this forum that can help you determine your needs.

Sit tight and wait for someone who really knows what they are talking about to chime in. Once you get picture posting figured out, get us some good clear and close up shots of what you are seeing. That may be helpful to determining what is going on and how to deal with it.