Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Hydrated Lime, my first experience

While in the process of seining and killing my CNBG pond out, I looked at several options for the final cleansing of the pond. It was imperative that no fish be left, whether they were preferred or not. Rotenone was not a viable option for me because of the need for an applicators license to purchase, the cost, and my unfamiliarity with the product.

After searching the various Pond Boss threads relating to this, and talking to Todd Overton who's providing my new stocking, I decided that hydrated lime was the way to go.

First thing I did was drain the 1/5 acre pond until I could see the backs of the fish.



After this we seined the pond to get all the fish out that we would relocate. This was by far the most difficult part with 18" of silt before we hit the clay bottom. When we finished, we wound up with an approximately 40X20 foot area, 6-8" deep, to lime.

Todd had recommended 100 pounds for a 20X20 area 2" foot deep, so I had slightly less water volume than we had accounted for. At $7 a 50 pound bad at the local box store, I spent less than $15 total. I will add that I found hydrated lime in the concrete section, and it was not the same as the lime in the garden center.

I had originally thought about using my pump to create a slurry that I would spray over the pond, but ultimately decided to do a drop and spread method. Both 50 pond bags were placed in the remaining water and spread with a garden rake until the all muddy water was evenly colored by the lime.

Within a hour, the water started to clear, and the remaining fish were struggling. Also, the pond's PH was unreadable by my test strips. It blew the numbers off the chart. After 3 hours there were was no activity and the pond was effectively cleansed. It's hard to see, but the extremely turbid water was crystal clear from the lime application.



2 hours later we started the refill. It should be at near pool level by noon today, and the 100 pounds of lime easily absorbed in the full 1/5 acre pond. As a side note, before I added the lime, my PH was at 6.8 which is the natural level for both this pond and my big puddle. Monday, I'll recheck the PH before continuing.

My do it yourself seine and lime rig.



When handling the lime, I wore a cheap rain coat, rubber gloves, hepa mask, and goggles. This might have been overkill but I've seen hydrated lime burns in ER's before, and they're not a pretty sight. All family members were kept upwind also.

So, any comments on errors or better suggestions are welcomed, but it will be a while before I seine any more ponds. It's a lot more work than I had anticipated because of the muck, but the hydrated lime was a cheap and very effective method for cleansing this one.

Great post and pics. Lime is a magical thing. Ag lime will also on some ponds help clear the water. Hydrated lime in a local(small) area kills most weeds. It is used in sanitation work as well - a natural cleaner. Long sleeves and a mask are a must. Stay up wind. I cut the sack open and use a shovel. It will spread and dissolve on its own so no need to cover the whole bottom. Any increased alkalinity (base) pH reading will only last a couple weeks. If you add low pH water it will decrese quickly.

How many fish did you get out on the last seine ? What were they?

Eric, you wouldn't believe what numbers we got. Last year's flood caused all this, and I had a mix of pure CNBG, GSF, and crosses. We pulled several hundred 4-9" of these out by seine, and restocked into a another pond. Also, pulled out 5 LMB, and I'll post that info also. No BH's or any other catfish were present.

One thing I will add, is that I originally started this pond with fish truck FHM. I Seined up multiple shad, and none had ever been added. This will be the only time I don't purchase fish from a real hatchery, or a known dealer. I don't always have to have the best genetics, but I do want pure genetics. This was a cheap lesson, and ultimately caused no problems.

I'm guessing there were close to 4,000 total fish (most were fry) in this 1/5 acre pond, and all were extremely healthy with nothing more than fertilization done. This pond handled the load well.

I'm not as well versed in fry as I should be, but many of the sunfish had the horizontal stripes associated with CNBG. Any future stockings would have been severely compromised, so this had to be done.

Thread fin or Gizzard?

Thread fin, no gizzards.

Did you put them in the big pond or are they sushi?

Neither, they're now part of a buffet bar in another pond. Post to come on that project.

got it

Brian, Al has a stock tank that is a "natural" grow out pond - sans mud cats....
He'll post later on his OTS CNBG thread.
He transferred his best CNBG and female LMB to this pond.
I would hazard a guess the trash fish are history
but will get the full story tomorrow at "stocking time"!

Now get back on your skis and let Al and I take care of your fish business....

George