Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Product sources Bulk Pond Dyes

Does anyone know of a source for bulk pond dyes in 5 or 20 gallon containers? Actually container size isn't important, I use alot of dye and think there has to be a more economical way than 1 gallon jugs or small powder packets.

Interestingly, very low demand for large containers of dye (even by commercial guys) and the fact that most 5-gal plastic pails cost more than 5 x 1-gal jugs renders the large-package dye-market fairly scarce.

Bulk pond dyes are available at a considerable savings, contact suppliers or search blue pond dye

So, how many 5-gal cans or 30-gal drums of bulk pond-dye would he need to treat his 3-acre pond over the course of a season? And what does he use to clean up any spillage that occurs while storing, transferring or applying the product from such containers?
Decades ago, I was assigned the task of transferring methyl violet (dye) from 55's into 1-gal jugs. No matter how carefully I tried, it was impossible to avoid spillage (measured in droplets) - which turned into a colorful clean-up operation.

The question was does anyone know a source for bulk pond dyes, you answered:
"very low demand for large containers of dye (even by commercial guys) and the fact that most 5-gal plastic pails cost more than 5 x 1-gal jugs renders the large-package dye-market fairly scarce"
I was merely stating a fact, there are such products available in the market place. I know of one golf course buying drums of the products. I also know of a few applicators using the most concentrated dye available without any problems. With the high cost of shipping these days many cost conscience consumers don't want to pay to ship water across the country. I agree dyes can be messy, but with proper care(safety glasses, latex gloves) and a good dye hand cleaner very little problems may occur. Please note that these dyes have no affinity for cotton and should come out in the wash, especially with a little chlorine bleach. Also note that the blue dye is the same dye used for spray marker to delineate where a pesticide or herbacide has been sprayed and will disapate on exposure to sunlight.

I'd wager the seemingly cost-conscious buyers at the golf course and commercial firms AREN'T also responsible for actually conducting the dye-applications...
I've made one notable observation over the years: Very few commercial field-techs use gloves while handling herbicides until AFTER their first experience applying lake-dyes. The dye shows them exactly how much exposure they're experiencing without gloves, whereas most herbicide mixtures are colorless.

Kelly; NOTED!!!

Gloves? It looks like that guy needs a haz mat suit! I'm not sure about the chemical makeup of pond dyes but putting on a layer of baby oil can help repel water based materials and helps solubilize oil based material making them easier to clean up. It's an old painter's trick.

Brandt makes a good dye called Blue Lagoon SS. They also have other colors. It doesn't seem to dissipate in UV as much as the others, and is also more concentrated and less expensive than others we've used/sold. I'm not sure it comes in bulk quantities though. But 1 quart treats 4-6 acre feet of water. My experience is more like 4 acre feet if you really want the sun blockage.

Here is a whole-sale supplier of pond dye blue or yellow or customer-blend in between. They also sell hand cleaner specifically formulated for dye removal! Ask for Matt...


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GregoryMG...Welcome to the PondBoss! . Stick around buddy, we know you were trying to help.

Since my post has been resurrected, I would like to thank “dye chemist” for supplying me with a 5 gallon jug of highly concentrated dye. It was a 50% solution with a “Pure Dye Content” of 35% and was noticeable more concentrated than other products created specifically for ponds. With 5 gallons I was able to dye my 3 acre pond for two years. I saved considerable amount of money and I can even buy commercial brands wholesale.

I can also say it was not that difficult to apply; simply bought a $5 spigot for the jug. Like any chemical you need to handle it with respect or you could really make a mess of things, or worse injure yourself. If you cannot apply consumer grade dye without making a mess, you might want to stay away from highly concentrated commercial dyes.

arond, how many acre feet of water is in your 3 ponds?

I am average a little over 12' of depth and lightly less than 3 acres I have always estimated to be at about 36 acre feet.