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#340474 06/23/13 01:05 PM
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I have 3 ponds that are divided by dams. They are fed by 90 acres of runoff. These ponds were built by my grandfather 60 years ago, and have filled with this pudding like sludge. The sludge is as deep as 6 feet in some spots. There is no real way of getting heavy equipment in to get it out of the biggest pond (4 acre ). Is there anything that I can do to remove this stuff? It is taking up to much volume that could be used for water.

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Drain, dry, and dozer frown

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yeah, with 6', thats alot to try and get rid of any other way besides mechanical means.

If its tough to go down into the pond, perhaps a dragline?

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Cray......I've seen these products available,
but I've never used them, so I am not sure how well they work.
Your problem could be too much for a product like this.

Sludge Removal

Buy Sludge Remover


Fishing has never been about the fish....

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Zep, that sludge remover sounds like it is worth trying. 500 bucks is a small price if it works at all. Considering that a track hoe and dump truck are1400 a day.

Anyone ever used this product. If so please share your results!

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With that much sludge I wouldn't waste your money on a so called sludge remover, and I'm not convinced it works that well on lesser amounts either.

IMHO a drag line is your best bet as there is no way you could dry it out enough after draining to get a dozer in and back out again.

The problem with sludge is you are only able to dry out the surface down a few inches. The rest stays like pudding.

Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 06/23/13 09:28 PM.

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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I agree with Cecil. PM sent.


www.hoosierpondpros.com


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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When I was looking into it, The neighbor who owns a gravel pit recommended a sauermans bucket. You can reach out any distance you want because the bucket goes out on a cable that is attached to the other side of the pond. Good for ponds that are bigger than the normal dragline setup can reach.

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Originally Posted By: fish n chips
When I was looking into it, The neighbor who owns a gravel pit recommended a sauermans bucket. You can reach out any distance you want because the bucket goes out on a cable that is attached to the other side of the pond. Good for ponds that are bigger than the normal dragline setup can reach.


Makes sense to me.


If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.






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Originally Posted By: Cray
Zep, that sludge remover sounds like it is worth trying.

Cray....like I said, I have no idea how well these products work.

You may find this video informative:

Muck discussion mainly begins at 3 minute mark.



Fishing has never been about the fish....

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Video was informative. Why do suppose they do not give a money back guarantee for those pelleted bacteria to dramatically reduce muck? If I had a product that really worked well, I would guarantee it as with everything that I sell.
For smaller bodies of water there are muck sucking operations as in mucksuckers.com

Last edited by Bill Cody; 06/24/13 10:17 AM.

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Nice explanation in video and seems to go along with a lot of what I have learned here. However, I notice he says "in conjunction with" aeration. Which does Cray have in place? If not wouldn't that be the first step to his problem?

Also, if I am figuring this out right:
For a pond of approximate 1 acre
3# per 1,000 sq ft= 1 acre needs 40 x 3 = 120# +/- for moderate muck.
Applied 4 times per year.
1200.00 x 4 = 4800.00 +/-

quite a bit $'s if it doesn't work........

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Cray....you may want to call these folks
and get some advice since they are a Pond Boss sponsor.
Below is a link to their sludge reduction product.
It looks like whatever you do it may be pricey and
maybe they could offer some ideas if you tell them
you are a Pond-Bosser.

Keeton Aquatics - Pond Boss Sponsor







Fishing has never been about the fish....

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Thanks guys! I have contacted a guy who says he can suck the sludge out with a dredge. I am going to have him come out and give me a quote. If that does not work out I will have to go another route.

This forum is great!!! I really appreciate y'all taking the time to chime in on this!!!

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After thinking today about a dragline, each situation has to be considered individually. If the pond was compacted, or had a clay liner when built, draglines probably would be bad. If your soil is all clay, no worries.

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It is all clay.
The dredge I am looking at useing is a suction dredge like is used for gold mining. So the only thing bad would be the loss of water with the sludge.

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What will you do with the sludge?


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Originally Posted By: Dave Davidson1
What will you do with the sludge?


yuck....dave dats gonna be some tinky stuff!

wonder if any cats with get in the suction?


Fishing has never been about the fish....

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In situations where I've seen muck sucked out of ponds the slurry of sludge water is pumped to an adjacent area (tree area or low land) and the water is allowed to soak away leaving a layer of organic nutrient rich sludge on top. Sludge is almost all organic, that biologically decomposes and would be very good for a garden or place you wanted plants to grow.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 06/25/13 08:16 AM.

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Originally Posted By: Bill Cody
In situations where I've seen muck sucked out of ponds the slurry of sludge water is pumped to an adjacent area (tree area or low land) and the water is allowed to soak away leaving a layer of organic nutrient rich sludge on top. Sludge is almost all organic, that biologically decomposes and would be very good for a garden or place you wanted plants to grow.


Yes, it is very rich. Can be too rich for much to grow for a couple years. I've got probably 100 ton stacked up now from cleaning my pond out last fall. It was about 4 feet thick in the pond. As someone else posted, unless you get it flattened out it will probably never dry completely.

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Originally Posted By: poppy65
Yes, it is very rich. Can be too rich for much to grow for a couple years. I've got probably 100 ton stacked up now from cleaning my pond out last fall. It was about 4 feet thick in the pond. As someone else posted, unless you get it flattened out it will probably never dry completely.


Do you mind if I ask how big your pond was, and how much it cost to dig it all out, please?

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That is what I plan. There is a low spot adjacent to the pond that has a little bowl to it. I plan on pumping it there.

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There is an excellent discussion going on in another thread here.

Bacteria muck removers

It started just after Cray asked about it. Don't know if you saw it Cray, just thought it was pertinent to what you have going on.

--Jim


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