Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants this is my pond! Ain't she a Beauty?

I hope to get this cleared up by next year

If you can get Tilapia they can handle it. Don't know if it is available and legal in Mo.

No, they wont sell it to me here in Mo. I asked the local fishery and he just snubbed his nose at me saying that he wouldnt ever put tilapia in a pond because they root up the bottom and make holes and you cant catch them with a seine or hook for eating

Any idea where all the nutrients are coming from that are feeding your algae? Leaves? Lawn fertilizer? Too many fish? Overfeeding? What?

I would say leaves, this pond is surrounded by trees and if you scrap the bottom you get about a foot deep of leaves and black stinky mud.. I have a picture of it down in the muddy waters part of the forum.

that is actually watermeal and duck weed, I dont think there is any algae

Same difference. As long as you have a continuous supply of nutrients you will have the watermeal and duckweed. Your pond is slowly filling in unless you do something about it.

Thats why I am here and looking for advice and trying to get something positive going for this pond. We bought the farm this time last year and I have just started trying to figure things out. I hope by aerating this is the first step, I really dont know where to go from here though other than Sonar but unless it kills every WM and DW in the pond it will probably come back so I am very reluctant on this route.

trailsguy- Never listen to anyone with a snubbed up nose. They are wrong 99% of the time. Never heard of any holes made by tilapia. Find out for sure if they are illegal to stock. If not illegal find the nearest dealer and go get 20# to the acre. Find the source of your nutrients and clean that up. What is the white plastic for in the bottom of your picture?

White plastic? I think you are referring to my spillway. I mixed up sac crete and tried to make it a little more resistant to damage if it overflows. It is eroding away behind it and I dumped 4 bags of sodium bentonite on the edge and in the water in front of the spillway it actually raised the level couple three inches not sure if it will stay that way or not.

I am not sure which way to go about cleaning it up. Microbes?

The Tilapia will clear all the algea, etc. and they also help with the bottom muck. Methinks your pond guy does not know what he is talking about and will try to sell you chemicals since he can't sell Tilapia. Or does not want to....!!!

I am tempted to try to get 10# and throw in there to see if they live, what can they do throw me in jail? I still dont get why I they would be considered a evasive fish since they will die off in the fall