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I have seen many posts that desribe either maintaining an area of open water or shovelling an area clear of snow in the winter in order to allow plankton to grow/survive. What I am wondering is how cold the water can be and still have plankton grow/survive? I had a great green pond all summer until the water dropped to around 46 degrees a few weeks ago, then it went brown and died. Or at least the 'bloom' died. Now my water is terribly clear. Is it just that I am unlikely to get a bloom in the winter but I can still expect at least some plankton growth? (The other problem with my now clear water is predators have had easy pickings)
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Here in central Texas the bloom usually goes in late October or early November. You really won't get that nice green color when water temps fall below the mid-60's.

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Pottsy - The micoalgae (phytoplankton) in winter are comprised of different taxa than those of summer /warmer water. The phytoplankton community is very dynamic and constantly changing. Dominant species are usu. different each season esp in temperate areas. I analyze phytoplankton weekly from two local municipal res. and dominant / common species are always shifting. Temperature, nutrient levels, and day length (increasing vs decreasing daylength) are all factors that govern phytoplankton composition and density. Those prevelant in winter under ice are present in a lot lower densities than those of summer. Also detrius, bacteria, & zooplanton densities are a lot lower in the cold water. Certain cold water adapted species can bloom under the ice which in my experience occurs most often during very thin snow cover, snow melt, or in areas w/ snow blown off ice. Very early blooms right after ice melt are also common due to slight nutrient pulses. These blooms do not obtain the same densities as the heavy /thick summer bloom. The phytoplankton during winter is more than adequate to supply plenty of oxygen for the pond /lake if snow cover is minimal or removed 20% -40%. That's why the shoveling / snow removal was proposed or anything to keep a little light penetrating into the water.

My pond water (Lk. Erie's southern regions) is currently hovering around 50 deg F. When it approaches 48 - 45 deg it too will also get a lot clearer. This fall it was running abt 4' visibility. You mentiond your water is "terribly clear". Do you have a transparency reading? Get a white disk, maybe a plastic lid abt. 8" dia. put a string / cord through the center, lower it into the water. When it disappears measure the length of line. What is it? I will measure mine tomorrow.

Pottsy, your water will probably continue to clear some until freeze up. For fun we can do a phytoplankton test in November to see just what is in your pond and at what density in the 'terribly clear' water. Let me know if you are interested.


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Hey Bill, I can see a white object to 4 feet and a bit. It also seems that some areas of the pond are clearer then others and I can see it 4 feet+, perhaps due to the phytoplankton moving/collecting in the underwater currents? Right now the water is sitting at a balmy 39 degrees F.
I am always up for 'fun', and November is right around the corner... dang I hate winter. Just let me know what you propose and to the pond I will go.
Thanks.


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Pottsy - Today, 31 Oct, our NW Ohio water was 49 deg F and visibility with the "white" disk was 4'. My 'Terribly clear' is 10' to 14' which is where my pond usu is right before and ofter ice out.

Water Visibility Note: imagine getting up in the morning and only being able to see 4 ft to 5 ft out the window and calling that "clear". Now imagine how thick the fog or particles in the air would have to be to only see for that short of a distance! Well that is your water. As an alternate imagine how thick the air particles would have to be to only see 50-80 ft or at the other extreme, fertilized range of 16"-24". Tremendous numbers, no gigundous numbers, of very tiny and even smaller things in it! Has to be there, for visibilities to be so short.

I propose, just before first ice over which is probably in two to three weeks for you, I get you a sample bottle by mail with some algal preservative in it. Collect a shallow subsurface grab of water pour it into the bottle and send it off to me. We will have a look (1000X) at your 'terrribly clear water'. You won't believe the results and it will only cost you the postage. Or alternative - get some Betadine (iodine skin/wound cleanser) from the drug store (cheapest you can find -Walmart Brand) and use your own small 2oz to 5 oz plasic bottle add about 1/2 teaspoon Betadine to 5 oz pond water; mail it off.

PS: It is common to have areas that are a little clearer or cloudier than the others. "We" call this patchiness and the cloudier areas are due to the living organisms (phyto & zooplankton mostly) collecting or clustering together resulting in cloudier conditions. Clearer areas are a lack of organisms which have clustered. This also results in uneven heating of the water and forming "warm spots". You've probably felt them while swimming.


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Hey Bill, that sounds like a plan, I would be interested to know more about the contents of my pond water. I have two bottles from the city that are for well water testing, they have a granular white substance in them that is a preservative of some description, would this likely be similar to what you suggest?


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Pottsy - Wrong preservative. Your "white" presevative is for stabilizing certain water chemistries. We want an iodine or gluteraldehyde preservative for phytoplankton. Any ideas or guess what volume is for the bottles? We need 3 to 4 oz.


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Hey Bill, they are about 6 oz... actually closer to 7 maybe. I will check at WalMart for smaller containers as well as Iodine. FYI- Pond froze over a few days ago... no sign of thawing back out yet but I am confident we will get a warm snap that will open her back up.


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Pottsy - 6 or 7 oz bottle is okay but Why don't I just send you a bottle and preservative? It could be there, even by snail mail, by the time ice melts Email me your address BC


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Pottsy - Got the water after a week in the mail. Preservation technique was good; you're trainable. Mail is always slow across the border. Plenty of microalgae in your "terribly clear pond water". A summary follows, specific details were emailed to you.
Numbers unless noted are in cells per milliliter (cubic centimeter)
CYANOBACTERIA - Bluegreens 23,978
PICOPLANKTON unicells 1-2um dia 1,871
CHLOROPHYTA green algae 5,354
CHRYSOPHYTA golden brown algae 2,694
BACILLARIOPHYTA diatoms 625
MICROFLAGELLATES 69
Total cells 34,591/ml or 1,023,894 per ounce!
The suspended detritus particles were:
0.1-1um dia =426,750/ml
1-5um dia =133,360/ml
Total 560,110/ml
Total detritus per ounce 16,579,256

Now you have a idea why you can only see four feet deep into your water.


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Thanks again Bill, this is really interesting information. I knew there were many of the miniscule organisms in the water but the variety and shere number of them is incredible. Is there a specific type that is most beneficial in the food chain or do they all play a fairly equal role?


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Microalgae / Planktonic Algae - Most Beneficial Types. The least beneficial group would probably be the blue-greens or Cyanobacteria or Cyanophyta esp. the large filamentous and colonial types. These are often too large for zooplankton to filter from the water. I think the blue-greens are also the least nutritious of the algal groups. Many zooplankton are pretty much indiscriminate filters and strain, collect, and eat microalgae and organic detritus from the water. There is a big size range for the planktonic animals that inhabit the water column. The bigger filter feeding organism you are the bigger things you can eat; however exceptions occur. Most protozoans (one celled animals) range in size from 20um (1/50mm) to 250um (1/4mm). Rotifers range from 50um to 250um and the largest types are abt. 1000um (1mm). Planktonic Crustacea are usu. 250um to the largest of 18mm; however most are 500um to 1000um. When you are this small you have to eat things a lot smaller than yourself.

These organisms are responsible for collecting the "green" water and moving it up to the next feeding level; phytoplankton as the food or nutrition-energy goes to zooplankton. Phytoplankton are eaten for only a short while by newly hatched fish. As they quickly increasse in size they switch to smaller zooplankton then larger zooplankton. The medium and larger zooplankton are eaten usu. by the smallest fish. Now the food or energy is in the third level. Lots of phytoplankton are required to produce food for the small fingerling fish.


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