Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Nutrient rich pond...

Hello, this is my first post here. I have a 1/2 acre pond that's at least 30 years old. 15 years ago, the house I live in was built on a hill above the pond. Because of the soil components, the septic system required for this house was a plant-rock filter.

So, since the house has been here--according to the old landowners--watermeal has been a problem in the pond. Last summer, I skimmed off around 300 gallons of watermeal and it had absolutely no effect. I also put in an aerator with a bottom-of-the-pond rock diffuser.

My thought has always been that we have too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the pond and after reading extensively, I think this is definitely the case.

My question is, can I get something to decrease the nutrient content of the pond? I've looked at Baraclear but am not sure if it's what I need.

The pond was one of the reasons my wife and I bought the house and other than minnows, it won't support fish. I've added bacteria to increase breakdown of muck and leaves (can't remember the name brand of bacteria) and added Tilapia (died over the winter, will add more in April) and today, treated with Reward (Sonar will be forthcoming). We already have watermeal appearing.

Because of the septic system set up in relation to the physical landmarks of the property, rerouting the runoff is not an option. Can a chemical help me out with a nutrient rich pond?

Thanks for any help.
Jerry B

I'm a long way from being a plant expert; more of a neophyte. I understand that watermeal is double tough to whip. Have you had the water chemically analyzed? I think I would contact Kelly Duffie of Estes Chemical in Houston to get a game plan. Kelly knows everything about water plants. He once posted a picture of a watermeal choked pond that wouldn't support fish. Get on the Forum Directory and get his E-mail info.

Did the tilapia help? With no predators to control them, they are adding to the nutrient overload. Question for more knowledgeable posters: If the pond will support tilapia and minnows, why won't it support other fish? Can tilapia make it where other fish can't?

a few thoughts. yes watermeal is directly tied to nutrient content. However it seems you have switched gears for the better. If you have watermeal reducing nutrinets will not rid of it. You have to eradicate first. Reward takes some effort. However with repeated applications it will work. However SOnar is the best. Once gone nutreints will lessen the likelyhood of it becoming as big of a problem. However if reintroducded you have to again treat quickly or be in the same boat. Not the info you want to hear but it is BY FAR the biggest challenge we face on weed/algae reduction.

Yeah, watermeal is tough. Neither the tilapia nor the aerator made any real difference. I have Sonar coming via FedEx Ground. I've noticed that below my plant-rock filter, the vegetation is extremely lush, which makes sense. I was wondering if there is some kind of plant I could cultivate that requires copious amounts of nutrients. If I could find a way to suck up as many nutrients as possible before it goes down the hill to the pond, it might make things easier.

This year, we're going for a four prong approach: Tilapia, Reward & Sonar, Bacteria to speed decomposition of leaves/crap on the bottom, and the aerator to keep water moving.

We really just kind of wanted a pond to sometimes kill time in the evenings and it's turned into more work than we anticipated and has also been quite expensive.

Thanks for the replies.
Jerry B

I'm afraid the sonar will kill the lush plants as well. I wish you luck I hate that stuff.

Benaires,

Sounds like you're on the right track! You're doing everything we would do, too. Like Greg said, watermeal is a tough contender, but be encouraged, we've had many success stories in keeping it controlled with a similar regimen you are using.