Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization Bloom started by swimming

A few days ago I was working around the property when a friend called and wanted to bring his 4 yr old granddaughter out to watch the fish feed @ the feeder. It was hot and humid and we decided to go for a swim or a dip. Not much swimming, more like a cooling off. Two days later, I had a green pea colored water (Bloom) over the area where we swam. The area covered 50 yds wide and 30 yds deep and a vein of the same that was 10 yd's wide and 100 yd's long that started @ the swimming area and to the middle of the pond. I am guessing we stirred up the bottom where a month ago, I had added some alfalfa pellets to the pond. The water color and clarity (visibility) of the pond was in the 18" range with a nice olive green color before this bloom, so I will see how this will effect the water.
So would you recommend not swimming or swimming in this
area of the pond? Now I am thinking about swimming every so often to keep a bloom going, so what u think? This is a 3.5 acre new pond with no veggies. With large numbers of forage fish and lots of crawfish. Hope to make it a trophy LMB pond, CBLMB going in in a few days.



Tracy

My guess is swimming stirred up some of the nutrients that were on the pond bottom, distributing them thru the water column, that's why the bloom happened. It's good exercise!!!

Or maybe add a small amount of water soluble pond fertilizer to the pond to keep the bloom going?

Most all shampoo and soap is full of phosphates. I am not sure if enough could come off everyone swimming. Maybe some one pee'ed in your pool?

I see it with my hot tub once in a while. The odd person has soap on them and it all comes off in the hot tub.

esshup I think u r right about stirring up nutrients from the bottom when we went swimming. I am thinking maybe I could do a little swim every few days to keep the bloom going. the pond looked greener today, but with all the rain we have had lately, the pond is a little cloudy and green.
DonaBBD, u remind me of the movie where these guys all peed in the public pool and the water turned green, Showing everyone they peed in the pool. I cant remember the name of the movie, but I am thinking u might be in those group of guys.

Tracy

I do a couple of unapproved practices in my pond specifically to stir up the bottom.

I feed all around the perimeter (instead of in a few select spots) and I mix in a small percentage of sinking catfish food with the floating food.

I can see the catfish rooting around in the bottom to get the sinking food. Can also see the cloud of sediment they stir up. Settles back out quickly though.

Don't know if it does any good, but my thinking is that stirring the bottom and getting the nutrients in the water column should be a good thing go go along with the aeration.

Kevin James from grown ups. Tee he he funny.

DonoBBD, that's the movie I was thinking of. Thanks and I did another dip in the pond yesterday hoping to keep the bloom going by stirring up the bottom which seems to be high in nutrients. Will see if it keeps it going. if it works, it's better than adding more fertilizer, Maybe?

Tracy