Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Need some advice. Newly dredged HOA pond.

Greetings. Been lurking and reading for a little while and finally registered for an account. Hoping the many members can help guide me towards a solid plan for an HOA pond. I am at a basic level when it comes to nuisance plant ID, treatment options but willing to try and put forth effort.

The pond is about 1/2 acre pond, rock bottom, 6-7 ft max depth, has 1 inlet from a creek and overflow keeping the depth fairly consistent. It was drained and dug out last year due to sediment from upstream building/runoff. This construction has been completed 5-6 years ago.

There is no livestock in the pond outside of a few minnows that have traveled down the creek. The overflow concerns me with stocking since large rains nave a ton of water through and likely would take fish with it.

We had some algae issues and currently have some filamentous alge. Some chara was there last year.

Current plan of action and looking for thoughts, ideas, and guidance on everything.
We are looking at aeration. Hi-Blow LL-100 with 2 Matala diffusers and weighted line. I have used Crystal Plex (local store recommendation) for FA 1 time late last year. I have a 5 gallon back pack sprayer. Outside of that we have no chemical treatment and frankly has been very confusing with online research.

Will the Crystal Plex work ok or should I get Cutrine?
Do I need a surfactant like CideKick or Cygnet?
For algae that is closer to the bottom I assume I need Cutrine Granules are better?
Bacteria? Lost here, I understand necessary to help with excessive nutrients but is there a pack we could use?
Mainly looking to create something we could make a schedule, easy to apply and easy to find/buy supplies in case someone else manages the pond. Our main goal isn't fishing it is just a clear surface

Will see if I can upload some pics.

You want to control algae and Chara really well in that pond with no bass, put around 5-7 pounds of tilapia in it as soon as the water reaches 65F. Since there is no bass present maybe you can use small tilapia 2"-5". Blue tilapia work well but others are also acceptable. Check with local aquaculture or aquaponics guys who often raise tilapia indoors. Craig's list is a good place to start searching.

Flyguy,

Welcome to PBF!

Can you expand a little on this statement. Do you have any interest in fishing the pond? Do you want any wildlife like frogs, turtles, etc. or are just a looking for a clear body of water with little to no wild life?

IMO Bill C's suggestion for algae control is a good one but, keep in mind, tilapia will die each fall if the water temp in your area drops to 45 degrees and, in the absence of predators such as LMB, there will be a lot of dead tilapia floating and/or on the bottom of the pond, at least until they decay or are eaten by scavengers.

Another option in your case, if you don't really want fish, might be using a good pond dye as first effort to suppress algae growth and products like Cutrine, if further algae control is required. I would still stock a minnow like fatheads for mosquito control though.

I'm not a pro....Just my 1 cent

You bet. The reason I said that is because of the overflow. When we get a solid rain this pond takes on a good amount of water runoff and I am concerned stocked fish will travel right along through. Am I safe assuming this?

We have quite a bit of wildlife, which was a selling point for me on the property. Frogs, turtles, ducks, etc. I definitely wouldn't mind having fish back there but it won't be a fishing spot with lake Jacomo 1 mile away.

Appreciate the early advice and more to come. When I was doing saltwater aquariums I found similar forums to be invaluable!

Any fish in the pond now?

Nothing that I have stocked but I think there are a few minnows that came down from the creek. Last year we had some bluegill in there before the drainage/excavation began.

Is there a method to train the fish not to go to the overflow. Possibly a dumb question but do some fish, I would want, huddle toward the bottom during storms? I don't mind getting some fish but my guess is they will go over.

Flyguy is the overflow wide so the flow will be shallow and slower? If so you will not loose many fish. If when overflowing the water is fast moving and deep then yes you will loose some each time. This has been my experience anyway. If you try screen it off with wire or fencing you will find it will fill up with debris and cause new problems. I have an 18" culvert overflow I found when that pipe gets near full it sucks through a lot of fish. I put a 55 gallon drum over it with 1 1/2" and 2" holes all over it. This slows the flow and seems to save my fish. At least that what I tell myself. It does of course take longer to drain down back to normal level.

The overflow is concrete, about 8 x 6 with a small notch about 1' across. Normal times the flow is such fish can't get out, it's just when the big rains hit and we have a lot of water moving. Having said that I guess it is only 3-4 inches above the overflow.

I wondered about making some sort of screen but was fairly certain it would be a nightmare trying to keep it clean.

With what you see and what I have said is stocking some tilapia an option?

Well shoot, looks like I can't add tilapia to the pond. Any other recommendations? I read the post about crayfish as being an option?

To me this looks like a pond in a creek. Treatments may not work so well if there is too much flow-through and the dye and or chemicals are rinsed right out. I would go the Tilapia route if they are legal where you are located. Fun to watch, and will clean it right up... until the water gets cold.

Good luck
-Mark

Cool project!

I highly recommend an aeration system combined with a concentrated bacteria additive. This works well on ponds with moderate growth of benthic and filamentous algae. It avoids pesticides such as Cutrine that will harm your zooplankton populations. When this does not work, Cutrine Plus is the next step. A rate of .75/acre foot is a good starting point and should work. Be sure to use a surfactant like Cide Kick. Feel free to ask any more questions. An aeration system is always advised for a healthy pond!

Algaegrower, since you deal with this alot, can you tell us how we can tell which bacteria additive will work and which won't work when we can't even find out from the label what bacteria it is?

I'd love to read literature where a controlled trial is set up to test one bacteria concentrant against another and see how the results stack up. I'm so confused with all the claims about 'warm water bacteria' vs cold water bacteria and how to sort through all the hype.

I would think pond dye would be the easiest for what you want.

Canyon Creek,

That is the problem with the industry surrounding bacterial products today. They are not pesticieds, so it is actually illegal for them to make any direct claims for killing algae. Other than that they can tell people what ever they want. Really the only way of finding a good product is talking to other pond contractors, at conferences, etc. Or simply through trial and error.

There have been no published studys on concentrated microbes so essentially there is no scientific evidence behind it (that is published) because if in fact someone did discover their bacteria killed algae then that company would have to obtain a pesticide license ($$$). What I can tell you is these products do not digest muck at a rate that will be noticeable, especially when there is a constant organic load to the system, except if there is no load, and it is aerated, and observed over many years. The brand we use is called MicroLife Clear Max, and have seen excellent results with it. Still, some algae species do seem to outcompete it and pesticides do need to be used, but often an integrated approach of aeration, bacteria, and small copper spot treatments is the solution to these troubled ponds & lakes.

Often the bacteria with aeration can take care of the problem it self. Effects are exponentially increased with air.