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Todd, here u go from recent LSU water test.
Alk - 180.56 LSU put it in the medium range
Hardness - 46.76 LSU had no range here (high or low)
Visibility 9 to 10" of a cloudy light green water, it's more of a milky cloudy than green.

ewest, using only my input of information available to him, commented low vis could be due to drought conditions, high fish count and feeding. I could agree with that. I've been in a drought at my place for the past two years with no flush of pond water.

My recent research here at this forum (in the muddy water forum list), I found reported by Northband on 7/26/17 titled Cloudy water, aeration and enzymes. He experienced cloudy water due to excess bacterial growth after adding a bacteria, enzyme and dye product. I added a similar product Last Oct. I also found in aquariums where water was cloudy sometimes it was due to excess bacteria blooms. It is possible I am having a bacterial bloom I think.

I also just added this week 3 tons of Gypsum to the pond to increase the calcium content in the water. I did not add it to clear the water because I new it would take much more gyp than the 3 tons I planned to add.

One more thing, it really sucks having the water color and clarity I have. especially if I caused it by adding the bacteria.



Last edited by TGW1; 02/11/18 08:45 AM.

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Has Bill looked at the water? If suspended dirt/clay has been ruled out then it is likely chemical (imbalance) or biological (plankton/bacteria etc.)or a combination of both and either could be the cause or effect.
















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Eric, Bill sent me the information on how too and I have the water sample prepared as he suggested, I just need to drop it off in the mail. I just need to get into town to the post office.


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I bet you will be surprised by the results unless Bill has already given you his opinion.

Did you get more rain. I am guessing things will fix themselves once you get enough rain due to what you have already added.

Last edited by ewest; 02/12/18 12:45 PM.















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A little rain but not any measurable rain at one time since the good rain event a few days back. Looks like we may have 100% chance of rain each day for the next week but we shall see. Another good rain event would help a lot. In a normal year here, we would see the local rivers be out of the banks this time of year. And we are not seeing that so far. And I dropped the sample in the mail to Bill Cody yesterday along with a note to what I am seeing. I am very interested in seeing Bill Cody's results.

While doing some Alum treatment experimentation, I saw a small amount of Alum would drop out the plankton(green stuff) to the bottom of the gallon container, but the sample would remain a light cloud colored cloudy water with low visibility. The low visibility is coming from the cloudy water and not the plankton bloom. And after adding additional alum then the cloudy water would turn crystal clear.

I also reported here the pH was an 8.73 but it is a 8.37. My mistake. I want the water to have better visibility and may wait and see, but I may add the alum and leaning that way, so we'll see how the water does if we get some more rain. The recent rain event made little to no change in visibility.


Last edited by TGW1; 02/13/18 11:10 AM.

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Have you read this in light of your test results ?

https://srac.tamu.edu/serveFactSheet/108
















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Thanks Eric for the tamu fact sheet. The chart for Alum pounds per acre is pretty useful. If the chart is correct, and I believe it is, it might take less Alum than using the ( grams per gallon of water) test have shown.

I am now using a five gallon bucket test at the pond and adding a qtr tsp of Alum to the sample. I think I can get the weight of the tsp sample for treatment of the pond.

The first test with the bucket I added 3/4 tsp and the water had cleared up when I checked it the next day. The pH was tested and there was a drop in the pH from the strips it looked to be in the 6.5 to 7 range. Hard to tell exactly using strips.

I am now testing using 1/2 tsp and will ck on bucket test today.


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Hey Tracy I was curious if your pond conditions have changed after all the recent rain? How much rain did you receive, and how much did pond level rise? What happened to visibility and color?


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+1 I'm also curious. Also, have you received any feedback from Bill C. on the sample you sent him?


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Sorry guys if I left you hanging with no follow up report on my part. So right now the pond has come up around 3' from the rains and the water visibility remains at or around 11" of a light green with colloidal clays suspected from the rains. But the low visibility could be coming from detritus that was or is stirred from the bottom of the pond. So right now it is a wait and see if things will settle out. I am figuring I got around a 30% dilution of the pond water. It lacked about a half inch from rising enough to go through the syphon. My syphon pulls from about 6' water depths and that is due to the ponds bottom design. It does not pull from the 12 water depth, the deepest part of the pond.

Bill Cody ran a test for me and provided some information for me to think about. It was determined that a lot of the low water clarity came from Detritus that was or had been stirred from the ponds bottom. Bill C. and I discussed what might be disturbing the ponds bottom and I don't see anything in the pond that could do that. No bullheads, no catfish, and no carp or goldfish. There are a few crawfish around but with the lmb in the pond that pretty much eliminates any possibility of excess crawfish in the pond. But, if I understood all of it, there was a possibility that really small microorganisms are hard to distinguish from detritus. And I find it too coincidental that shortly after adding a biological treatment to the pond the water visibility reduced to 9 or 10" of a light colored cloudy water. But there is one more possibility. I think it could be the diffusers stirring up the bottom in a pond that had reduced amount of water in it due to drought. So, starting soon I will restart the aeration and I am going to reduce the hrs diffusers will be run. I am going to run them no more than 12 hrs per day instead of 24/7. And I am going to run them only at night. Hopefully, to reduce the hot water I saw this past summer. Mr's Lusk's Wednesday evenings facebook program lead me to this change from what I have been doing with the diffusers.

After all this with the frustration experienced, if I don't get back to where the water used to be I might just pull my hair out and say screw it.


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Originally Posted By: FireIsHot
Tracy, how are you going to spread your gypsum? I've used tarps under bucket loads of gypsum, and a nozzled 2" pump to spread it. It went pretty quick. I think I have a video, I'll check. I need 20-30 tons gypsum myself, but we have to get it from OK, and it's $$$.

Al, why are u using the gypsum? And how often are you adding it to the pond? I am using it to increase my calcium which was really low. My hardness was ok but I would feel better about a higher ppm of calcium to assist in growing the lmb. Hay, if it helps to clear up some of my water that would be nice too.

OOPs, sorry Al I went back here and found out why u r adding the gyp.

Last edited by TGW1; 03/06/18 10:23 AM.

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Isn't Ag Lime cheaper than the Gypsum there?.

Last edited by Rainman; 03/08/18 03:17 AM. Reason: removing a stupid post


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Originally Posted By: Rainman
Isn't Ag Lime cheaper than the Gypsum there? If only adding Calcium, consider baking soda (calcium Carbonate) which can be purchased in bulk pretty inexpensively.



Baking soda is Sodium bicarbonate and does not contain calcium. It will increase alkalinity, but it will not increase hardness.

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Originally Posted By: TGW1
...After all this with the frustration experienced, if I don't get back to where the water used to be I might just pull my hair out and say screw it.



AL

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Thanks Al, I needed that. I have never rolled over and played dead so not likely to do it now. lol smile .


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Originally Posted By: TGW1
...I have never rolled over and played dead so not likely to do it now. lol smile .


Tom and I didn't think you would. Sometimes we just need to step back, clear our minds, re-access, and then head back at it. I've had to do that several times when the amount of time, money, and effort just didn't seem to be showing the results I thought it should.

The prize you're chasing will be worth your efforts.


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Take time to enjoy the journey. The journey is not all roses but through the effort the roses become appreciated.
















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I never thought I would be looking for a support group (other than church). thank goodness you guys are here. smile


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Has anyone tried to put a water pump in a boat and pump surface water down into the muck at the pond bottom to try to get oxygen into the muck. And also get an algae bloom going.

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Originally Posted By: Acoursey
Originally Posted By: Rainman
Isn't Ag Lime cheaper than the Gypsum there? If only adding Calcium, consider baking soda (calcium Carbonate) which can be purchased in bulk pretty inexpensively.



Baking soda is Sodium bicarbonate and does not contain calcium. It will increase alkalinity, but it will not increase hardness.


I stand corrected...my bad....Thanks!!! (I was tired! lol)



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I have a question, so maybe someone has an answer. On Bob's Wednesday face book program, he said he wanted a fertile pond in the spring and I understand that. But then he said he preferred a pond with clear water in the summer. And that is something I have never seen at my place. I will usually get a dense Bloom in June and water clarity may even go to 12". So how does one go from 18 to 24" of green water to clear water in early summer? The only way I can get there is to use an algaecide "I'm guessing". Is Bob recommending an algaecide be used to clear up the water? Adding it before our water temps come up(usually in early June)? And from past conversations with others here, One has to be extremely careful when adding an algaecide to kill of plankton? Wright? Should I be doing this at my place where I fight a couple of dense blooms early and late summer? What if I do it early, would that maybe eliminate me doing it again for that second dense bloom I see each summer and fall? And what product would I use, I don't want to kill off my new to pond American pondweed.

Maybe Bob will talk about this next Wednesday's Face book program. I really like his face book program.

Thanks


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Clear water can have a lot of meanings !

It is not uncommon for a fertile pond to have a strong spring/early summer bloom with it diminishing (or going from green to brownish) over the summer as forms of plankton change due to productivity and predation. If you are fertilizing that is when you add small amounts of additional fertilizer to try and keep 18 to 24 inches of visibility.

I do not believe in whip-sawing different treatments and approaches as that often has very negative consequences that can not be anticipated or controlled. Here I add an old Bruce Condello admonition - it only takes about 15 minutes of mistake (low O2) to do a lot of damage.
















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Thanks Eric, I hear ya smile Thanks again, I need some plants to help reduce my excess nutrients. I think that would help to clear up the water some.


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