Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Alum sulfate

I have a new 1/8 ac pond. I want to clear up the muddy water. The pond is 12 feet in middle. How much alum sulfate and lime should I put in to get it cleared up?

Rainman's general rule is 200 lbs of alum followed by 100 lbs of hydrated lime per acre-foot of water. If you don't have fish yet you can skip the lime.

I suggest getting alum and 5 gallon buckets and do some trials. I found it took 1.1 grams of alum in 5 gallons of water to make it work quickly in my pond water. You must have a really good scale to accurately measure to a tenth of a gram. IIRC that was 157(?) lbs of alum per acre-foot. I have not treated mine. It seems to clear up OK without rain to about 24" visibility although still a tannish color. Still working on a BH issue.

Which part of MO are you? Have you found a source of alum already?

I am in central MO in between St Louis and Columbia along I70.