Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry water tested-what about lime?

Hey joebano, welcome to Pond Boss!

With a pH of 7.3, ag lime or garden lime probably wouldn't hurt anything, but I wouldn't want to use hydrated lime. In fact, you may be better off using an acidic mineral such as aluminum sulphate (alum). If your water is already clear down to 12", you are close to clearing, and probably won't need to add a lot. Probably start with 200# and wait a day. Add ~100# at a time until it settles a bit. If you have to add more than ~500#, better check the pH again before adding more, you wouldn't want your pH to drop below ~6.0.

If your water level is high, the water will clear more as it evaporates, so you may not want to clear it crystal clear while it's full.