It's been 7 days since I applied lime to the pond. The color is back to its pretty green shade of olive again and visibility is 28 inches using my white coffee mug on a string. Bad news is, my Alk and Ph hasn't been affected at all. Still reading around 20ppm on the litmus stick and wide range tester indicates a Ph of 9 (checked at around 6pm). Hardness is 0. Looks like I've got other issues contributing to my water chemistry.

About 10 weeks ago I built 6 wire baskets and stuffed them full of wheat straw and a piece of Styrofoam to keep them afloat. I know there isn't anyone who thinks wheat has any where near the clearing factors as Barley, but it's what I can get so figured what the heck. Prior to this my visibility was less than a foot. We've had no rain and abundant sun for nearly 8 weeks,so I'm thinking if anything, I should have a lot less visibility than what I have.

If the wheat straw is in fact dispersing hydrogen peroxide, would this be contributing to my high Ph?

Just for "gins and griggles", I've pulled all the wheat out to see what happens. If the clarity diminishes but my Ph gets better, then I'll know what was causing it. If the clarity diminishes but the ph stays bad, I'll replace the baskets and see if the water clears again. At least I'll satisfy my curiosity about wheat straw and visibility.

If my Alk and Ph isn't being calcium driven, what else could it be and how do I fix it?

Last edited by Mike Whatley; 05/30/18 06:32 PM.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!