Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Plankton bloom

I'm assuming this is what this is a picture of. Beings that I am a pond rookie, this is the first time i've ever seen this.

That is indeed a plankton bloom. Very strong bloom. Did you fertilize ?

no sir I didn't. Water is still quite muddy from filling up. Is a "very strong bloom" a good or bad thing???

Don't usually see a plankton bloom in a muddy pond. If you stick your hand in the water - how far down in the water does your hand go before you can't see it ? If 18 inches (elbow) you are ok. You don't want it to get less than 12 inches.

Phytoplankton

form the base of the food

chain and are eaten by small

animal organisms, which

serve as food for bream,

which in turn are eaten by

bass. Phytoplankton make

the water turn green, or

“bloom,” which also shades

the bottom and discourages

growth of troublesome

aquatic weeds.



Although the plankton blooms

that result from fertilization can

be highly desirable, too much

bloom can cause problems. Dense

plankton blooms (Secchi disk visibility

<12 inches) can lead to: 1)

plankton die-offs that deplete dissolved

oxygen; 2) critically lower

dissolved oxygen readings in the

morning; and 3) elevated after-

noon pH levels which increase the

concentration of unionized (toxic)

ammonia in the water. All of these

conditions can stress fish. In some

cases, dense algae blooms even

produce toxins.

not at the house now but it is definately less than 12 inches. Probably more like 6 inches. I defiantely need some gypsum to help clear it. I did the jar test and gypsum worked great. My only concern with the gypsum is the amount of silt that will settle to the bottom. Pond is only around 8' at the deepest. Pond is all excavated.

Here is another picture of the water taken at the same time. The water is green only in some areas.

Keith, do some research on alum to clear up your pond, it's a lot more effective, just watch your PH levels. I had the same problem. I put 2 50 lb. bags directly into the water via paddling around in a jon boat, and placed 6 more where the major runoff channel entered the 2 acre pond. It lasted 2 years and muddy water was history.

Right now in Western Central Arkansas we're having severe pollen from trees. Green dust is everywhere thick and even makes the water look green. Could that just be pollen on your pond?

It's possible but I seriously doubt it. Earlier in the year I definately had pollen in the pond but this looks totally different.

See if this helps

mine is more muddy with green areas. This is what the pond looked like a few months ago so I guess today it does have somewhat of a green tint to it. Maybe I'm just being optomistic.