Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction new member- hello to all!! murky water/algae iss

First of all, thanks for a great site!! I came across this site last summer after i experienced a fish kill in my pond due to the extreme heat/drought. I built an aeration system from the info i gleaned from this forum. So far it is working well. I ran it all winter but i am still experiencing an issue with murky water. I also seem to be experiencing early algae growth this year. In previous years i have used cutrine to try to keep the algae in check but not sure if i should use again this year. The labeling indicates not to treat more than 1/3 of the surface area at a time. Does anyone know if this will be a problem since i am running the aeration system 24/7? Didn't know if the increased water circulation will cause any problems. If anyone has any tips or suggestions for the water clarity/algae i would appreciate it.

Hi Eric. There shouldn't be any issues with treating your entire pond with Cutrine at this time of year with or without aeration. I back off and only treat 1/3-1/2 of a pond during the summer once the water temps get into the mid 80's or higher. An aeration system may allow you to get away with treating most of the ponds surface for a good part of the year but I would error on the side of caution if you have a heavy algae bloom and/or if we are in the dog days of summer. Always evaluate the specific situation before treating. If you have murky water Im guessing you primarily have a band around the shoreline? I'm just up the road from you in southern Madison county. I checked the water temps this past weekend and we were only in the mid 50's up here which is still a little on the cool side for treatments. This weekend is supposed to be cooler so it may be a couple of weeks yet before you get the full effects of a cutrine treatment. How big is the pond and what is your max and ave depth of the pond? Have you taken a couple of water samples to see if the water clears up in the jar on its own or with the addition of alum yet? Does the water tend to clear up on its own later in the summer?

mike

Mike, thanks for the reply. I will have to try a couple samples to see what happens. It did cool off quite a bit after that storm last night so I will probably wait a couple weeks before i try to apply anything. In answer to your question the pond is just over a half acre. It is about 7' at its deepest point and averages probably just over 3'. It does have a pretty deep layer of muck too. I'm hoping that over time the aeration will help with that. I'll see how things go as the weather gets warmer.

Eric

Hi Eric, fyi I sent you a PM.

Mike