Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water water clarity....gone

Posts: 27
Loc: new york chenango county

I have a well established pond in the south central area of New York state that is approximately 1 acre....it has a max depth of 9 feet and having owned it for nearly 13 years I have never experienced it muddy like it has turned in past month....the clarity has basically been the same year round and I have no idea as to its cause or treatment. It is surrounded by lush green vegetation and has never had as much as algae in past. Do you have any idea as to possible causes and or treatment...thanks for your time and input....mike

Is it possible that somehow bullheads got into the pond?

Unless you've had some really heavy rain and wind to stir up/bring in colloidal clay/mud, it is probably a brown algae that can look muddy. Try taking a couple water samples in clear jars....take one simply by letting the jar fill with water on top.....for the second sample, put the jar, upside down, go as deep as you can (in water not muddied by walking into the pond) and then flip the jar to fill and lift straight up and out of the water, or seal it as soon as it fills.

If both jars look equally turbid, put one jar on a someplace that gets natural daylight and put the other jar in a dark closet and do not disturb them for at least 4 days.

If both jars clear, and you have sediment on the bottom of the jar, something mechanical is muddying the pond like wind/wave action, bullhead catfish, or some sort of carp (includes Koi and goldfish)

If the jar in light does not clear, but the jar in the dark does clear, it is a brown algae which will die off on it's own when temps change.

If neither jar clears, go to any grocery store spice aisle and buy some Alum.....sprinkle in 1/2 tsp per quart, shake, and see how fast it clears.

there does appear to be a transparent, however thin, "slime" layer over pond...would this be consistent with a brown algae?

Yes that can happen with any heavy plankton bloom (green or brown).