Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Needing Help from the experts.

I am going to be trying to clear my 1 1/4 acre pond with gypsum. I need to know how to spread/disperse it. After researching it shows I need about 1800 pounds and I am not sure how to spread it out. Thanks for the help.

TKD, I assume you are trying to clear a muddy pond...? Have you looked for, or know the souce of the muddy water?

Gypsum only works about 40-50% of the time to clear a pond. The usual way to spread it (or ag lime) is a floating dock or platform, pile on as much gypsum and use a trash pump to blast the gypsum off into the water as you troll around the pond. Alum is 100% effective and usually less costly.

Rainman, I have suspended clay. It has been muddy since it was dug almost 2 years ago. I don't have any water coming into my pond, just rain water. I did the gal jug test with different amounts of gypsum and it worked. Doesn't Alum lower PH quite a bit? I want to do whatever works. How much Alum would I need for a pond my size if that is what I need? Thanks

TKD,
We've had good success with gypsum at Bob Lusk Outdoors pond management company. What's your cost with that amount of gypsum?

Your decision on whether to use alum or gypsum should be based on experimental simulations in sample jugs. For gypsum simulation, I use 1.4gram additions of gypsum to a 1 gallon sample in order to simulate 1000lbs per acre/ft of pond water. For alum simulation, I use .14gram to simulate 100lbs per acre/ft.

If you use Alum, you also need to use hydrated lime at a rate that corresponds to 40% of the total alum used. Also you definitely need a dust mask!

I lean towards gypsum for most cases, because raising calcium hardness is beneficial for overall pond health, bulk amounts of undissolved calcium may stay on pond bottom for available dissolution in the future, and there is less risk of harming the fish.

Easiest way to disperse gypsum in small pond is to dump by pond edge, on a slope, then blast down the pile with a water pump and jet out the slurry with a boat motor. Just dock the boat against the shoreline and propel the slurry out.

We supply bulk gypsum at $150 per ton here at our live fish market. Your 1800lb gypsum quota won't take long to disperse, using the method I described. My advise is to double or triple the gypsum amount if you are going to all of this trouble, because you want this to work, and for a long time!

Thanks for helping me with this aggravating situation. Since you said I can put 3 times the amount I am guessing it would only help putting extra??? Where at in Texas are you? I am 64 miles from Texas line on I-10. You said you sell it in bulk. How would I have to pick it up? How is it packaged?

Bob, I priced it at a feed store and it was $9.00 for 40lb bag. That adds up to about 420.00 for 1 ton. What is your price, is it sold in bulk and how would I transport it? I am pretty far from you so probably not worth the long trip.

I recently picked up 3 tons of gyp from Overtons. They really make it easy to do. Using a duel axel trailer and a cheap tarp to make a 3.5 hr trip. It would take much more gyp to clear my pond, I am using it to raise the calcium in my pond water. If it clears up the water some that is good too.

What is your Ph and alkalinity? Ag lime might work and be needed.

Overton's does deliver but I am not sure how far they will go to bring a load. I got both some Ag lime and Gypsum delivered and it is quality stuff.

Dang TGW1, If 3 Tons doesn't clear it up, how many acres and how deep is it? I would hope that 2 or 3 tons would clear mine up. My pond has about 6 ft average. Thanks

Brian, I am getting my water tested so I will know. I tested it last summer and my PH was 6.72 and alkalinity was 27. What do you think I need?

TKD, my pond is a little over 3 acres depending on what time of year. Rainy season it's larger than it is in the summer. Now I am no expert but looking at what you posted on your alk and pH I would add some agg lime to your pond. Raise the pH to the 7.2 range and the alk will come up also. That will help to clear up the water in many cases. There are several ways to add it to a full pond. I add it by running water over it and washing it into the pond.

Ag lime.

If you can get a spreader truck to it I would have them back up or drive around it with the truck. THe truck will throw it either in a 180 degrees or 90 degrees with plate installed. It throws it 60-90 feet in an arch pattern.

There will be a minimum amount around 5-6 tons at about $40/ton. I had them back up to pond in about 5 different spots, then drive around the dam and up the watershed. Guessing I put 3 tons in pond, and 3 on ground. I wish now I would have had them put more in the shallow spawning areas and made it have a little more gravel type bottom. Next time that is what I will do.

It raised my Ph from 7 to 8.5 and alk from 60(I think) to 120.. I think you will benefit from the increaced Ph and alkalinity, plus it will help clear it up. If it doesn't clear it as much as you like, you still have the Alum and gypsum option.

Agree with Brian. Here is a spreader truck with lime.

ewest, I'm curious, how did you attach a file AND get it to show up in the body of your message? Most of the other posts that have an attachment picture you have to manually click on it and it opens in a new tab. I know you can embed pictures in the body of the post using a 3rd party photo hosting site but wasn't sure you got it to show up in the body of the message without using a 3rd part hosting site!

Click on the file and paste it in the post using [img] to front and [/img] to the end. Here is the one above with front bracket removed to keep it from working.

img]http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.ph...zps9e1f79b8.JPG[/img]

Brilliant! Thanks, that is why the thread is called need help from one of the experts, thanks for being one of the experts!

So your saying start with how much Lime? If it doesn't work to go with gypsum??

I think lime trucks like in the picture above will usually deliver 4 to 6 tons. I have had them disperse half of it in and around the pond and then had them empty the truck into a mound where I could go back with the front end loader on the tractor when I needed to add more lime. How much really depends on how well it is spread around the pond and where it is spread. Windy shoreline do better than a protected shoreline.

Trucks like the one above can carry 10 tons but they would rather not carry that much. I have done what TGW said and even on occasion had a couple jon boats with a 2x4 and plywood deck pulled up and had the truck put some on the deck. Then put in the pond from there. It is best if the lime can be spread out at several spots in the pond.

You probably need about a 1-2 tons, but you can't really put in too much. Ph with lime with cap at 8.5. When I have them do it again, I am going to have them put 2-3 tons along a shallow shelf that I have, the rest I will have them drive around the pond. Only about 1/3 of that goes in the pond. Then put what is left in the watershed.

GIve it 1-2 months, and see what happens. If it stays muddy after lime, then decide alum or gypsum.

Suspended clay is un bonded silica and nutrients. Most of the time they are of a positive charge because naturally soil is positive.

As Rainman has stated alum will clear up 99% of suspended clay because of how it is a negative particle looking for a positive bond. Giving your water solution the correct charge with out pushing your PH out of wack to much will flock the clay out of the solution. Rainman knows his alum treatment and you should take note of his suggestions.

Sulfur is sulfur how ever you want to add it. Just make sure it is soluble and as fine as your clay particles you want to flock. If not you will have added dirt to the bottom of your pond. Different gypsum has different amounts of sulfur that is soluble. Getting the correct amount could be a crap shoot.

Cheers Don.

Calcite or Calcium carbonate you can't screw up with. It is the most abundant element on the face of the earth and is the best addition to any home garden you can add. If pure calcium carbonate will buffer your PH to 7.2 and hold it there. This is the same with our pond water. Soluble calcium carbonate will buffer our pond water and keep it at 7.2 or try to.

Dolomite lime you can add too much because of how much magnesium it brings along for the ride. I am not a big fan of heavy metals.

Cheers Don.

Dono, I know we disagree on the use of Dolomite, and your disliking magnesium. Mg is an essential mineral for fish. It is virtually impossible to "overdose" or have too much from using Dolomite limestone. I don't know of a single situation of magnesium being too high in a pond, nor do I know of any scientific dangers from the mineral. In fact, I only know of benefits from magnesium, but regardless, I completely disagree that "too much" dolomite sourced Ag Lime can be added to a pond. Also, I know Mg is an essential mineral, but never heard it called a heavy metal before.

I also know toxicity with any essential mineral IS possible, yet it is almost exclusively due to an imbalance in the ratios of essential minerals, and those imbalances are most often the result of an injury or disease, not merely from being present in the pond/lake water. Only so much Calcium, or magnesium will dissolve into water, and dolomite provides a source to restore both both of the essential minerals of calcium and magnesium as fish consume them from the water.