Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Do fish help with clarity?

I have a 1/2 acre swim pond we put in a few years ago and It’s never had fish

It has a liner and is self contained as we sit-up on a hill


It was all woods when we put it in 3 years ago. The problem is it’s all murky now with a ton of frogs and leaves


Any fish that would help clear it up or any chemical we can throw in to clear it up?


We have an aerator and a fountain going ? Would another aerator help?

Thank you

Nope. The only thing that will help is underwater plants to utilize as many of the nutrients as possible. Or a big filter.

Thank you for the reply

Any ideas on plant type? Where to buy?

Thank you

Pretty much anything that grows underwater and isn't considered invasive. Any of the North American Vallisneria species, any of the Potamogeton species, Sago Pondweed Stuckenia pectinata, even Chara (which is a type of algae) are some of the ones that I've seen in ponds where they have relatively clear water.

A customer that has battled excess nutrients and poor water quality for years has had a terrible time trying to get native plants established due to steep banks and very low sunlight penetration. We laid out all the pro's and cons AND the expense of doing this, but he is on-board. I don't recommend doing this unless you have the knowledge, and resources to do this.We did this because it was relatively safe to do so, meaning that we weren't introducing a species that wasn't prevalent downstream (in the watershed) from his pond. We stocked his 4 acre pond with Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) to clear up the water column so the sunlight would hit the pond bottom. Now we are in the process of stocking some of those above listed species in his pond. Once they get a foothold, we will start killing off parts of the EWM in his pond to allow the native plants to spread. Once they have a good population, we will annually treat the pond to kill the EWM and after a few years it should be eradicated, allowing the native plants to flourish. It wasn't a plan for the faint of heart, but he was spending 10's of thousands of dollars annually applying buffered alum to clear up the water in his pond.

Sourcing them isn't easy, verify you are getting the correct species by asking the supplier for the genus and species of the plant that they are selling because common names can be misleading. Stantec in Walkerton, Indiana has some species at certain times of the year, you will just have to search the internet for other suppliers.

Thank you

Is this what is recommended for clarity? Does it eat leaves?

Thank you

Huh??