Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond water seems very dark and has odor

My small 1/4 acre pond water seems fairly clear but overall, the pond just looks very dark. It isn't muddy, just real dark. The wife says she can smell something but I don't. Any ideas.

That's a classic sign of water coping with an influx of fresh water. Believe it or not, fresh rainwater in abundance de-stabilizes a pond's biology. The water chemistry changes, water often softens and its ability to buffer change can be diminished. If it has a musty or stale odor, that's a symptom. Don't be surprised if your fish begin to come to the surface.
Do you have an aeration system? Have you been feeding your fish?

Yes, I have an aerator going 24/7 and I feed catfish food once a day. We have had an enormous amount of rain lately with the "inland hurricane" that came through. We are supposed to have a week of sun and dry weather. Will this take care of itself, or is there something I can do?

Since the aeration system has been going consistently, you will probably be in good shape. I expect it will take care of itself. However, if you can get your hands on some aglime (calcium carbonate), I would add 500-600 pounds and that will help. If the fish will eat, feed them, but cut back on the amount of feed for a few days until the water stabilizes itself. It's a good thing you have the aerator...that probably saved some fish.

Thanks Bob. I have noticed the catfish weren't feeding as aggressively lately, but I just threw some food to them and they are feeding better than a few days ago.

I added 200 pounds of aglime(due to the size being less than a 1/4 of acre) and two days later, the pond has turned a bright green with an appearance like a load of pollen dusted itself all over the surface. What happened now?

My guess is by adding the lime you removed the limiting factor (acid water below 20 ppm alkalinity) to plankton production. You have a plankton bloom. Do you know your alkalinity pre and post lime addition?

So is a plankton bloom a good thing? Will it go away on its own or will it grow into some kind of fish killing monster?

Yes, it's a good thing. It is the basis of the food chain.