Ron, take a look around here at the cycle of life for a pond. The following is a rough generalization.
It starts with Phytoplankton which is the basis for pond life. Phyto is microscopic plant life and depends on light penetration for it's survival and regeneration. It also is the biggest source of oxygen generation and oxygen usage. Phyto is grazed on by Zooplankton which is microscopic animals. Tiny bugs eat the ZooP which are eaten by bigger bugs and then by bigger bugs, then tiny fish and so on up the ladder until we poke a filet knife in one of them.
This is the reason I asked about water clarity. Without light penetration, the phyto cannot form and it is the basis for all pond life. However, with too much light penetration, the plant life goes nuts and can suck up all of the nutrients and then deny phyto a chance to start. Confusing? Yeah, I know. So, the dye can be a 2 edged sword. It can cut off the light that the plants need but also kill off the phyto base that the pond denizens need.
This stuff is Ponds 101. However, I don't want you to have come to one more place that you didn't get help.
How was the water visibility/clarity prior to adding the dye? To test, get a white circular object like the top of a 5 gallon bucket. Poke a hole in it, run a piece of cord through it and tie on a weight. This is called a sechi disk. Lower the disc into the water. When you can no longer see it, measure that depth on the string. A healthy pond should have clarity of 18 to 24 inches with phytoplankton adding the color to the water.
I would get in touch with Greg. Getting him out there could let you sleep nights.
