Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Fertilization What the heck does ag lime do?

What does ag lime do? I've heard that it improves water "quality" but too much can kill fish. What is/are its use/uses? Thanks in advance.

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/lime.html

When reading, just replace "soil" with "water".

When treating muddy water with aluminum sulphate (alum) it (alum) drops the pH. Hydrated lime is added to keep the pH in balance.

You can kill all the fish in the pond if the pH swings too far one way or the other. Hydrated lime works very quickly to change pH, and it can be used to kill fish in a pond in place of Rotenone.

Never say never but pretty much impossible to kill fish with ag lime 7 tons/acre applied at times it acts slow unlike hydrated lime.

Does ag lime have to be spread out all over the pond or can it be put in on 1 part of the ponds shoreline and let it do it's job?

thx,

No spread out we always say we are not liming a pond but we are liming the pond bottom. Put in one place will only help change soil in that area you need to change soil chemistry in as many spots as possible to then change the alkalinity in the water.

Ok thanks!