Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Muddy water Alum Application with pics

Hey guys!!

I have been pouring thru the posts for about a year now and it has all been very helpful!

This forum helped me decide what types of fish to stock, aeration, feed and water chemistry.

I have a pond that is between 1/2 acre and 3/4 acre in South Louisiana. It is stocked with CNBG, HBG, RES, LMB and FHM. The mosquito fish and FHM are everywhere and my HBG are doing well. I have only gotten a glimpse of LMB but visibility has been soo poor it does not surprist me. I stocked the pond about a year ago and the CNBG seem to be spawning well (tons of small CNGB)

I have a double aeration system (one in deep end and one in shallow end)and a directional feeder. The average depth is about 9 ft (5 ft at one end and about 15 feet at the other).

Since the last winter rains, I have struggled with muddy water so I gave the alum treatment a shot. I rented a "water dog" from my local rental shop (used for spraying water on roads to keep dust down). I applied 500 lbs of alum and 200 lbs of hydrated lime. I did the first 500 gallon batch with 250 lbs of alum, #2 with the 200 lbs of lime and #3 with the last 250 lbs of alum. The application took about 5 hours and was very easy. With a spary nozzle on the 2 in hose I was able to distribute over the entire surface quite easily (since pond is long and narrow).

The results are not as clear as I hoped but I can finally see my fish again and they seem to be very happy to be able to see the feed (they are eating better now than they every have).

It has only been about 40 hours since application but overall not too bad. I will post more pics of the water and try to get some of the fish when I get home from work today!

Thanks for all the help from this forum!

Water dog Tank Trailer pic #1
Water Dog Tank Trailer pic #2
Before Treatment #1
Before Treatment #2
Right after treatment
24 hours after treatment

Mook

WOW! Quite a difference.

How far did the pump shoot the mix?

thanks for the pics showing the alum effects. looks good!

basic question- how does the alum work? it looks like it causes the suspended particles in the pond to precipitation out and settle to the bottom. maybe?

does the alum effect certain particulates more than others? are there situations of a murky pond where alum would not help?

fwiw-adding aeration to my pond seems to have clarified the water, makes it appear more of a deep blue color.

thanks for the write-up, good luck
adam

All the answers are here: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=124005#Post124005