Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations New Pond Filling... Algae bloom already?

Guys... Finally filling my new pond, completed excavation a couple of months ago, well was punched last week.. There is a solid 6' of water in this bad boy with another 6-8' to go..

My questions is two part..

First I expected a muddy pond during filling, not the case, it has been clear as a bell up until the last few days, did I just get lucky on soul composition here?

Second.. I hadn't expected an algae bloom until I started building some nutrient load.. No stocking as of yet and VERY little plant life in the newly excavated pond.. Today the bloom was a dark green and a solid scum has developed across the entire body of water.. Are these just nutrients from the soil driving the bloom?

Thanks for the assist!

I have absolutely no knowledge about this topic jtodd just wanted to say congrats on the pond filling. Hopefully my comment will get it noticed by someone with a lot more knowledge of this than me and get you some assistance.

The only way to know for sure is to take some of the pond bottom dirt and send it in for a regular soil analysis. Take a water sample from the well and do the same. Typically new ponds don't have a bloom starting so fast. But, there's no way to tell from here without the tests being done.

Well water can have quite a bit of dissolved "stuff" in it, having percolated down through soils, including swamps, farms, etc. It picks a lot up on its way underground, and can leave a lot behind, like oxygen. Like anything else, it all depends where this water is coming from.

To me it sounds like it is time to get some FHM in there ASAP. Turn those nutrients in to productivity if possible!

I would suspect the nutrients are in the soil rather than the well water. If you well has that many nutrients in it, don't use that aquifer for drinking!

Thanks guys! I'm leaning heavily towards the nutrient source being the soil.. The insane bloom has settled down into a nice mellow green with about 2ft of visibility.. Have about 4 more feet of water to add and it's full.. Time to make that trip up I45 to fetch some inhabitants...