It depends on how tall jar is and or the height of the water column. It also depends on what size the suspended particles are. Ultra or very fine clay particles take a little longer to settle. If you use a quart jar it will take about 1-2 days and a gallon jar will take about 2-4 days to see a noticable difference in water clarity. It is often beneficial to collect a second sample when the first one has had a chance to settle and then compare the two jars of water. If materials in the water will settle out there should be a noticable difference in water clarity betwen the two jars.
Once it settles, and if it settles, you should see a thin layer of sediment - silt on the bottom of the jar. If it does not settle out and get clear then usually assume one of two things;
1. that the clay particles are electrically charged, constantly vibrating, and will not settle or
2. you have bacteria or algae in suspension and until they die they will remain in suspension.
With that many catfish in your pond I am betting that you will see a big difference in clarity after 1-2 days. Come back here and tell us how your settling test worked.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/24/26 04:27 PM.
