Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond Turned Green

Small (1/4 acre) pond in North Central North Carolina. Max depth is 11 ft with an aerator at that spot.
Have been living here for 7+ years.. Historically water has been relatively clear especially in colder months.
Some bass and a good population of Bluegill.
About a year ago we got three domestic white ducks that live in the pond. This past winter the water became turbid which is unusual for cold weather period. Now that it’s warming, the pond has turned a greenish hue with very limited visibility.
Was wondering if the ducks living on the pond could be the cause of the issue.
Was wondering if there is a product that might clear the water without harming the fish, ducks, or environment in general.
Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You!
Bob

Good grief, that is nasty looking. Yes, I would suspect the ducks. I once heard them called flying and floating toilets.

No.1 - Pond is in a lower area with runoff water accumulation and tree leaf additions providing annual inputs. Both enrich the pond with nutrients. These accelerate the nutrient accumulation, plant growth and overall aging process. As aging occurs, enrichment gradually increases. Increase rate depends on amount of nutrients that the pond receives each season.
No.2. With addition of ducks their activities and continual manure additions further enriches the pond to push it over the balance point of clear to green. Green is from microscopic plants that thrive in fertile water. Some of these plant species like cold water, some like cool water and some like warm water. When nutrients are "right" different species can now thrive better with higher nutrient concentrations. The pond ecosystem is responding to the build-up of excess nutrients. Duck manure is very 'nutrient rich' and the pond is showing its response to even more fertilizers. More growth and often a different type of growths. This is what fertilizers do - makes plants green to grow better and maybe even favor different types of high nutrient loving plants. Nature has many different species of microscopic plants. Some can live in the snow fields of the artic and some can live in hot springs of western areas. Once introduced into the conditions they - love they thrive.
No.3. The smaller the pond the quicker the whole ecosystem responds to added nutrients and over enrichment. It is a normal natural process. You fertilize it and something will eventually grow and thrive. Once nutrients become accumulated into a pond basin how are they supposed to get out - difficult process.

Dealing with these types of problems is a whole different topic with a numerous methods. Search for unwanted phytoplankton blooms.

Thank you for your responses.
My research thus far has me leaning towards attempting to find a solution through use of beneficial bacteria supplements.
Can anyone recommend a good source of those types of products. If that violates forum rules, I understand.

Thanks!
Bob

Bob, Bacterial supplements make no guarantees and there is a good reason for that. Do come back and report how well the bacterial supplements work. Inquiring minds want to know. If they work, it shouldn't take much longer than 2-4 weeks. Nothing thrives on pond nutrients better than various types of plants. Keep in mind, that the algae bloom that you have can also develop to a point that it consumes all the available nutrients and the bloom crashes on its own.

troutrus,

Hopefully you are close to peak algal bloom.

I know that the massive bloom is a little disturbing to observe in your beautiful pond.

The good news is that the very bottom of your food chain is getting the best "crop" it has ever had. All of the organisms that consume algae should be eating their fill.

That level of organisms then feeds your LMB and BG fry shortly after they hatch.

I would recommend you keep an eye on your aeration. If there is an algal crash in your pond, the decaying algae will CONSUME your dissolved oxygen. Need to keep your aeration going through that period - just in case.

I suspect you will start seeing natural improvement within two weeks?

Can you discourage the ducks next year, or were they family favorites? Most people on the forum manage their ponds primarily for fish - but there are lots of people on the forum that manage their ponds for a diverse array of wildlife.

Some people with large ponds even put up nesting structures for wood ducks. However, your three ducks were probably a little too much for your pond.

Just keep in mind that the beneficial bacteria works best when the water has enough O2 in it where the bacteria is. i.e. if the majority of the nutrients that are feeding the problem are below the thermocline then that area runs out of O2 quickly and the bacteria stop or greatly slow down in their work habits.

Thanks for all the responses. They are appreciated.

Based on what I now “think” I understand, short term plan is to
- keep aerator running 24/7
- wait and hope for a natural algal crash.

If it doesn’t improve, try some supplemental treatments to eliminate some nutrients and add beneficial bacteria.

Time will tell.

The ducks are domestic pets, so short term they likely will stay around. I recently read that life expectancy of the ducks is 8-12 years.

Roast duck anyone? 😁

The neighbor had a pair of Pekin Ducks on his 1/4 acre pond. The pond was constantly muddy. Something one night got both birds. His pond water clarity improved over the next few weeks tremendously.

I'd try to give them a kiddie pool to swim in and keep them out of the pond.

I dont recall ever, seeing a beautiful small pond with domestic ducks in it, Im pretty sure there is a connection there somewhere.