Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help 5 year old pond never cleared?

Hello, my 5 year old pond never cleared at first, I thought it was turbidity from 3 koi and probably 20 channel catfish. I'm starting to think that's not the case. Please recommend, what the problem is. Tannins maybe? I have to figure out how to add pictures... thanks

How big is it?

1/3 acre

Pictures

Tanins appear, at my pond, to be darker than that.

Have you done a jar test to see if the turbidity will settle out on it's own?

Yes, it never settles, when I fill a bucket it seems pretty clear

I suggest you do an advanced search for "turbidity", particularly in the Questions and Observations forum. One particular result I got doing that which looks informative and correct is this one from the late Todd Overton.

I will also add that my second pond got murky with suspended clay when ever there was a heavy rain; after I added aeration it was cloudy all the time. I cleared that up with a couple of front end loaders full of limestone screenings (a fairly cheap and safe item to try IMHO). It has stayed free of suspended clay ever since. (I add another FEL full of limestone every couple of years.)

There are several more expert than I am on this issue here and hopefully they will chime in.

If you haven't done so already, read these 2 threads:

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=124005#Post124005

and

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=283542#Post283542

A jar test and filling a bucket are 2 completely different things. If you do a jar test, and it doesn't settle out on it's own, go buy some alum (aluminum sulfate) and do a test to see how much you will need to use in your pond, with your water.

Watch the pH levels, too fast of a change/too great of a change will kill fish. Alum can be buffered with hydrated lime Basically figure out how much alum you will need, then use 50% of that by weight of hydrated lime to buffer it, but still check with a pH strip or meter. Take a reading before you start applying to get a baseline.

You can try all sorts of things to clear the water, but my "go to" is aluminum sulfate/hydrated lime. I don't have time to be testing different things on customers ponds. They want a 1 application = result scenario.