Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Alum and Lime to clear water

I have been reading as many posts as possible to answer my questions about clearing muddy water. I have also visited numerous websites and heres what I have ascertained.

Alum is the best way to clear water but it raises the ph dramatically the fastest. Lime will also have a quick reponse. Gypsum has a much slower effect and the results are shorter lived resulting in more applications.

The combination of Alum and lime seem to be the fastest but most dangerous relating to fish kill. Here is the link I am find most informative, http://www.ehow.com/way_5572842_amount-pond-water-treatment-system.html.

Although I have looked on the www.LSUAGCENTER.com site they are vague in there attempt to help. The closest I can get to me in Albany, La is Mississippi, pehaps ewest or someone near my location can give me some clarity.

30 pounds Alum per acre foot applied in a slurry sprayed over the surface, this should be buffered by 13 pounds of hydarted lime per acre foot. From my calcutations and pond size 1/8 arce. 30# alum / 8 = 3.75 pounds and 13# Hy Lime / 8 = 1.625 pounds.

My current ph is around 6 which IMO is below the needed 7 - 9.5 level.

My situation is that before adding the areator my ph level was a constant 9.5 with water clearity of about 2 ft. After adding the areator the clearity dropped to about 3 inches. After I added the fish 9 days ago the I checked the ph it is below 6.5 and the fish are inactive. I am at the junction where health of fishes intersects time to react.

If I do nothing low ph and clearity will surely have adverse effects and the possibilty of loosing to a fish kill! If I add the Alum and Lime I could loose the fish to ph shock! At this point there is only a $30.00 investment in cost of fish and in hindsight I should have checked ph and clearity before the purchase. We all know the value of hindsight, Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda, but I didn't b/c lack of knowledge.

I have built a platform from 4" pvc drain pipe and a 3' x 3' peice of FRP.I drilled some 2" holes in the pipe to release the trapped air and allow it to sink to the bottom. I am going to mount the areator to the platform in an attempt to lessen the amt of clay turbitity picked up from the bottom.

After that I plan to mix 1/2 the Alum in a slurry in a 55gal drum at the pond's edge, put in a sump pump with a garden hose attached and spray the surface of the pond. Ph level will be checked before and during this application. In another 55 gal drum I will mix 1/2 the Hy Lime. In a post by Bob Lusk on Application Methodology I will monitor the Alum and watch for clumps while checking ph levels every 20 minutes. Should the level rise above 7.5 I will begin the Hy Lime to buffer the Alum reaction to ph. I feel it would not hurt to have a rise from below 6.5 to 7.5 or 8.0.

Gurus, Pond Gawds and Water Wizards does all this sound do-able as a solution NOW or should I wait to see what will happen next? I am afraid the end result may be Death by Ignorance on my part, just by which means?

Suggestions, opinions and options very much needed and appreciated.

hd82

hd82, the alum actually lowers the ph, making the pond more acid. Since it is already pretty acid, just put the quicklime in 1st, then the alum. Use a little more than 1/2 lime per unit of alum and the pond will get to more neutral for a while. Long term, this fall add 2 or more tons of ag lime in and around the pond. Next spring, the ph and hardness will be better. Depending on the average depth and your depth of visibility, probably about #50 alum and #30 hydrated lime should do the trick. It is sort of like all or nothing with alum. If the 1st try doesnt do the trick, a little more may. Once the electrical charge is great enough that the particles stick together enough that they sink, then the pond will clear in a couple of days.
Dont be afraid of the alum, just always neutralize it with quicklime.
Good luck.