Pond Boss
Posted By: Dilley So is Gypsum worth it or not? - 04/12/20 02:29 PM
I have a suspended clay issue that I was hoping would clear up on it's own. My now 1.5 yr old 3/4 acre pond has decent vegetation along the shores and the dam, and it's fully stocked. I have tons of blue gill, minnows, and at least 60 bass. Though they probably spawned by now.

I have roughly 10" of "visibility" which is quite a bit better than it's been. I'm afraid to do the alum/hydrated lime because I don't want to mess it up and kill my ecosystem that seems to be flourishing. I am just seeing a lot of people say go that route instead of gypsum. Is gypsum a waste of time? Should I just wait it out some more?

I do have a dry creek that runs into the pond that I am going to dam up since it's well fed pond and I don't need the run off. So it's possible when I get that done it'll really start to clear up on it's own. I was just thinking of trying to jump start it with gypsum, but was curious what y'all think?

Attached pictures trying to convey the clarity not sure how well you can see it.

Attached picture pond1.jpg
Attached picture pond2.jpg
Posted By: Redonthehead Re: So is Gypsum worth it or not? - 04/12/20 03:10 PM
I can't see your pictures, but regardless, your next step is to do some testing. Get some gypsum (I bought a $4 bag of pelleted gypsum from Menards) and stir known amounts into a 5 gallon bucket of pond water and see what happens. Gypsum did not work for me.

You can also try the vinegar test and lime tests too if you wish to avoid alum. Although you might as well try the alum too just to see what it does.
Posted By: ewest Re: So is Gypsum worth it or not? - 04/12/20 04:17 PM
See this for more info

https://srac.tamu.edu/fact-sheets/serve/108
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