Wasn't quite sure where to put this, did a search and figured this might be the best section...

Setup:

14 March 20: Initial stocking of fish (200 3" BG, 100 3" HBG, 100 3" RES, 10lb FHM) into my 0.4-0.5A, 6' average depth pond. As you can tell the pond was still filling and water was chocolate milk from watershed runoff, visibility only a couple inches. Watershed had been seeded and strawed at this point. Feeding fish Optimal Junior.



2 May 20: first fish caught out of pond, very pale in coloring. On recommendation received here, I stop aeration.



9 May 20: initial rip-rap row around the waterline complete. Visibility at this point was about 5 inches, with grass starting to come in on my watershed.



24 May 20: completed spreading all 22.5T of rip-rap spread by hand; Secchi visibility was now 12".



6 June 20: on 4 June the pond received 2-2.5" of rain in two hours. Secchi visibility this day was 22-24". Banks had gotten more contractor's blend seed and straw.



10 June 20: fish are growing nicely on the Optimal and getting good color; shallows are absolutely full of FHM fry and BG are making and protecting nests at the end of our pea gravel beach (2-2.5' deep). Pond is at full pool, perhaps 6" below overflow pipe.



21 June 20 (today): Secchi visibility has stabilized the last couple weekends around 15", even with swimming and an adventurous black lab walking in the clay shallows. Grass is established on entire watershed and growing well on banks right to water. After a hot, dry week the eastern bank of pond has some new algae growing on the bottom along the pea gravel bank and rip-rap, right at the water line. With all the surrounding trees at full canopy, wave action from wind is minimal.

A gallon of pond water in a white bucket is tea colored; 1/4 teaspoon of alum clears the water in 15 minutes, telling me suspended clay is still at play.

Got a pH test kit and this was today's result:



-----------------------

I'm pretty happy with where everything is based on my knowledge, but I admittedly am impatient for water clarity to improve.

Does the pH level look okay to those of you with far more experience?

See this . pH changes during the day.

from SRAC
Fish and other vertebrates have an
average blood pH of 7.4. Fish
blood comes into close contact
with water (1- or 2-cell separation)
as it passes through the blood vessels
of the gills and skin. A desirable
range for pond water pH
would be close to that of fish
blood (i.e., 7.0 to 8.0). Fish may become
stressed and die if the pH
drops below 5 (e.g., acidic runoff)
or rises above 10 (e.g., low alkalinity
combined with intense photosynthesis
by dense algal blooms –
phytoplankton or filamentous
algae).
Pond pH varies throughout the
day due to respiration and photosynthesis

The result of the test seems fine, it looks like the water is pH 8, which would be optimal. But yes, you should test at different times of the day because the pH can actually fluctuate quite dramatically because of other factors. Run the tests again, go for a digital tester if you want more accurate results, there are plenty here https://www.optimainstitute.com/water/alkalinity-tester.html. As when it comes to water clarity, did you add too many nutrients into the water? This can be a problem at times and cause the pond water to get weirdly colored.