Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations I need/want some green water.

The pond water is crystal clear. I added sonar two weeks ago and now seeing a lot of FA. It is what I was expecting after talking to Kelly D. I will be adding Tp June 1st to help solve the FA problem along with providing forage fish production. So here is the question, would you fertilize the pond? It might increase the FA but I need some plankton to feed the spring fish hatches and fry. I need some bg fry survival to feed the lmb. Dye would darken the water but would not help with fish fry production. I was also thinking the treating and killing off the BPW would produce some plankton but I am not seeing that. Guessing the sonar killed off the plankton that was already in the pond water. Thoughts or suggestions from some others would be nice

Tracy,

The nutrients may be bound primarily in the FA and in the pond bottom. Stimulating a bloom by adding nutrient will probably sequester more nutrients (subsequent to bloom) which will favor plants that form roots and tubers. On the other hand, a bloom would shade the FA provided the nutrients are used by phytoplankton (as opposed to the FA ... something which might actually happen).

This idea probably sucks ... so everyone is invited to tear it up ... but I wonder if you could do something that works kind of like dye but might bring nutrients sequestered in your pond bottom into the water column. So the idea works like this. Start your aeration to get the water moving in your pond and to mix all levels (if you haven't already done so). Then make something to stir up the sediments. This will probably also dislodge some FA but the idea is to give sediments a very large surface area to exchange nutrients the with water column while shading the FA. If maintained for a sufficient period of time, the FA will die and surface at which time you can stop the treatment allowing the pond to clear. I think this has the potential of creating a very strong subsequent bloom without adding additional nutrients. If it is something that you may be interesting in doing I could make suggestions on nozzle design that could disturb the pond bottom without shooting deep holes into it.

I would fertilize in your situation if the water temp is good. Would stick to water soluble fertilizer and only use small amount spread around deep water. Keep in mind that plankton numbers can be ok even though you cant see any green.

I have a pond that was built in 73 and had no maintenance for thirty years I have about six feet of muck on the bottom. I have been dredging it out with a trash pump. It stirs up some of the muck and causes a nice bloom. I have taken to pumping water down into it to soften the muck up so I can suck it out easier. It does seem to keep the bloom going. It clears up after about a week

Tracy, I had my BPW treated last summer with herbacide that only lasted a few days (I irrigate lawn with pond water so this was important). Wiped out just about all pond weeds, including stuff I like, but did a number on BPW. Still hasn't recovered, though surely I'll see it again.

Anyway, after the great weed die off, my pond got deep green. Not neon, thank God, but the darkest viz I've ever had. Tremendous plankton bloom, persisted for a couple months.

Don't know why this didn't happen for you. Different herbacide? Different water chemistry? Puzzling.

Tracy:

What is your alkalinity? You need to know that to know if fertilizing will help. BUT I would first kill the FA, then see how the phytoplankton grows from 3-7 days post application of the algaecide. If the alkalinity is 50+, and you don't have a phytoplankton bloom yet, then I would add some 10-52-4 fertilizer, not more than 1/2 pound per acre foot to start.

If your alkalinity is over 50, I am afraid that just adding fertilizer will make the FA explode. Then you will have to kill it anyway before adding the Tilapia or they won't do squat.

Thanks, guys for the suggestions. The aeration has been running for nearly a month now using 12 hr runs. Esshup alk is above a hundred. FA pretty much covers all the BPW and surrounds the shoreline as well so it is everywhere. And Frank, I was expecting a bloom caused by killing off the BPW but maybe because the treatment has only been in the pond for 3 weeks and I was told to look for 6 weeks to kill off the BPW. I was just thinking I need some green water to feed my cnbg spawn (fry). I need the cnbg to feed the lmb. I was all in to ewest suggestion but now esshup had some input that concerns me alittle. I am adding 25 lbs per acre of Tp knowing that they won't keep up with it but better than nothing, I guess? esshup I would have to treat the whole pond to kill off the Fa, there is alot of it already.

My alkalinity has never exceeded 50, no matter if I recently limed . Quite a difference!

So, when using an algaecide, how would you use it? For the Sonar I just added it behind the trolling motor prop while riding around the pond. Is the algaecide treatment similar? How is the best way to treat the pond? Any ideas on how much to use in a 3-acre pond with a 6-foot average depth? Just wondering how much to buy, quart, gallon or several gallons? Tractor supply product?

Tracy:

You have to dilute it to spread it out. Basically mix 1 gallon with 10 gallons of water. for 18 ac/ft of water, depending on how much algae there is you will need to use 0.6 to 2.4 gallons of Cutrine Plus per acre foot of water. So that is 6 to 24 gallons of tank mix per acre foot of water.

Click on the label and read the directions: https://www.appliedbiochemists.com/cutrine.html

I'd spread it out like you did with the hydrated lime.

Thanks esshup. Gives me an idea on how much product to purchise and to go about spreading it around the pond.

Tracy, I just bought chemicals to treat mine. My water on both ponds is green. Not floating crap green but green itself. Scott analyzed and told me what to buy. Grandson and I will treat next weekend. No way I can run trolling motor and spray rig by myself.

On one acre pond, almost no fish come to feed. But on small pond of now less than 1/4 acre, I have a lot of fish coming to feed. I can wade in and spray.