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#548936 06/05/22 10:35 PM
Joined: Jun 2022
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I’m trying to kill American pond weed and it’s growing around my aerator. I thought aerators were supposed to help kill weeds?

I’m renovating an old pond. It’s about 1/4 acre. It’s feed by streams in the winter and springs throughout your he rest of the year. In the summer the level drops by 6 feet. When the water level drops pond weed covers the surface and algae thrives. For two years I’ve been using muck away, pond dye, this year I started using an aeration system 24/7. The water level hasn’t even started to drop and I’m seeing pond weed bloom right next to where the bubbles are coming up.

I’ve been reading through the forum and I understand most of you want pond weed and are having the opposite problem I’m having. I have also seen where crawdads can help.

This summer I will be putting in a fish gate and applying for grass carp permits.

This thing has plenty of other problems. Otters came through and killed all the big fish, and it had some good ones. Now it’s over populated even with the herons coming in. Most of the fish are barely big enough to get on the hook.

Lots of work ahead.

Right now I’m just focused on getting rid of the pond weed. Any help is appreciated. Was I wrong to think aeration would help?

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Aeration does several things but killing weeds or algae isn't one of them.. Aeration can provide O2 to the depths to allow beneficial bacteria to thrive in the depths and help break down organic material in the decomposition process and provide enough DO that more volume is useable by fish.
herbicides, Grass Carp and yes, Crawdads can provide some benefit to aquatic growth but you have to use crawdads native to your area. 20 craws can turn into 20,000 in a year with no predation.
Killing too much aquatic growth with herbicide can cause DO crashes if not done in small sections at a time.
Small numbers of grass carp can be beneficial if you have a plan to control them when they get too large or eradicate most all of the aquatic plants.
Aeration should be beneficial for most of this.

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What is the best way to eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

You have multiple problems in your pond. Keep posting your questions and problems and there are lots of knowledgeable people on Pond Boss that will help.

You have done a good job of describing your situation. That is very important, because sometimes going too hard after one problem can make another problem worse.

Your aerator should be a big help to your pond health in the long run. Do you have AC power to your pond?

How deep is your pond at full pool?

What are your goals for the pond?

Welcome to Pond Boss, and good luck on your pond project!

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I do have A/C running out there. It’s about 10 feet feed when full and 4 feet when at its lowest. I would like to get the pond back to the fishing hole it was when I was a kid. Eventually I want to reintroduce catfish and introduce bluegill and possibly minnows. I haven’t done any real research on minnows yet, it’s just been an idea so far.

Not sure how I want to do cover because any plants I introduce are going to want to take over

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Good deal on the A/C power. The ability to run your aerator as needed is a big plus!

Having the water level drop down to 4 feet is definitely a negative. Any way to supplement your water when it gets that low? (Even if you can add water, the spring might take it out!)

I believe you will find some good threads on treating pondweed if you search the archives. After you knock the weeds back some, you might consider planting some beneficial plants that do not spread as much. Any nutrients from your pond that those plants use to grow are nutrients that are NOT available to the pondweed.

Have you eliminated the fertilizer inputs that reach your pond? Either from your surrounding ground or from your water supply?

If you decide on channel cats will you feed them commercial fish food? There are good threads on catfish feeding and on catfish only ponds. If you don't feed them, then they will definitely need some forage fish in the pond.

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I’ve thought about trying to raise it but my research is telling me I would just be feeding the water table I’m pulling from.

I’m going to keep researching how to get rid of the pond weed. When I put the aerator in I was under the impression that the reassign for my problem was a mix of things. Rich nutrient environment (pond muck), high levels of carbon dioxide, (pond muck) and light.

So I started using Muck away, dying the water, and put in an aerator. I had heard that the reason you don’t see plants in moving water is because it carries too much oxygen. That might be true, but I think the muck is still too much for the aerator to combat. I’ve tried sprays, but it keeps coming back. I even bought a ninja grappling hook and tried hauling it out with any luck. I think it’s just going to be a long battle and not something I can do in just a year. Maybe once I get the muck under control I can wade out when the water is low and pull it.

I have never thought about fertilizer inputs. It is feed by 2 streams in the winter. I’ll look into that.

I’ll research the catfish. I’ve been looking into minnows, bluegill, and crawdads. Not sure if they will eat salamanders, but the pond is full of those.

I get this one under control and there’s another pond on the property I’m doing next. It’s just a small guy. I’ve seen larger swimming pools, but it used to grow some big bass. Not sure how they could get so big in such a small area. It’s a good 15/20 feet cold, shaded, and the water level doesn’t drop. That’s still a few years out.

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As Rod says, eat the elephant one bite at a time. Spray but only about 1/4 to 1/3 at a time. The decomposing plants suck O2. The fish need some place to go until conditions get back to normal.

What kind of weeds and what chemical are you using?


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP

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