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Joined: Sep 2003
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donf Offline OP
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I have recently installed a 1/3 hp Gast Air Pump (~3CFM to 2 airstones) in my pond running 24/7 for the last 6 weeks. The water is just as green (if not greener) than when I started. How long should it take before I see the water becoming clearer?

The pond is 1 acre, 150ft x 350ft, 6ft deep for about 1/2 acre, 20ft at the deepest point (average ~10ft). It is fed by a creek that runs about 400 yds from a spring and flows at 100 gal/min (June), likely 300-400 gal/min during spring melt. The flow is across the width of the pond from the creek to a top-draw spillway. In spring and fall there are strong winds that blow the length of the pond.

There is no fertilizer nearby, however, cows drink from the creek about 2 days/year. Sago pondweed grows thick in about 20% of the area. Cattails grow at one end and where the creek enters.

There are lots of frogs in the spring, minnows, a muskrat, and a great blue heron frequents the pond. I have seen crayfish parts in the heron's droppings--so I assume that the pond sustains lots of life.

The problem is the water is very green--you can only see down about 18 inches.

I installed a Koenders windmill last summer but after a few months' operation, I felt that it was not nearly enough aeration for my needs. Also, the winds are light in the summer months.

The Gast air pump is definitely mixing the layers as I can feel the colder water much closer to the surface. I measured the dissolved oxygen on Sept 7 at 5.5 ppm at a depth of 6 feet.

I was expecting that the aeration would stimulate the aerobic bacteria and the water would be much clearer by now. I would appreciate it if someone could let me know what kind of results I can expect and how quickly I can expect them. Also, should I run the air pump through the winter?

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Actually 18" of visibility and green water sounds very productive and full of life. My aerator does nothing to clear my water. It sounds like your pond is doing well. If you really want to gain clarity use added bacteria. It is very expensive though and it starves the bloom by eating all the nutrients.

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I forgot to answer your last question. Be careful with the aerator in the winter. I am in Wisconsin and learned the hard way not to leave the stone on the bottom all winter. If you overcirculate the water in the winter the bottom water gets too cold and the fish have no warm water refuge. Best bet is to suspend the air stone 1-2ft below the surface. This allows sunlight to penetrate so your pond can produce oxygen and also lets toxic gases to escape. All you need is a hole in the ice. The bottom water should not be circulated. I lost almost everything my first winter. It was a sad time.

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18" is the visibility most people are trying to attain by adding nutrients. The green "muck" floating in your pond is minnow and bluegill food. If you clear up your pond it will cut down on your number of fish. By areating at the bottom of the pond you are disturbing the bottom sediments, which are probably very fertile, and fertelizing your bloom. If you continue on this path eventualy you should reach a natrual equalibrium where you stir up as many nutrients as are consumed. But if you want clear water now, despite the side effects, you may be better off not arreating.
Also rooted plants compete with algae for nutrients. Try adding water lillys and encouraging plant growth.

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First, what are your goals for the pond and where does fishing/fish production fit in? I manage ponds and lakes where the pond owner wants maximum fish production and maintains a water clarity of less than 24". On the otherhand, I also perform management on many residential and commercial ponds where clear water is a priority and the pond owners could care less if there were fish in the pond. Given your initial post, I would say that you're leaning towards the clearer pond, BUT that you still want to promote the fishery and other aquatic life.

With that said, nutrients (primarily phosphorus and nitrogen)are causing the green water "problem" that you are having. Keep in mind, many of the Pond Boss readers are envious of your pond's self-sustaining bloom. Many pondmeisters will fertilize their ponds weekly to promote such a bloom. Doing so allows them to maximize their fish production. However, that may not be your goal.

To the question at hand, why hasn't your aeration system cleared up your water? NUTRIENTS!!! In most situations, aeration is designed for--simply put--AERATION! As you are aware, productive, stratified ponds typically undergo a period of hypolimnetic oxygen depletion. A properly sized aeration system maintains oxygen throughout the water column year round improving the health of the living organisms in the pond.

Often in the process of oxygenating the hypolimnion, we also reduce the nutrient concentrations in the pond's water column, especially in "closed" pond situations. Under anoxic (no oxygen) conditions, phosphorus is more readily released from the bottom sediments and sludge. However, when the hypolimnion has sufficient oxygen, phophorus is actually tied up and made unavailable for algae growth. This process is the result of iron compounds in the sediment. Under oxygenated conditions the iron-phosphorus complexes are insoluble and not available for plant growth. However, when the bottom waters of the pond have no oxygen, this iron-phosphorus complex is soluble and promotes algae growth. This is also the reason that you likely saw an increase in the amount of algae growth just after you started aeration. Prior to aeration, there was a huge supply of phosphorus traped in the hypolimnion (due to lack of oxygen). Upon initial aeration, you temporarily moved that phosphorus to the surface, where it was converted into algae.

Therefore, there is truth to the claims that aeration CAN control algae and possibly some macrophyte growth. But, that depends on the system. Since your pond receives a continual feed of runoff via the creek, you are most likely adding a constant supply of phosphorus into the pond. Even with aeration, the iron/phosphorus interactions at the pond bottom are insufficient to control the loading that the pond is probably receiving. Therefore, as long as the creek is feeding the pond as it has in the past, you will probably never acheive a sustainable water clarity greater than twenty inches.

Of course, that's the bad news...the good news is that if you had acheived greater water clarity, you would likely be plagued by excessive rooted plant growth. If you have 20% coverage(which is still considered beneficial for fish habitat) of sago pondweed with water transparencies of only 18 inches imagine the densities of rooted plants if you had 6 feet of clarity!!! If it were my pond, I would take advantage of the natural productivity of the pond and focus on fish production more than the aesthetics. Of course, keep the aeration going, as it is doing what is was designed for, oxygenating the water. Also, I would develope a fertilization program as a backup, just in case the natural bloom collapses. This will prevent the onset of excessive vegetation should your bloom begin to collapse.

However, if you have your heart set on a clear pond, there are other more labor and cost intensive ways to do so. I would be willing to perform a reactive (ortho) phosphorus test on the creek water and your pond water if you're interested. At that point we can better understand what we're looking at. Also, check out our website at www.ibnature.com especially the fact sheets pertaining to our pond aeration systems. There will be more information on the subject there. You can send the water samples to:

Attn: Jason Roehrig
IBN Aquatic Management
14890 Otsego Pike
Weston, OH 43569
419 669 4084

Hope this helped you out!

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donf Offline OP
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Thanks to all of you for your helpful replies. My goals for the pond are: 1) clearer water for swimming, 2) less rooted plant growth in the middle of the pond (I don't mind cattails or water lilies around the edges). I am happy to provide a fish habitat, but I don't fish. So, fish production is not a priority. (I understand this may be considered sacreligious by many readers.)

Let me add more detail on the pond. It was created about 60 years ago when a causeway was built across the creek, flooding the valley to a depth of 20 feet. I doubt anyone other than mother nature has done anything to this pond until now. There is about 6 inches of muck on the bottom around the edges. I couldn't guess how deep the muck is on the very bottom. Lots of leaves, pine needles and wild apples fall in the pond, plus the pondweed and cattails add to the mix.

My desire for balance between water clarity and natural conditions comes for several reasons: 1) I visit this pond on weekends--I don't want to become a slave to it nor can I entertain a constant labor intensive program, 2) I enjoy the nature it attracts (heron, muskrat, cormorant, etc.) and 3) the pond is within the UNESCO recognized Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, which means I am limited in the range of solutions I can consider (e.g., I cannot significantly disturb the condition of the water downstream--no chemicals, I cannot drain it and scrape out the muck without a permit, etc.).

I suspect from the replies above, I may already be as close to my goals as I can get.

If some form of rooted plant growth is inevitable (and desirable) then I would prefer vegetation around the edges, rather than in the middle where during the summer it makes the pond look like it has stagnated (at least to the untrained eye). If I could encourage mother nature in this direction, I would consider this a small success.

I would be interested in the options I have, given my limitations, to increase the water clarity.

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donf - Cows not only drink from the creek they also "poop" in the creek. Cow manure is rich in nutrients and probably a big source of nutrients feeding your green water. Nutrientrs coming down the stream no doubt fluxuate somewhat. Nutrients will be more prevalent in the incoming stream after the cows have been there and after rains; test then and maybe during low flow for hi and lows if you are interested in knowing the levels. But knowing the levels are elevated will not help solve the problem. It will just tell you that is the main source of your problem, which I think it probably is the stream with its fresh and older cow manure.

The green water occurrence this summer may have a big reductdion affect on the sago pond weed by shading the deeper water thus decreasing underwater rooted plant growth. We will see its affects next year.

I estimate that your pond accumulated about 1" of undigested muck in the "belly" each year. See if you can go out with a brick and rope and measure the maximum water depth. Lets see what the current maximum depth is.


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DonF, I'm just curious. How long have you had the pond? Understanding that you don't fish, I wonder if maybe there are some fish in there already.

Sunil


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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donf Offline OP
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Sunil,

I have had the pond since 2001. There are definitely fish. I just don't know what type or how many.

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Bill,

You are probably right about the cow poop. While I haven't seen any pies in the creek, there is run-off from the field where they graze. Short of denying the cows access to this field (I am considering converting it to a hayfield), is there anything I can do to counteract their effect?

I will measure the muck depth on my next visit. Assuming it is 12 to 18 inches, is there anything I can or should do about it?

I have observed the green water and pondweed both last year and this year. I don't know about previous years. Last year, my neighbors complained about the green-ness of their ponds, so it is possible that this is a recent condition.

If an picture of the pond would be helpful, I can provide one.

Thanks

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The only thing other than keeping the cows out of the feild, would be keeping the runoff from the feild out of the creek.


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