Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How long to settle

Hey guys I took a water sample from dads pond last week. I put it in a masen jar with a little bit of soap to see how long it would take for the sediment to settle. Well after a week it still looks like murky. Now when I took the sample the water was still very cold. It has not been very warm here in Nebraska and we have not had any rain the last few weeks so its been dry and very windy. Will the warmer temps help with the water settling? I currently think its going through turnover so maybe thats why its dirty. We have CC, GC, LMB, BG. Just this afternoon we put in 100 BC, 100 perch, and 3,000 minnows. The pond was built back in 2009 has 3 springs in it, its about 2 surface acers in size, and is 16ft deep. Thanks for the help!!

Husker, is the pond more murky now than it has been in the past? If you haven't had rain for weeks, plain old muddy water runoff seems unlikely.

I used alum to test my pond's murk, and it cleared suspended clay overnight. Planned on alum treatment, but in a few weeks the pond cleared on its own. Don't know about soap testing, tbh.

High winds and dry conditions might cause waves eroding exposed shoreline, assuming you have little in the way of riprap or weeds to buffer impact.

Its been worse in the past. I have also seen that water as clear as tap water before also. We have grass around the edge of the pond and also weeping willows growing around it also. What is alum, how expensive is it, and how much do you need to treat?

If I recall correctly, I added something like half a teaspoon of alum to pond water in a glass jar and left it overnight. In the morning, it was clear, indicating that my issue was suspended clay.

Fortunately, I didn't have to treat the whole pond with alum, as the clay settled out naturally in a couple more weeks.

How deep can you see in the pond now? Some murk can be a blessing when it comes to controlling weed growth.

Soap??? What did you want to do, give the fish a bath? I'm confused.......

Lol no esshup. When I was in college and taking agriculture classes. Our soils professor told us if you add a little bit of soap to the water it will help separate the soil particles from the water.


The pond was dug at 16ft and is still at 16 ft.

LOL, thanks. If there is an ionic imbalance in the water the clay particles will stay in suspension. An alum treatment will fix that if that's the problem. You have to use hydrated lime to make sure the pH doesn't drop too far with the alum. As to how much and the cost, that depends on your water and your local area supplier. That's the reason for the jar test. To see how much it takes. Go to the "Muddy Water" part of the forum and do some reading there. Lots of information on alum to clear the water.