Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond murky

I have a 2 acre pond - when we first moved here it was fairly clear water.

About 6 months ago I had algae and hydrilla issues so I treated it - half and then waited some days and did the other half. It killed the bad stuff but my pond turned murky which I expected for awhile. Since I have put 4 aerators in and they have run 24-7 for around 3 months but my pond remains murky.

Any ideas? Thanks

My murky, is it a phytoplankton bloom? What color is the "murk"? Have you done a jar test?

I do not think so - the water is a dark green - cannot see more than 6-12 inches down

Any shade of green or even a brown (or gold) tint could mean phytoplankton.

thank you - something I can treat it with that can clear it up?

IF it is phytoplankton, yes. Treat with a light dose of Cutrine Plus liquid follow label instructions. If you use too much you could kill all of the phytoplankton at once and the resulting O2 crash from it decomposing could result in a fish kill.

thank you Sir - is there a way to test for phytoplankton levels?

Yes, but you have to send the water out to be tested. The easiest way to do a quick "rough" test is to do a jar test.

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=480855

Basically to do a jar test you take at least 2 clean clear glass jars. Fill both with pond water. Put one in the house near a window, put the other one in a completely dark room. Check them every 24 hours to see how much sediment is on the bottom of the jars. Make notes of how much and what color it is. Also note the color of the water in each jar. After 2-3 days report your observations here.

A Secchi Disk reading is also valuable. https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92624

Ok I did what you suggested. Put one jar in the total dark and one in window with sunshine. Neither has sediment and both look to be the exact same color as when I filled the jars from the lake

when I I filled the jars it has a very light green tint -

Use the Secchi disk to determine the level of density of the phytoplankton, that will give you a rough idea of how much Cutrine Plus to use. Sounds like it is all Phytoplankton.

thank you