My mini-pond is really, really "muddy". I am working on getting the right vegetation around the edges to help with dirt and clay run-off during big storms, but the visibility has fallen so low that I feel it is negatively impacting bluegill spawning. I am a complete beginner, so I may be reading too much into this, but I would have suspected to see some sunfish fry by this time of year in east Texas. There are no predator species introduced into this new mini-pond yet and the CNBG and RES I put in last fall (with FHM) that have survived are all in the 4 to 6 inch range. The pond was built in non-permeable clay in piney woods, so I limed the entire pond before filling to help with some of the acidity. I'm not necessarily concerned with over-liming since Bob always says alkaline pH sorta levels out at a point, but I am concerned about rate of change of pH and it's impact on fish. If I use ag lime in my pond to try and knock some of the suspended clay down, is there a concern around pH impact on fish or is it slow enough that they adjust safely?
Since I only limed before filling, this is my first time applying anything to the water (lime, gypsum, alum, etc), so I am not 100% familiar with the procedure. I was just planning on spreading the ag lime by hand. Pointers?
edit: also, should I turn off aeration when applying?
Dolomitic Limestone is what I was considering.
thanks!
Clayton
