Journey, You and I are definitely trying to meet somewhere better in between. Everyone wants a clear pond until they realize that there can be unpleasant consequences. I am basing my concerns on two "rules of thumb" (and my tendency to worry a bit too much). I have read/heard that a consistent 18 inches of clarity can be considered to be on that fine line between a healthy nutrient laden pond and the potential for a algae bloom die-off/02 crash. I have also gathered that water temps near the 85 degree mark are also considered "fine line" with respect to fish/pond health.
I would like to back off that fine line to a place where clarity is more like a consistent 24 inches with temps around 80 instead of 18" and 85 degrees F. Nutrient absorbing plants to help clarity and (maybe???) to create shade to help keep temps lower seems like a nice direction to explore. I would still like to hear about how hyacinths (or any type of plant) can increase temps.
Have you considered 'for every action there is a reaction' and what that might be?
With the theoretical benefits of the hyacinths, should the pond get too clear, I would think that removing the plants would allow for the pond to revert back. My biggest obstacle, at this point, is how many sqft of plants to start with and is that amount more than I care to deal with.
This exercise may be impossible because I, personally, am starting this quest with little to no intellect on the subjects of biology and botany. I know the watershed is cattle pasture that gets moderately fertilized once yearly and that the pond gets a lot of flow during the rainy seasons (fall, winter, & especially spring) under normal rainfalls. It tends to start the year off pretty clear (36") and then turns shades of green and brown as summer endures (18"). My logic tells me that the water should clear up as summer fades due to the lack of nutrients being introduced (from the lack of rain run-off) and the growth of vegetation along the shore and algae blooms soaking up nutrients, but it just stays around the 18" mark with the exception of an early bloom that results in a crazy green colored water early.
