I have a pond that is about 1/4 acre in size. The dirt, in the area, is clay (gumbo). The pond is VERY muddy. The pond is in the Houston, Tx area. I read at Texas A&M site to use gypsum. It doesn't mention whether the gypsum is the powdered kind like that sold at Home Depot or is it some other kind. I don't want to harm my fish, either.
Anyone have any hints to help me out.
thanx
First I'd try to figure out why the pond is getting muddy...is there exposed dirt that runs off into the pond...or...have you got carp/catfish that will muddy up a pond...catfish just in spawning season...carp year round...maybe fix the problem, not the results???
I have a 30 acre lake on my property that was muddy when we bought it...the levee had washes from 4 wheelers riding on it...filled the washes and planted cover crop on them...the lake had just about cleared up when "development" started upstream on the creek from me....talked to the developer about the washing....he pretty much told me to mind my own business...talked to the county, who talked to the developer, who paid a rather large fine and then put silt fences on his "development".
Goes without saying, if I need a house built...that developer won't be the one I'll call [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Thanx for the reply. The pond is probably 10-15 years old. It is about 6' deep in the middle. There is grass all around the pond. There is no creek feeding it. The guy that owned the land before me dug the pond to build up an area for a planned house that never was built. I have owned it for almost a year and it has always been muddy since I owned it. There were only minnows in the pond, but earlier this year, I stocked it with fingerling catfish and bluegill.
I am going to get water samples and test them. The water will never be crystal clear, but it is REALLY muddy. I think having the water a little clearer would help the fish feed....
Get you a water sample and see if the turbidity settles. Use a tap water sample as a reference. If the water clears, it's biologically or mechanically induced. If it stays muddy, the clay is suspended and needs treated. Gypsum does work.
I have the same problem, except that my pond is in sandy/clay soil. This is a new pond, dug in October '03, and now has about 8ft of water in a 70'X120' pond. The water is a solid brown, same as the sand/clay in this area. The county extension agent told me to take two 1quart jars of pond water and add gypsum to one and lime to the other and see which one clears the water. In about 30 minutes, the gypsum cleared the water. I have added 150 lbs of powdered gypsum to my pond, but it hasn't made much difference yet. I'll add another 100lbs this weekend and see what happens.
ronbo,
I believe I read somewhere that the gypsum or whatever should be dissolved prior to adding to the pond, and they recommended pouring it behind an outboard prop to disperse it. I've decided there's not a cheap or easy way to do this.
You're right about that-- there isn't an easy way to do it! After the addition of another 100lbs of gypsum, my pond water is clearing up nicely. This time I did dissolve the gypsum in a large bucket before adding it to the pond. I'm not sure that dissovling it first made any difference over just broadcasting it over the surface of the pond. Gypsum (as opposed to aluminum sulfate) just takes more quantity for it to work.
My next project is to get minnows and some fingerling catfish in there, and let 'em grow while I practice my fish-frying techniques!!
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
The county extension agent told me to take two 1quart jars of pond water and add gypsum to one and lime to the other and see which one clears the water
[/ QUOTE ]
Make sure you check the pH of your water before you add lime. I live in west Chambers co., east of Houston, and my county extension agent told me to add lime to the water of my new pond to help settle it. I did not take her advice since one of my neighbors had told me that the soil and water in my area were alkaline. I brought a sample of my pond water to work and had a buddy in the lab check the pH and it was 8.6. Boy was I glad I hadn't listened to my extension agent! As it turned out my pond cleared up without any help, to the point that it was too clear and starting to grow undesireable weeds. That problem resolved itself about a month ago when I stocked it w/ channel cat. Now it is stained but not too dirty. Just right!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote