If the water in your pond isn't clear, you won't be able to enjoy sights like these koi.
When heavy rains fall, the soil can be washed into nearby ponds and lakes making the water very cloudy. When a bottom feeding fish, like a carp or catfish, stirs up the dirt on the bottom of the pond, this also adds to the cloudiness of the water. A cloudy pond can lead to low sunlight penetration, low levels of oxygen production, reduced fish food availability and increased water temperatures. Keeping a one acre sized pond clear is essential to the health of your fish and your pond in general.
Instructions
First Steps
1. Contact your local soil conservation district. If the pond you want to clear is in a certain area, funding programs may help you pay for the project. Soil conservation grants are government funded monies that help property owners and farmers prevent their soil from getting washed away. They can also help with ideas as to which strategy would be best for your particular pond.
2. Divert runoff from roadways and farms that can carry chemicals and debris into the pond. This can be done by blocking the runoff with sand bags to be routed around the pond or by digging a trench leading away from the pond.
3. Install sediment traps at the pond's inlet. A sediment trap is a containment area for water running into the pond where the water is temporarily stopped to allow sediment to settle before the water is released into the pond. For a 1-acre-sized pond, a sediment trap would be dug about 4 feet deep and reinforced with rocks on the sides and bottom of the trap. The runoff collects and builds up, giving the sediment time to settle. When the trap is full, the gate opens and allows clearer water into the pond.
4. Plant grasses and crops in the runoff area to catch the water and sediment before it reaches the pond.
Adding Materials to the Pond to Clear It
5. Sink a bale of barley straw into the center of your pond. Tie a heavy weight to the bale string and drop it in the pond. The bale acts as a filter and traps sediment in its interior. Of all the additions to the pond, this one is the least invasive on the environment, is a natural means to filter and does not negatively impact the environment.
6. Spread about 200 pounds of aluminum aulfate, or alum, across the pond surface. The alum binds to particulates causing the cloudiness and causes them to sink. Use caution when adding the alum and test the pH levels prior to and after you add the alum. To prevent a lowered pH and higher acidity in the pond, add some gypsum or calcium sulfate. The correct ratio is one part alum to half part gypsum.
7. Add 500 to 1000 pounds of agricultural limestone to the pond. The limestone acts as the alum and gypsum do, and pulls the particulates to the floor of the pond. If the limestone does not clear up the pond, a combination of the above solutions may be used to get the results you want.
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