hurleyjd
Well-known member
Planning to fertilize a fishing pond water to clear. Any clues on how to handle this and results you have had.
Pond Fertilization
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Ouachita
Well-known member
Yes. If you already have aquatic weeds, get rid of them first (or be like me, and become the laughing stock of the neighborhood).
Just like soil, pH is key, or you're wasting fertilizer. I just built a pond last fall and put 6 tons of lime in and around the pond before it began filling.
Just like soil, pH is key, or you're wasting fertilizer. I just built a pond last fall and put 6 tons of lime in and around the pond before it began filling.
BFE
Well-known member
An old man told me the key to his crystal clear pond was lime, just like Big O said above. He retreated his pond years later with a boat and sack lime, said as he threw the lime in he could see the water clear as the lime went down through the water. He also said you have to stay on top the weeds because the sunlight penetration in the clear water really made them grow.
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
I always thought you fertilized a tank to murky The water and kill off submerged vegetation.
Ouachita
Well-known member
Correct. The aquatic bloom will turn the water to a greenish tint and block sunlight. You'll have some really healthy aquatic vegetation at waters edge, but in 12"-18" deep no growth.
hurleyjd
Well-known member
I am trying to fertilize to create plankton and microscopic growth for small fish to eat and so far up the food change. Yes I re-read my post and it was not clear as what I was trying to do.
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
When mine gets to clear Iet the cows muddy it up.
Pond Boss
forums.pondboss.com
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Own or building a private pond/lake? Want bigger fish? Got Aquatic Plants or moss? Pond Boss magazine, website & forum have answers. We are land and pond management.
How does pond dye affect the growth of plankton? I have used it for years to keep down algae growth. But this thread reminds me that it may be preventing plankton growth also.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
For once I can answer a question and be correct. Yeah.
Plankton is the same thing. It is a single cell algae. You prevent one, you prevent the other.
coachg
Well-known member
Don't just pour a bag of fertilizer into the water . It will go straight to the bottom and go into the mud . Auburn has a fisheries school and they recommend having a platform submerge in the water and placing the fertilizer there to slowly dissolve. We normally have a good stream of water running in most of our ponds . I pour the fertilizer in the moving water to dissolve and be carried into the pond . Clear water is not your goal if you are growing fish !
So how do you control algae growth? Will Grass Carp control the algae?
I'm a big fan of duckweed growing on small ponds without fish inside and cattle using it. Duckweed blocks sunlight...keeps the water clean of nutrients (left by cattle)....and preserves the level of water in drought conditions. Duckweed on top of water is like having a 200 MPG car, loss of water is minimal.
And it is also super invasive and will kill the fish in any nearby ponds if it gets transferred to them. It is also a PIA to get rid of.
It is a compromise...for ponds without fish that dry up every few years during extreme drought...duckweed helps prevent that. Heard duckweed can be mined to feed all your chickens too. I agree, if you have nearby ponds with fish in it...you won't want any duckweed nearby.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Using grass carp helps but treating the pond early in the spring with Aqua shade or a comparable product works great.
But doesn't that beg the question of killing the plankton? I noticed one of my ponds already had algae this week and was going to throw a pack of dye in until I saw this thread. I know Copper Sulfate will kill alage, but I am trying to avoid that if possible.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
It's early enough I would think it would still work. Only cost $30 to see.
Oh, I know it will work on the algae. I have been doing it to all my ponds for years. I already have a supply of dye leftover from last year.
Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
What do you mean "dye"? What kind? I know of Aqua-Shade for ponds.
