No one likes a muddy pond, including fish. Magnolia Fisheries can help.
Does your pond resemble chocolate milk? Muddy ponds are usually caused by the disturbance of un-vegetated soils in the local watershed. Urban development can cause problems for nearby lakes and ponds when muddy runoff makes its way into your water. If you use ground water to keep your pond full, that source could also be contributing to the problem. Muddy water is unattractive, and it can hurt fish populations by interfering with normal feeding habits. It also reduces primary food sources (phytoplankton) and dissolved oxygen levels.
Suspended Sediments
Causes of Muddy Ponds
Muddy water in ponds or lakes is usually caused by runoff from surrounding land, made worse during periods of heavy rain and nearby soil disturbance from construction. Clay particles are suspended in your water, turning it brown. Well water chemistry, and an overpopulation of bottom feeder fish like catfish or carp, can make it worse.
Too much water clarity can also cause problems.
If your pond water is too clear, it can cause excessive aquatic plant and algae growth. That’s why water clarity, dependent upon how you use your pond, is usually a delicate balance between “pretty” and “healthy”.
We can clear your pond and recommend strategies for keeping your water clarity balanced year-round for maximum enjoyment.
Methods of Control
Erosion control strategies including berms, silt fencing, vegetative buffer zones and ground source water treatment can help prevent muddy water. Muddy water occurs when negatively charged soil particles suspend in the water column. These particles repel one another, preventing them from settling. Applying a positively charged product like alum will chemically bind to the soil particles and drop them to the pond bottom; revealing clear water from the surface down. Because alum quickly drops the pH of your water, which can harm your fish, application should only be done by a professional.
Call Magnolia Fisheries for help clearing your muddy ponds, safely and effectively.
For more information, read this article about clearing cloudy and muddy water in ponds and lakes, published by Texas A&M.