Bottom of pond sludge

[Lizabeth Harris]

My web page on using nets and vacuums:
http://www.waterbugdesign.com/pond/vac.html
Size and type of pond is really the key to which system works best.

Hi everyone,

I bought a pond vacuum and have removed some of the sludge. However, I took the frogs spawn out and put it in a bucket as I thought this would be better for it. Now it is back in the pond, it has sunk to the bottom and the water is a very unhealthy green with green scum on top. Does this mean that I have killed the frogs spaw? Should I now remove it? Please help, I am really fearing for the health of my fish.

Lizabeth Harris.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

What has happened is that in vacuuming the pond you have stirred up a certain amount of the sludge exposing nutrients to the water column which has in turn supported new algae growth. No harm to the fish.

 

[budgenator]

First, you had blanket weed, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the blanket weed to grow, now you have green water, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the green water algae to grow. It's okay to give the pond a rest and continue cleaning out the sludge.

In the spring it perfectly natural for ponds to have an algae bloom, it can take a while for the filter to get cycled up. With an algae bloom they can clog up a little quicker than you would expect, so you have to rinse the filters a little more often, but don't rinse them clean, just to unclog or you might lose the good bacteria in them; too clean is bad.

Drain off 10 to 15% of the water each week and use it for watering you flowers and plants, that helps a lot, but the biggest thing is patience.

 

[Mmathis]

@Lizabeth Harris Hello and welcome to our group! Just out of curiosity, how long have you had your pond?

 

[Lizabeth Harris]

What has happened is that in vacuuming the pond you have stirred up a certain amount of the sludge exposing nutrients to the water column which has in turn supported new algae growth. No harm to the fish.

Ji, Thank you I was really worried about my fish as I have noticed a few tiny ones .

 

[Lizabeth Harris]

First, you had blanket weed, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the blanket weed to grow, now you have green water, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the green water algae to grow. It's okay to give the pond a rest and continue cleaning out the sludge.

In the spring it perfectly natural for ponds to have an algae bloom, it can take a while for the filter to get cycled up. With an algae bloom they can clog up a little quicker than you would expect, so you have to rinse the filters a little more often, but don't rinse them clean, just to unclog or you might lose the good bacteria in them; too clean is bad.

Drain off 10 to 15% of the water each week and use it for watering you flowers and plants, that helps a lot, but the biggest thing is patience.

Thank you. I will try to less impatient.

Lizabeth

 

[Lizabeth Harris]

First, you had blanket weed, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the blanket weed to grow, now you have green water, a type of algae, because the water had the nutrients for the green water algae to grow. It's okay to give the pond a rest and continue cleaning out the sludge.

In the spring it perfectly natural for ponds to have an algae bloom, it can take a while for the filter to get cycled up. With an algae bloom they can clog up a little quicker than you would expect, so you have to rinse the filters a little more often, but don't rinse them clean, just to unclog or you might lose the good bacteria in them; too clean is bad.

Drain off 10 to 15% of the water each week and use it for watering you flowers and plants, that helps a lot, but the biggest thing is patience.

Many thanks. I will not worry so much about the green in future.

Lizabeth

 

[PondMutt]

i did not see the volume and nature of pond specified .. .

but i add my thoughts ..
in the lowest point of the pond install a retro drain [ retro fit ] 2 inch minimum . insure circular circulation , various methods .. circulation should cause the slum to find its way to the bottom and thence the bottom drain [retro fit as required ] bottom drain pulls water [ and slum ] off the bottom . ideally this pull would be by gravity not by pump [pump pull just chop the slum finer , not desired] .. thence to a settlement tank
ideally a settlement would be 10 % of total pond volume . . in the settlement one can enhance with brushes and baffles . insure the settlement also has a bottom drain at the lowest point .. . if gravity feed is not possible , pump pull is accept able ..
BD [ bottom drain ] in pond pulls slum to the settlement , settlement chamber collects slum . from time to time one cleans the settlement via the BD .. adds all slum from BD settlement to the garden beds ,, WOW now watch them grow .
quite a lot of analysis can be done by the smell of the slum,, it can be quite sulfurous and obnoxious [ still good for the beds ] just means the slum was functional in a low oxygen environment .. or then sometimes the slum can smell quite sweet .. ..

i am quite unsure if i have communicated information of value . i speak now from experience

cut off valves required .. when one drains the sump one needs to cut it off from the main pond ..

let me assure you that the slum one gets from the settlement is quite the exceptional add to ones garden beds