Brown filthy water

[Bootfit]

Hello all. I've got a 3x2m pond about .5m at the deepest.

Not had any problems for years, but recently the water has become incredibly brown and murky.

I don't know if the heavy snow or hard frost has had any impact, but the lilies etc that sat on top are no longer there so the murky water may be dead vegitation(?).

The pump etc is working fine, I recently cleaned the filters etc but still have the murky water.

Any suggestions to clear it would be appreciated.

 

[Waterbug]

Location in the world would help.

No problem for years...are we talking 2, 10, 20 years?

Brown and murky...not sure what you mean by murky. Like tea? Or like muddy water? What's the water look like when in a glass and held up to the sun? Pictures?


I'm not big on emptying, cleaning and refilling ponds, but many people do that.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Do you have plants? Koi can make big mess in plants that are planted in mud and soil.
Did you have a recent big rainfall? Could dirt from outside be leaking in pond?
Do the pond edges look stable? Has the liner shifed lots lately?

 

[Bootfit]

Guys - couple of answers for you:

• location - North West UK
• We inherrited the pond 6 years ago - occasional murky water but never like this
• Plants - we have lillies at one end, but they've died back and don't normally reapear until later in the year
• We've had an insane amount of rain over the last 6 months
• Pond edges are stable, no liner shift
• We have a lot of frog spawn at the moment - not sure if that has any effect.

I have a couple of images of the water but can't find the correct icon to upload them.

Cheers guys.

 

[Waterbug]

It's not impossible to have any idea of the issue. But in general to control water clarity the pond has to be kept clean. Vacuuming, netting out waste, bottom drains and filters...lot's of ways. I wouldn't do any cleaning until water is above 65F if you have fish.

If clarity is still not acceptable then removing all the water and replacing is the easiest method, but if you have fish then care and knowing how to do is a good idea.

 

[adavisus]

Well, what a fine mess, six years of plants growing and dying, Autumn leaf falls, umpteen frog orgies churning it all up

Would suggest dredge the debris out, a couple of buckets at a time. Very sturdy net...

Dump it out where you want a very fertile place to grow something

Peck away at it until the debris is less than 5% of the volume, odds on you will see water quality lurch in steps from foul to pristine and the ponds more entertaining residents get in the swing as the ratio of water to decomposition improves

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[callingcolleen1]

I net the excess junk out in the early spring, and cleaned all my filters two weeks ago. No offence WB, but If I had to wait till water was at 65 I would be waiting a long while.....