brown tint - greenish deeper ?

[David Schlegel]

It is March in Northeastern Wisconsin, USA. My pond is 1 1/2 years old. 10 ft x 10 ft, deepest point 3 1/2 feet. Ice fully melted about two weeks ago. Had aerator going all winter. 3 larger koi, 2 medium koi - all are fine. During the winter I could see the Koi at night (pond is lit). Now that the snow/ice melted, I can't see the bottom at night when pond is lit. I assume it is because of dirt in the snow/ice. I've used Micro lift sludge remover a couple of times..... I can see about 1 1/2 feet down, then it gets dark. At night the water seems brownish but a light at the very bottom shows a greenish tint. A glass of water held up looks perfectly clear. I do NOT have the waterfall running yet. I am keeping the aerator running for the time being and have a very small pump/filter working to run some of the water through a small barrel filter. Anyone have any thoughts/ideas.

 

[Catfishnut]

David,

Did a lot of leaf litter get into the pond over fall and winter? Maybe the brown tint could be from decaying leaves? That would be my first instinct. My second, depending upon the size and depth of your pond would be the phenomenon of "lake turnover"..... http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/lake-turnover/?ar_a=1 which would disturb all the sediment from the bottom of the pond and make the pond cloudy. As the temperature becomes consistently warm, it should then settle back down and clear up. This shouldn't really be an issue with such a shallow pond, I'd think you would have to have over ten feet of water for this to occur, but on a small scale, maybe it does to a minor extent... maybe just enough to make the water cloudy or brownish.

Catfishnut

 

[Catfishnut]

David,

Just a reminder, tear off that page on your calendar, it's now April in the rest of the U.S.

Sorry, just had to give you a hard time.

Catfishnut

 

[David Schlegel]

Hi Catfishnut!!!

Details, details, details. YES, it IS April here in Wisconsin also.... (as we're getting another inch or two of snow)...... Except for the error about the month, everything else is my post is accurate. I like your idea of "lake turnover". I hope that is it. Last spring we had 80 degrees in March and warmer than normal temps in April and my pond was full of algae ALL SUMMER LONG! This spring is just the opposite.... I just want a clear pond so I can enjoy the Koi!!!!!

DAVE

 

[David Schlegel]

It is April in Northeastern Wisconsin, USA. My pond is 1 1/2 years old. 10 ft x 10 ft, deepest point 3 1/2 feet. Ice fully melted about two weeks ago. Had aerator going all winter. 3 larger koi, 2 medium koi - all are fine. During the winter I could see the Koi at night (pond is lit). Now that the snow/ice melted, I can't see the bottom at night when pond is lit. I assume it is because of dirt in the snow/ice. I've used Micro lift sludge remover a couple of times..... I can see about 1 1/2 feet down, then it gets dark. At night the water seems brownish but a light at the very bottom shows a greenish tint. A glass of water held up looks perfectly clear. I do NOT have the waterfall running yet. I am keeping the aerator running for the time being and have a very small pump/filter working to run some of the water through a small barrel filter. Anyone have any thoughts/ideas.

 

[Catfishnut]

Hi Catfishnut!!!

Details, details, details. YES, it IS April here in Wisconsin also.... (as we're getting another inch or two of snow)...... Except for the error about the month, everything else is my post is accurate. I like your idea of "lake turnover". I hope that is it. Last spring we had 80 degrees in March and warmer than normal temps in April and my pond was full of algae ALL SUMMER LONG! This spring is just the opposite.... I just want a clear pond so I can enjoy the Koi!!!!!

DAVE

Dave,

If you had heavy algae growth all through last year, that may be the cause of the coloration this spring. Maybe it is the dead and decaying algae that you are seeing and with the possible action of "turnover" it is making it seem even worse. If so, I would think that it should eventually clear up with your barrel filter or settle to the bottom and slowly decompose over time. You might have to clean out your filter more often if it seems to be getting fouled and clogged. I am not an authority on ponds or algae, but this is the best explanation I can come up with. I'd say if it doesn't seem to be clearing up within the next month, after the outdoor temps warm and stabilize, that you may want to revisit this situation and ask again and especially so if the algae seems to be taking off in the same pattern again. If it does, then you can kinda foresee this as becoming a continuous cycle and possibly degrading your viewing pleasure more and more over the years.

You can try this, if you notice the algae taking off again. Buy some Zeolite from Tractor Supply (sold as a horse stall freshener) and put it into a mesh laundry bag(s). Hang the bag in the pond and the algae will grow on it. Remove the bag when it gets thick with algae and clean it off well with a hose end sprayer, then soak the Zeolite in a 3% to 5% salt brine solution for a day or so and then rinse well with clean water and replace it into the pond to start over. This doesn't correct the algae problem, but at least it coagulates or concentrates it in one location where it can be more readily removed. The Zeolite will also remove other contaminants from the water and the salt brine rejuvenation will allow you to keep using the Zeolite over and over again. It works similar to a water softener in principal. The nice thing about Zeolite is that it is fairly inexpensive, readily available and reusable.

Another remedy may be a UV clarifier. But, that also does not address the reason for the algae growth, it just kills the living algae that moves through the clarifier.

Catfishnut

 

[CometKeith]

David, It's my guess the water got tinted from leaves that fell in. I have the same problem. I would wait and not disturb your fish or the pond until temps are in the 60's and their resistance is good, and then do some water changes of 10-15% at a time and the water will clear up.

 

[Dave 54]

Hi David I agree its probaably from leaf litter that has fallin into your pond,
May I suggest next fall net your pond so that you dont get leaves falling in your pond, make sure both your filtration and pond are cleaned prior to winter then again in late spring .
We use Microbe_Lift PL filter pad innoculent which kick starts the system quite nicely for us .
We simply dont have the problems you have because we prepare for it in advance, it keeps things as clean as you can possibly get helping your fish at their weakest through winter and into spring.
We have two large bags of zeolite rocks, we one for summer the other for winter giving us two charged bags to get rid of any ammonia problems you may have.
We also use Lithaqua by Kusuri Koi in the next filter prior to our bio filter.



rgrds


Dave

 

[CometKeith]

Dave, Also if I may add your fish are probably happier in the tinted water than clear water. It makes them less likely to be seen by predators and reduces their stress level. The same goes for a lot of algae in a pond. This can be especially good in the spring or fall when there are not a lot of plants in a pond to give cover. Some people even add colorant to reduce stress in fish. It makes them less likely to hide or stay at the bottom. I think of it like the leaf tannins for fish are like the tannins in wine for us!

 

[shanezam203]

Do you have any pics of your pond lit at night?

 

[David Schlegel]

Shanezam203, here is a picture of my pond that I took last night (4/23/13). I have to admit it looks much greener in the picture than in person. In person it looks more brownish. What you thinking? I found it interesting that you asked for an evening picture.