Hey yall,

Im a new pond owner in East Texas. I have about a 1-1.5 acre pond - about 11-12 feet deep. I have added ag lime and the ph and alkalinity are in the good range. I have added FHMs, some BGs, and some red ear. My problem is murkiness. It recently rained alot and i am full to the brim. I have waited for a couple weeks to see if the lime would ever clear it up, and its not. I even tried the water in a jug (and let it sit for a week) test, and the clay stays in the water and never settles. Should I add gypsum? If so, how? I have never seen any sale, except sheet rock, lol. Thanks for any help!

I'm not familiar with resources available in Texas as I don't own a pond here. In the state where I do own one, the AG-extension resources have pond/water quality management experts available to assist. You might look into that route.

Armycornhusker,

New ponds can take several months to clear up. Once vegetation gets established around the pond and it has time to settle you should begin to see it clear, but it takes time. I've done several in East Texas and have found adding an old round bale to the pond can really help it to clear and stay clear. If you don't have access to the big round bales, square bales will also work. In a pond your size I would use one of the big round bales preferably older hay...its cheaper and works faster.

Gypsum is good stuff in our acidic waters but sounds like you have already addressed the ph balance. I'm not a fan of sheetrock unless you know specifically what other chemicals may be in the mix.

The good news is those forage fish you stocked will do just fine in there even with the murky waters.

We've had several inches of rain the last two weeks, probably about 10 inches...and this old pond with the hay is doing just fine.

How many round bales per acre would you recommend?

Each pond is different but I'd always start with one bale per pond and go from there if necessary. Its a slow but steady process

Thanks y’all! I’ll try the hay!