Common Problems With Farm Ponds

Introduction   |   Fish Kills   |    Muddy Water   |   Leaking Ponds   |   Wildlife

Muddy Water

Click here for a printable version of this publication: Fertilizing Mississippi Farm Ponds

Muddy or turbid water limits fish production because basic fish food organisms must have sunlight to grow. Silt and mud deposits also cover fish eggs and fill the pond. Controlling the erosion in a pond’s watershed is essential for permanent control of most muddy water problems. Planting the entire watershed around the pond in grass and trees is the best method for permanent control of most muddy water. In ponds that stay muddy because of suspended clay particles, use any of the following methods:

• Apply 20 pounds of triple superphosphate (0-46-0) per acre at 2- to 3- week intervals. This should be well dissolved in solution.
• Use 10 square bales of hay per acre. Break up the bales and shake out into the water. When water clears, return to your regular fertilization program. Use caution during summer months since decomposition of the hay may also lead to oxygen depletions.
• Apply 5-15 pounds of alum per surface acre of water.
• Use gypsum at the rate of 15 to 35 pounds per 1,000 cubic feet of pond water. Spread the gypsum from a boat over the pond surface and stir with an outboard motor. The gypsum will keep the water clear as long as the gypsum is not washed from the pond. When used according to recommendations, it will not kill fish, change the pH of the water, or harm livestock.

If livestock are muddying your pond, fence off the pond and install drinking troughs below the pond.

If the water in your pond stays milky, apply 75 pounds of cottonseed meal and 25 pounds of superphosphate per acre each time you apply the other fertilizer until the water clears. When the water clears, return to your regular fish pond fertilization program.

Consult your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for erosion control techniques and suggestions.

Red Coloration

One particularly frequent problem seen every summer, and especially in late summer or early fall, is a "red color" or "red slime."

The red color or slime is likely not a problem! It is actually a green, planktonic protist called Euglena having a red eyespot. The chemical that causes this eyespot to be red, haematochrome, is produced in greater quantities when the euglena cell is exposed to excessive sunlight, creating the red "bloom". This is a normal occurrence and poses no problem!

Another possible "red" problem is mosquito fern (Azolla). This floats on the surface much like duckweed, but looks just like a tiny fern. It will often take on a deep, rich red color. This is easily distinguished from the Euglena blooms, which usually form a red "skim" on the pond surface.

Euglena blooms require no treatment. Mosquito fern may need to be controlled, and can be treated just as you would duckweed (grass carp love it!; or SONAR and Diquat also do well; 2,4-D is marginal in efficacy).

Green Coloration

The green coloration or pond "scum" usually refers to a group of plants called filamentous algae. However this can also be caused by planktonic algae, microscopic plants that can be controlled with the same techniques used for filamentous algae.