famr pond clear water for swimming

[JamesHW]

Ideally if you could divert a running water source such as a spring or stream I believe the result would be a clear pond if enough volume. As a kid our small, 10 foot deep pond in Upstate NY was crystal clear in the middle of the summer. It is fed by an active stream in addition to a spring on one side. My Dad would drag me down to the pond at dawn and we would jump in. Cold? I don't think I caught my breath until after breakfast.

The dam failed the after some loggers skidded logs across the top in the early 70's and it awaits me to restore it and all that entails, but that will be another thread.

 

[oosik]

The Dept of Fish & Game has used Grass Carp in some lakes to keep pond weeds in check. If you have special decorative lilies, as I do, be careful the carp can wipe them out also. Otherwise, carp are an excellent method of pond weed control. My lake is 5+ acres and has pond weeds, lilly pads, algae blooms, water bugs and everything else you would expect in a normal lake. You can not expect a farm pond to be a chlorinated swimming pool.

 

[MossRoad]

[h=2]Organism in ponds, lakes can be deadly.[/h]
We had a child in the community die some years ago from swimming in a pond when he contracted primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Be careful.

"To protect themselves, people should avoid swimming in smaller bodies of water between July and October when it is very warm, health officials said. People who swim or dive in lakes should use nose plugs, said Jean Carver, information specialist for the St. Johns health department. Also, avoid swimming near the bottom or stirring up sediment where the amoeba cysts, or eggs, are commonly found."

I think that issue is primarily in southern waters that are warm for a continuous period. The O.P. appears to be in Canada. But that organism that gets into your sinuses, then your brain.... what a horrible way to go. Gotta feel for the folks that recently lost a child to that.

 

[cre10]

I think that issue is primarily in southern waters that are warm for a continuous period. The O.P. appears to be in Canada. But that organism that gets into your sinuses, then your brain.... what a horrible way to go. Gotta feel for the folks that recently lost a child to that.

I think it happened in Kansas a month or so ago.

 

[Larro Darro]

With warmer winters, it will be moving further north.

Larro

 

[boggen]

Pond Boss Magazine: Welcome = like TBN but for mud/clay ponds
www.koiphen.com = like TBN but more on liner style ponds.

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floating rafts. need to make wider and longer. i want to say 8 foot by 12 foot floating raft or is it 10 by 14? i don't know i know its 8 foot and wider and 12 foot or longer. on 8 55 gallon drums (3 on each side) 1 at each short end, all drums have 2x6 or 2x8 spacer between them and they all fit snug in between the lumber, i put some RV antifreeze and water mix in each drum i want to say about 10 to 15 gallons, this lowers the drums some. in the water, and seemed to stabilize it better. 230lbs person can almost put a corner into the water, standing right on a corner, 2 230 lbs folks will put edge right at edge of water. 3 folks, on same edge = edge in water. 12v small bass boat trolling motor on it, and a 2x4 fold up ladder. turns the raft into a nice fishing boat, raft, lounge area, and easy off/onto ladder.

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floating dock, i want to say 12 feet long. (attached to shore with some pipe and rope) out in the lake. i have kinda of a T setup. 2 30 gallon drums on each side. and then 1 55 gallon drum in the center (total of 4 30's and 1 55 drums) and some pipes around it. this baby wants to sink rather quickly into the water, 2 200 lbs folks. it will drop into the water. as you go from dock to raft. and i put some extra pipe between T portion and raft. so no one could get there foot or leg caught between the 2, in case they did slip and get something caught. The T keeps the main ramp of dock from twisting and putting folks into the lake. and helps stabilize the end that is out in the water.

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mud/clay ponds and getting clear water. is a joke. not going to happen. from single cell algae, to bacteria, to other. and how mud/clay ponds work. along with disturbing the bottom layer of muck. (fish, to everything else) your not going to get anything near a swimming pool clear. ya you will have days you can set up on shore and see 5 feet down into the water and watch fish. and other days maybe 1 foot if that into the water.

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grass carp (white alnumers?) i can never remember technical name. they are illegal in many states (carp of any type) exception the grass carp which you normally need a permit / liecnes of some sort to put into your lake/pond. (contact your local fisheries) the grass carp are female and have been spaded by a certified vet.

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most vegetation / aquatic plants. will only grow in 4 feet or less depth of water. the deeper you go, the less light that penetrates down to the bottom of the lake/pond. if you can get a dock or something to get you out past that depth and a little further. with a ladder. of some sort. less issues of going through the vegetation/weeds in the water.

i DO NOT suggest trying to place down some sort of plastic or like down in the water were you want to exit/enter lake. once the plastic gets a little bit of algea on it. it becomes slicker than snot. and no way to get any sort of foot hold. and you are required to go dog style, of hands and knees to crawl yourself out and off the plastic and up to shore (been there done that) along with trying to stand up and falling ugly back into the water

 

[pdmholmes]

Thanks for the ideas, i bought 100ft of heavy hose and a second diffuser to get oxygen to the other end of the pond. It won't get more oxygen into the pond just distribute it wider. When I placed the single diffuser in the middle last year it blocked a lot of surface wind currents so floating debris wasn't reaching the far side. Hopefully I can leave enough room between the two diffusers to allow for wind currents
Also bought five gallons of bacteria. All total 1400 yikes hope this works
FYI a blue green algae came for one day, I raked a bunch and it was gone next day

 

[boggen]

aerater... you don't want to sit directly on bottom. you want to raise them a foot to a couple feet off bottom or more. (pending on how deep pond/lake is) if pond is circle in shape, one placed in center might work for ya. if there is enough depth. if pond is shallow say 5 to 10 feet depth for 1/2 acre lake, it will not do you squat. and you would be better off looking for a trash water pump. to circulate the water into a single large vortexing / whirl pool like current within the pond. vs a donut shape current you get from an aerater that may only effect so many feet away from it.

 

[boggen]

Thanks for the ideas, i bought 100ft of heavy hose and a second diffuser to get oxygen to the other end of the pond. It won't get more oxygen into the pond just distribute it wider. When I placed the single diffuser in the middle last year it blocked a lot of surface wind currents so floating debris wasn't reaching the far side. Hopefully I can leave enough room between the two diffusers to allow for wind currents
Also bought five gallons of bacteria. All total 1400 yikes hope this works
FYI a blue green algae came for one day, I raked a bunch and it was gone next day

complete and uder waste on bacteria. i think ya wasting your cash. a new startup, ok maybe, but most likely would of said just give it a couple years to let it naturally establish itself. but 4 year old pond/lake. *shakes head no* or less water test samples come back stating certain parameters are out of whack. and then and only then adding something to get given parameters back into shape.

 

[pdmholmes]

Super idea on the dock doubling as a raft boat. Second diffuser is in, but maybe 10 feet short of deepest section. I thought it might be short so I nabbed maybe 20 feet off the first aerator but it's still a little short. Maybe 12 feet deep where it is now, slightly deeper around 16 feet a little further on.
I'm away 2 weeks so will work on second bigger raft when I get home
I did notice there are few weeds growing at the first aerator location this year. before I put the aerator in last year there was the first and biggest patch on the pond. Maybe the aerator actually helped? It's been running 24/7 for a year