Murky Pond

[phibunmike]

I have found some interesting stuff in other threads about keeping ponds clear, but they mostly refer to smaller ponds where filtration is more feasible.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

The pond is always impenetrably murky. Locals suggest concreting it, which I am against, and anyway I think would change nothing. I am not sure if the murk is mostly due to clay suspension or algae.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

[CGW]

I looked into this a few years back, The answer I came up with was that this was the way "nature" intended it to be and there is no "practical" way of cleaning it up, and keeping it clean.

I may have come up with the wrong answer?

Cheers

[chownah]

I have a natural pond (natural water in the pond but I had the pond dug) and in the rainy season it fills with water and flows out into the rice field as part of the irrigation system. The water enters the pond through the dirt. As long as the water is flowing out the water stays quite clean compared to other ponds with no outflows. When the rainy season ends and there is no longer any outflow then the water starts to get murky.....but in a few months I start to pump water from this pond for irrigation of dry season crops and this pumping every week takes the old water out and new water seeps in from the ground and this process keeps the water fairly clear. The clay in the ground in the area is a light grey and when it forms a colloid in the water the colloid is white in color (or off white) and the result is actually water that is tinged blue from reflecting light from the blue sky....very nice and its the only pond that is not green....however...it is the green color of stuff growing in the water that feeds many types of fish....I have only had this pond for 2 years now and so far it is not as productive fish wise as other ponds...but it is prettier than the more productive ponds....how can you have your cake and eat it too?...I don't know.

[phibunmike]

Thanks CGW and Chownah, I guess I will just respect the fish's privacy...

I think it will improve a bit when I get more grass cover around the edges instead of the muddy run-off...

[RamdomChances]

As has been said that, the green/murky colour is quite natural. In fact the murkier the water the better the fish seem to like it, I hab a lot of algie blooms when I first dug mine, but all you need to do is gey fish that eat the algei (taptin, nin, lat). Mine gets all the run-off fron the farm so its very rich in cow manure, the fish thrive on it. In fact we sell baggs of cow manurt to fish farms so they can add to their water

[N&M]

Hey RC, would you mind if I asked what kind of farm and what size it is you are running ?

As for muddy water, I kind of remember years ago someone telling me to add something to the water which will attach to the mud particles and they sink, basically clearing the water. Gypsum pops into my head, but not sure.

[RamdomChances]

Hey RC, would you mind if I asked what kind of farm and what size it is you are running ?

As for muddy water, I kind of remember years ago someone telling me to add something to the water which will attach to the mud particles and they sink, basically clearing the water. Gypsum pops into my head, but not sure.

Dairy about 70 head, plus 40 odd rai general farm, and a fish pond theres some pics of it in my blog if you interested.

RC

[pianoman]

I live up country, Kalasin, and would like to try and find somewhere, possibly in Bangkok to purchase a pond filter system such as I had at my place back in the States... I know that I can make my own, but being the lazy, Retired (Thai Immagtration says I can not work, and I realy use that to my advantage) I would like to purchase a filter system for a small Koi pond...

Any suggestions or where to look while in Bangkok would be greatly appreciated...

Pianoman

[Bung]

I've got a pond about the same size as the op and we had fish in it (koi) that we fed and it was always murky. Then we had a drought and it went dry so we took the fish out to a local wat so they wouldn't die (although someone promptly ate them!!)

Now it has water in it and I put in some water lily's (tried before but the fish always ate them) and now the water is clear...

I think if you have any fish they will stir up the silt and it will be murky. I saw some other ponds with lily's and they were always clean so I tried it, seems to work but not sure if the lily's some how "filter" the water....

Looks a lot better without fish...

Pianoman- Google hydroponics in Thailand, there is a big shop in Bangkok and I think they will have the filters that you need.

[N&M]

Not all fish stir up a pond. Some do, some do not and usually I have found some of the ones that do, it generally settle down after a time.

Koi will stir up the bottom for sure, but then they also let it settle down after they are settled in, at least mine have, usually just before they die.

You will find that the reason your pond is now clear is because it has just settled with no fish to stir it up. The water lily's are not the reason.

Also Koi are a 'carp' type of fish and carp are bottom feeders in the wild that stir up the bottoms of rivers and ponds etc to feed.

[Bung]

I thought that was the reason...

Oh well, I don't have to worry about it now, after taking them to a Wat for safekeeping someone ate the lot

Can't blame them I guess, two were monsters after being fed for 7 years but a bit of a shame.

[Tywais]

Now it has water in it and I put in some water lily's (tried before but the fish always ate them) and now the water is clear...

I think if you have any fish they will stir up the silt and it will be murky. I saw some other ponds with lily's and they were always clean so I tried it, seems to work but not sure if the lily's some how "filter" the water....

The water Lily's will absorb the nitrogen which algae (bloom) thrive on. The murkiness (brown) will be the silt stirred up by the fish. Any run off from areas fertilized (nitrogen based) will also cause algae growth.

Have a concrete fish pond and about 40% cover by Lily's and it was crystal clear for a few years. I removed the Lily's because they seemed to be dying off and in a few months the water was thick green with algae. Once they get a hold, very difficult to clean them off.

[phibunmike]

Not all fish stir up a pond. Some do, some do not and usually I have found some of the ones that do, it generally settle down after a time.

Koi will stir up the bottom for sure, but then they also let it settle down after they are settled in, at least mine have, usually just before they die.

You will find that the reason your pond is now clear is because it has just settled with no fish to stir it up. The water lily's are not the reason.

Also Koi are a 'carp' type of fish and carp are bottom feeders in the wild that stir up the bottoms of rivers and ponds etc to feed.

I guess the 1200 odd panin might be the culprits then...

[TBWG]

I have found some interesting stuff in other threads about keeping ponds clear, but they mostly refer to smaller ponds where filtration is more feasible.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

The pond is always impenetrably murky. Locals suggest concreting it, which I am against, and anyway I think would change nothing. I am not sure if the murk is mostly due to clay suspension or algae.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

Hi mike

This is a meant to give you encouragement as I have forgotten the punch line i.e. the name of the stuff!!

I too have a pond of similar size which was also very murky, the wifes family suggested I put a couple of kilos of white powder in it, I was not too sure because it was home to several thousand pla nin.

They assured me it would be alright, and sure enough it made the water a lot clearer almost overnight. the fish seemed unaffected and it was considered a reasonable success and I have repeated the operation again over the next few years.

Now the white powder was readily available in a small market town and cost next to nothing so it must be fairly common.

A word of warning when throwing it in don't stand downwind, I finished up looking like an albino.

However it is only ever a temporay solution because of the fish stirring up the mud. I find the worst offenders are pla chon (catfish) despite never knowingly introducing them I seem to have aquired several large specimens ( wifes mother finds them very tasty) when we manage to catch the odd one.

I am in the UK at the moment so it is difficult to find out the name of the powder, but will be in LOS in March so could find out then if not sooner when wife next calls home.

Hope this gives you some hope

TBWG

[TBWG]

[.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

Right, after consultation with boss lady I can advise that powder is called Bhun Khow ( my phonetic spelling) and cost 5 baht a kilo approx 2 years ago.

I used 2 kilo in a pond approx 30m x 20m and about 2 m deep at the time of treatment, so 1 kilo should be OK for you. I am also advised that it took about 5-7 days to get full benefit. It should be spread as widely as possible over area of pond and not just dumped all in one spot.

Boss lady also tells me it is the powder I sprinkle in the bottom of a hole to prevent disease when I am planting shrubs, mango trees etc.

Hope this helps

TBWG

[phibunmike]

[.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

Right, after consultation with boss lady I can advise that powder is called Bhun Khow ( my phonetic spelling) and cost 5 baht a kilo approx 2 years ago.

I used 2 kilo in a pond approx 30m x 20m and about 2 m deep at the time of treatment, so 1 kilo should be OK for you. I am also advised that it took about 5-7 days to get full benefit. It should be spread as widely as possible over area of pond and not just dumped all in one spot.

Boss lady also tells me it is the powder I sprinkle in the bottom of a hole to prevent disease when I am planting shrubs, mango trees etc.

Hope this helps

TBWG

Thanks TBWG - I will look out for it in the local town.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the name "bhun khow" (your phonetics) might be "baeng khao" (my phonetics) meaning "white powder" - on of those highly technical names !!!!

Thanks again,

Mike

[chownah]

[.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

Right, after consultation with boss lady I can advise that powder is called Bhun Khow ( my phonetic spelling) and cost 5 baht a kilo approx 2 years ago.

I used 2 kilo in a pond approx 30m x 20m and about 2 m deep at the time of treatment, so 1 kilo should be OK for you. I am also advised that it took about 5-7 days to get full benefit. It should be spread as widely as possible over area of pond and not just dumped all in one spot.

Boss lady also tells me it is the powder I sprinkle in the bottom of a hole to prevent disease when I am planting shrubs, mango trees etc.

Hope this helps

TBWG

Thanks TBWG - I will look out for it in the local town.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the name "bhun khow" (your phonetics) might be "baeng khao" (my phonetics) meaning "white powder" - on of those highly technical names !!!!

Thanks again,

Mike

I think he is referring to what I would type as "poon khow" which means white cement. They make it up in the mountains by mining a mineral and then heating and grinding it. It is put on some fields to improve its fertility and I believe that is is lime...but I'm only 95% sure as I've never bought any or used any myself.

[TBWG]

[.

My pond is natural, about 15m x 25m x 2m. There are some overhanging trees, some lilies, and quite a lot of fish (which I feed).

The pond gets run-off from the raised land for the house, which during rain is sandy / clay pale brown.

Any suggestions from you pond-folk ?

Thanks,

Mike

P.S. I am in Ubon (Isaan)

I think he is referring to what I would type as "poon khow" which means white cement. They make it up in the mountains by mining a mineral and then heating and grinding it. It is put on some fields to improve its fertility and I believe that is is lime...but I'm only 95% sure as I've never bought any or used any myself.

I have just looked in Thai-English dictionary and yes it would appear to be lime.

A good example of why there are so many different spellings for Thai words!!!

TBWG

[N&M]

Yes lime, this is what I was told many moons ago and it looks like it works.

[Tywais]

Some info on lime and how to use it.

http://msucares.com/wildfish/fisheries/far...ent/liming.html

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/scripts/FA028

And a fish pond forum:

http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=5

Some info on algae control:

small pond

large ponds

Edited February 16, 2006 by tywais

[TBWG]

And a fish pond forum:

http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=5

Hi Tywais

Hmm "Beaver problems" sounds interesting!!

TWBG

[phibunmike]

Right, after consultation with boss lady I can advise that powder is called Bhun Khow ( my phonetic spelling) and cost 5 baht a kilo approx 2 years ago.

I used 2 kilo in a pond approx 30m x 20m and about 2 m deep at the time of treatment, so 1 kilo should be OK for you. I am also advised that it took about 5-7 days to get full benefit. It should be spread as widely as possible over area of pond and not just dumped all in one spot.

Boss lady also tells me it is the powder I sprinkle in the bottom of a hole to prevent disease when I am planting shrubs, mango trees etc.

Hope this helps

TBWG

Thanks TBWG - I will look out for it in the local town.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the name "bhun khow" (your phonetics) might be "baeng khao" (my phonetics) meaning "white powder" - on of those highly technical names !!!!

Thanks again,

Mike

I think he is referring to what I would type as "poon khow" which means white cement. They make it up in the mountains by mining a mineral and then heating and grinding it. It is put on some fields to improve its fertility and I believe that is is lime...but I'm only 95% sure as I've never bought any or used any myself.

Chownah, little did you realise you were solving two mysteries - not only what the powder is, but actually my wife didn't want the pond cemented at all - she was also saying "poon khow", which I misunderstood. Now all is clear (except the pond)