"Joan" wrote in message
...
Hi, fellow ponders, and thanks for being there.
I did something dumb. I was trying to build a nice buffer in my pond
and added a bunch of landscaping lime in pellet form. Immediately,
the pond turned a cloudy brown, and it has remained cloudy and brown
now for weeks. I checked the manufacturer of the lime to see if it
had any tannins or iron, but there was none mentioned in their
literature, so I am thinking it must be just plain old mud.
Is this going to hurt the fish? Recommendations for how to clean this
mess up without changing water? My water is *finally* starting to
mature and I hate to rock the boat.
Thanks.
Joan in Oregon
P.S. Great idea about setting up a moderated group. Thanks to
whomever went to the trouble to get this going!
We used the garden lime in one of our ponds when we first started it up
about 10 years ago. My filter (upflow gravel) was able to trap the lime
onto the surface of the gravel. Water cleared within a few days. To remove
the lime, you might try the quilt batting that some use for removal of some
of the green water algae. If there is very much of the lime in the pond, it
will clog the quilt batting quickly, so it may need to be cleaned several
times.