My pond water is turning brown and I'm unable to see to the bottom. Is
this normal? If not what am I doing wrong or better yet, what do I need
to do to correct this?

Thanks

Could be. Is your pond situated under an Oak tree? Mine used to be and every
spring my water turned brown from the tannins in the leaves that fell in the
water. My current pond is not located under any trees and gets a fair amount
of sunlight. Now it's green water every spring until I get the algae bloom
under control.

JB


"Peter Pan" wrote in message
...
My pond water is turning brown and I'm unable to see to the bottom. Is
this normal? If not what am I doing wrong or better yet, what do I need to
do to correct this?

Thanks

The pond sits in the middle of several trees, and yes I did scoop out a
bunch leaves and other things that fell from the oaks / birch.
What is a good way of getting the debris from the bottom of the pond? I
tried a pool skimmer attached to a hose but that didn't work. I also
used a pool net neither did a good job.

On Wed, 14 May 2008 23:41:49 EDT, Peter Pan
wrote:
The pond sits in the middle of several trees, and yes I did scoop out a
bunch leaves and other things that fell from the oaks / birch.
What is a good way of getting the debris from the bottom of the pond? I
tried a pool skimmer attached to a hose but that didn't work. I also
used a pool net neither did a good job.

Many ponds have a skimmer built in so they catch the leaves before
they drop to the bottom. Although I don't have trees near my pond I
still get debris and use a Shop Vac to remove what doesn't go down the
bottom drain. I still use the Shop Vac to remove what goes down the
drain and into the first filter barrel. Depending on the size of your
pond and budget, you might find a pond vac more to your liking.
http://store.123ponds.com/oapo2pova.html This is just one model,
but it is self priming and continuous, not a Shop Vac that has limited
storage capacity and has to be dumped to continue.

A 5 gallon bucket of activated charcoal (Local pet shop.) with a line
for water flow through it can help. Charcoal changes, water changes
will help remove the color, but the leaves/debris have to be removed
for a lasting success.
--
Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8
http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb

On Wed, 14 May 2008 23:41:49 EDT, Peter Pan wrote:


The pond sits in the middle of several trees, and yes I did scoop out a
bunch leaves and other things that fell from the oaks / birch.
What is a good way of getting the debris from the bottom of the pond? I
tried a pool skimmer attached to a hose but that didn't work. I also
used a pool net neither did a good job.

As Hal mentioned, you'll have to clean the gunk out first. Depending on
size of pond a shop vac works very well.

Then do daily water changes, 10%/day till it clears, and don't forget to
use dechlor or detox for chloramines, if using tap water. Or you might want
to use a carbon filter on the hose, but that only works for chlorine
treated water, not chloramines treated water (if I remember correctly).
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us