Cloudy pond

Good morning,

Not sure what is going on, but my pond has turned cloudy. It is a raised pond and has been crystal clear since end of March when I got it. The fish have been in there for about a month and a half give or take (as I put two in one week and two in a few weeks later). Is it because it's hot and the water has turned funny? Will this affect the fish? There is no debris or dead animals in there (I have looked) and I have a little pump and filter that I have been cleaning on a regular basis.

thanks

GP :D

 

When you clean the pump and filter have you been doing so in old pond water? If so then that's fine, but if you've been using tap water then this could be the reason for the cloudy water. If you use tap water it kills the beneficial bacteria in the filter, so once you've finished cleaning, the bacteria have to reinstate themselves and this bacterial bloom causes the water to go cloudy. Give it a little while and the water should clear again and in the meantime cut back on feeding for a while to stop the water getting too polluted with waste matter. ALways rinse the filter sponges in old pond water (scooped out with a bucket) and you should be ok.

 

Picture?

 

What is the size of the pond and what sort of filter have you, and as watergarden says, picture

 

Also if at all possible don't clean all the filter media at one time. Do half this time and half the next. This helps prevent washing out all the benificial bacteria keeping enough in the uncleaned half to keep things ticking over untill the cleaned portion re-colonises.

John.

 

Thanks everyone!

The good news is that the pond is starting to clear. Someone said it was the heat that causes it to go murky!

In answer to your questions though, I have been cleaning the filter sponge in pond water. I added a new lily about 1 month ago but it wasn't even growing when I planted it and the water was clear for a few weeks after I had placed it. I don't have the size of the pond, but I would say it was similar to a middle size round dining table for 4 people!

I will post a pic and keep you updated on the water situ!

GP :D

 

The pond is now crystal clear!! Amazing. It looks great. It must have been the weather

 

i doubt it, its probably your filter starting to work

 

Hello..i was wondering,do you have a U/V? If not,this could be the cause.Mine was accidently turned off for some time and the water turned very murky.....not green like you would imagine.I note that you say that it has now cleared up,but this COULD be due to the lack of plentiful sunshine.Just a thought...cheers....freddy

 

Similar story but a different outcome.
My one year old raised pond went cloudy early this year despite having a small pump and filter.

The cloud was like a green fog.
I went and bought the smallest pump/uv and bio filter I could as I have something less that 100 gallons. After a few weeks it cleared and has been clear ever since, magic.!

 

glad to hear it, as i said in the other post, it is the filter starting to work.

please remember to change the UV light at least once a year

 

Periods of bright sunshine can cause algae to bloom this in turn can overcome your filter so the balance can be affected by the weather.