Caterpillar poop in pond

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I live in southern New England, and gypsy moth caterpillars are back in a big way. When I get up in the morning the pond (12'x15) is covered in chewed up oak leaf bits, and caterpillar poop everywhere (and I'm assuming it's collecting at the bottom of the pond. The water is damn near opaque, and the skimmer pump keeps clogging.

The oak tree will be cut down in a couple weeks. Do I wait until then, or is there something I need to do now?

Oh, two dozen one year old comets and goldfish, all about two inches long.
 
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Welcome!
I think you'll have to just keep on cleaning the filter frequently until the tree comes down.

My biggest concern until then is water quality. The caterpillar poop sinks. What is this doing to the water?
 
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My biggest concern until then is water quality. The caterpillar poop sinks. What is this doing to the water?

The caterpillars are adding organic matter to the water that will break down and fuel nuisance algae growth.
If the poop is settling on the bottom, do you have another water pump that you can place on the bottom so the various detritus settling on the bottom will be stirred up and removed by your mechanical filter?
Otherwise, you could vacuum the bottom of the pond every couple of days.
 
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Man I can't imagine what your going through, back in the '90s they stripped the forest up in Camp Grayling MI. It rained shredded leaf bits and poo on us, if they fell on you, and you swatted them or crushed them in you shirt collar, you'd get these huge red welts from the tannic acid in them. The whole forest was stripped to bare two years in a row, the trees looked like it was December in July. The third year the trees built up a defense to them, by then the yellow jackets were insane as they were the only thing that would eat the gypsy moth caterpillars.

Keep close watch on you pH and ammonia!
 

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