Clear to Brown overnight

[cas]

The ph is 6.8.

I have read where the tannin's in the water can lower PH. Did you also have the KH tested? KH helps keep the PH stable. To prevent PH swings by raising the KH (and also raise the PH), you add baking soda. (Mix in a bucket of water and add around the pond.) BUT, you don’t want to add baking soda if the ammonia reading is > 0 because a higher PH will cause the ammonia to become toxic. You have ammonia because your pond is cycling. This can take 4-6 weeks. I hope when you cleaned the filters in you water fall, that you didn't set back the cycle.

Two days ago I put 10 lbs of activated charcoal in the waterfall.

When I used activated charcoal it took a while before I noticed any difference. Give it some time. Also, don’t place the charcoal in a nylon stocking because water doesn’t go through.

Oh, one other thing. Tannins could also be caused by barley, which is added to the pond to control algae.

 

[Craig Brown]

I really didn't clean the waterfall. I smacked the mesh against a wall. I read that I shouldn't wash it with tap water. The charcoal comes in 1lb nylon mesh bags. So it was easy to put it in the waterfall. I can see random fish-like shapes under the water so I think they are OK. Also, they are not eating the floating food but may be eating the food that sinks.

 

[Smaug]

That is much worse then anything I've ever had tannins wise. With my pondthink actual tea which has no particulate just the dark amber/brown of a good cup of tea. Yours looks muddy but I suppose it's could be just the pics. It will take alot of carbon to clear a pond of that size,twice I did it it took a 3 gallon bucket worth of good quality large pellet stuff. With a ph of 6.8 I wonder if your culprit might be rocks. A reactive rock will break down in low pH water and release certain things into the water. Yiu can check for reactivity with vinegar,it will fizz slightly if it's reactive. As for the ph,yes tannins drop ph but not more then .5 and it actually creates a false softwater affect whereas all the minerals are still there but it chemically softens by simply adding acids.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Looks like tannins.
As cas suggested, test your KH.
Activated charcoal is OK and should provide some positive results, but don't start putting other substances into your pond 'just because you have them' or 'it can't hurt'.

 

[Craig Brown]

My son (recent geology grad so organic chem is still in his nightmares) says its not just tannin. He says there are a lot of small particles that could only be pollen (unless someone dumped them in). I'll do the whole test kit again tomorrow. Beyond the de-chlorination and startup bacteria, I haven't dumped any chemicals in. I think all I can do is wait it out.

On the plus side, the fish were very active tonight feeding on the surface.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Once the pollen level abates, your pond will clear.

 

[sissy]

could the rocks you have under your waterfall be a factor .I had some rocks I picked up here that in combo with other factor turned my water brown .I took the 6 rocks out of my waterfall pond and each day I saw the water getting clearer .I cleaned the rocks really good before i even put them in the pond .Shame to they were a pretty color as they had some copper and brown colors in them

 

[Craig Brown]

My son says that it is unlikely due to the type of rocks we have in my area. All the rocks came out of the hole I dug for the pond (it felt pretty strange putting them back). I suppose it is possible. But if it was some kind of chemical reaction there would not be all those tiny particles. After reading dozens of posts, I did not find a situation that was like this. But I did find people who had a heavy rainfall and got tea. I found others who had a pollen "slick" on the top of their pond. My water moves a lot with the two waterfalls,skimmer and bottom drain so that could be the reason they stay suspended. My son asked if I could shut the pump off for a few hours to see if they settle. I would guess that is not a good idea.

So, it looks like I have a combination of the above. I'm going to keep an eye on the chemistry and see what happens. Though one thing I don't understand. While everyone says to keep an eye on the chemistry, they also say don't add anything to change the chemistry. If that is the case, why keep an eye on the chemistry I would guess that there is some critical point where you have to take action.

 

[sissy]

I use koi clay to catch suspended particles .Turn off the pumps add a cup all over the pond middle let it sit for 15 minutes to cloud the water and turn pumps back on and what doesn't go to the filters gets picked up by my pool net .It sinks to the bottom and the koi clay is healthy for the fish also .

 

[Smaug]

So the rocks are for the most part freshly dug. Now my vote definetly goes to them as the culprit. I do not buy the airborne pollen causing that much staining and pollen breaks down pretty quickly so as to not see much particulate. I had a fieldstone decorated cichlid tank that had this issue a while back . You will know next year at this time what it was,if it's pollen then you'll see it again,if it's the rocks then it won't happen again.

 

[cas]

While everyone says to keep an eye on the chemistry, they also say don't add anything to change the chemistry.

If the ammonia is high, action is needed.
If there are large PH swings, action is needed.
For a new pond, knowing the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels will help you know how far along in the nitrogen cycle your pond is and will let you know when the pond is fully cycled

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I did not see this mentioned anywhere in the previous postings. What is your source water: municipal or well?

 

[sissy]

Wondering about all the rocks and cement you built with also .I think you said you made them so could they still be leaching out dyes from them .I remembered back when I made my wagon wheel stepping stones and used black and red dye and it leached out of them for over 2 years .Remembered when I took my cement leaf out of the basement

 

[Craig Brown]

The water is municipal. Consensus is that today it is a darker brown then yesterday. No rain for a few days.
Waiting for my son to test it (darn colorblindness! Cant read resister values, see little dots on a chart and now this!

 

[Craig Brown]

Hmmm .. the bricks. I did seal them. Normally water is not in contact with the bricks except when it rains. Wow, that would be a bummer. Though there are all the particles.