How long for clay silt to "settle"?

[Skydog]

I wasn't happy with the lily's performance rooted in gravel, so I removed it, separated rhizomes and repotted in clay filled pots. I also added some cattail, water iris, sweet flag, lizard's tail, pickerel weed, and corkscrew rush. How long before the clay disappears and things start clearing up?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Clay settles out of suspension very slowly in undisturbed conditions, Longer with water movement. Depending on the amount in suspension and water movement...several days to weeks.
Did you not cover the clay with gravel after re-potting?

 

[Skydog]

No, I was advised against doing that, but now think perhaps I should have.

 

[milhousebarks]

Soon after first building my pond water ran over a clogged gutter and into the pond, taking a lot clay silt with it from my recent excavation. It didn't settle after several days, so I began pumping the water through a bucket filled with quilt batting (into the top of the bucket and out through holes cut in the bottom that emptied back into the pond). It wasn't totally clear, but after a few days it was most of the way there and I could see the bottom 2 feet down. I returned the water to its original route through the bog and it slowly cleared the rest of the way up.

Of course my pond was just starting so I had not expectation of clear water right away until it got stabilized, but the quilt batting certainly helped clear up the clay. And I also raised the one low edge of the pond the incident had revealed so water wouldn't flow into the pond like that again.

So if it persists and you are anxious for clarity (aren't we all), you may want to try something that will mechanically filter out the tiny clay particles. Most regular filtration systems just can't get the tiny clay bits.

 

[Skydog]

I've had the overflowing gutter situation in the past.