Murky pond water after treating with Cloverleaf

[kris308]

Hi,

I treated my pond with Cloverleaf Blanket answer over 4 weeks ago now and my pond will still not clear. According to the instructions and what people say it should clear in about 3-5 days. The water is not milky, it seems to have suspended dead algae like particles about 1.5' down from the surface. It cannot be algae as my UV is working fine. All I can think of is that it is the dead blanket weed. Before I added this treatment my pond was crystal clear with just the blanket weed problem. The Cloverleaf treatment has killed the weed perfectly but seems to have left this murky water. My filter is a 2,000 gallon with 3 compartments, alfa grog, plastic cylinders and brushes. I clean the brush compartment out every week. I called the manufacturer of Cloverleaf and they told me the reason it wasn't clearing was that I was cleaning the brushes out too often and I should only clean them out once a month. So I phoned the aquatics place I had my filter from (a custom filter made by them) and I told them what Cloverleaf had said. They told me that this answer was total rubbish and I should keep cleaning my filter as I did before. They advised me to clean out all of my filter compartments to see if they were clogged with dead weed. I did this and the filter was not clogged at all. It just had the residue at the bottom of the chambers. So then I tried using Blagdon Clearpond to try and get rid of the particles. That was 5 days ago now and it has done nothing. Can anyone help me please as I really do not know what to do next. I do not want to change the water. I know it is something to do with that cloverleaf treatment and not my filter. Up untill the treatment my pond was perfectly clear. Now I can only see about 1' below the surface before it gets murky.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group, they love it if you post an introduction first.

But in saying that, get some quilt batting (the stuff they use to make quilts with) put it where your pond water will flow through it. It is very fine (almost cotton like) and will catch the floating particles. You need a fines type filter to pull that stuff out. If you have a water fall stick it in a basket under your water fall, or where the water comes back into your pond from the filter.

 

[kris308]

Thanks Addy I will give that a go. Actually I was considering doing that next but was a little worried about screwing up the flow rate. My filter is a custom made one so has provision for a couple of fine particle catching matted filters.

 

[stroppy]

it does take a while to clear i used it i then had to use cloverleaf sludge buster to get rid of the dead algea and murky water ,,, but try the filter mats might well clear it up tne cloverleaf i found got rid of the algea but messed up other things so i dont think i will use it again, also some water changes would help

 

[stroppy]

you dont need to change all of your water just 10 or 20% ..also when you cleaned your filters did you wash them in pond water ?

 

[kris308]

Hi,
No mate i washed the media with a hose pipe, not pond water. I have added filter primer and some bacteria balls (cant think what they are called, aqua something) to re- kick start my filter.

 

[addy1]

Try to wash your media with only pond water, if you have chlorine in your water you could be killing some of your good bacteria.

 

[stroppy]

Hi,
No mate i washed the media with a hose pipe, not pond water. I have added filter primer and some bacteria balls (cant think what they are called, aqua something) to re- kick start my filter.

that might be where your going wrong water here in the UK has chlorine in it ...and it kills your bacteria if you need to clean filter materials, fill a bucket with pond water and wash them in it .. even if you a filter primer it still takes weeks for the bacteria to grow

 

[kris308]

Hi,

I went to see my aquatics dealer (the guy who made my filter) and told him what I was going to do. About adding extra filtration media. He advised me that he thought it wasnt the filter that needed looking at. He said that sometimes algae can grow in the pond faster than the uv is killing it. He said that he had this problem too when he upgraded his filter and pump system. He advised me to try a product called 'goodbye green water' and see what happens. I added two sachet's on Friday and I think it is looking a little better but no dramatic improvement yet.I just hope it does the trick as i want to see my fish properly again. He thinks that the green/brown particles are algea, not dead blanket weed. Been new to this hobby I asumed it was dead blanketweed from the cloverleaf treatment as I thought my uv was killing all the algea. I can say that it was doing this perfectly well before I added the cloverleaf.

 

[stroppy]

Hi,

I went to see my aquatics dealer (the guy who made my filter) and told him what I was going to do. About adding extra filtration media. He advised me that he thought it wasnt the filter that needed looking at. He said that sometimes algae can grow in the pond faster than the uv is killing it. He said that he had this problem too when he upgraded his filter and pump system. He advised me to try a product called 'goodbye green water' and see what happens. I added two sachet's on Friday and I think it is looking a little better but no dramatic improvement yet.I just hope it does the trick as i want to see my fish properly again. He thinks that the green/brown particles are algea, not dead blanket weed. Been new to this hobby I asumed it was dead blanketweed from the cloverleaf treatment as I thought my uv was killing all the algea. I can say that it was doing this perfectly well before I added the cloverleaf.

a uv only kills green water ... not string algea or as some call it blanket weed, and ever thought he might just be trying to make a sale !!

 

[kris308]

No because I told him I was going to buy foam inserts from him for the filter and he told me that the 'goodbye green water' was what I needed. The treatment was cheaper than the filter media.

 

[stroppy]

but the foams last for years and its better than keep adding chemicals to your pond in my opinion ... but its your pond and you must do as you think is best

 

[kris308]

I am sure the chemical is slowly clearing the water. You are right in what you sat about rhe foams. Whwn it is fully clear i am going to add some to get finer filtration. Many thanks for your help mate.

 

[stroppy]

I am sure the chemical is slowly clearing the water. You are right in what you sat about rhe foams. Whwn it is fully clear i am going to add some to get finer filtration. Many thanks for your help mate.

your welcome and pleased its starting to clear up for you

 

[David.Addy]

Welcome to our group, they love it if you post an introduction first.

But in saying that, get some quilt batting (the stuff they use to make quilts with) put it where your pond water will flow through it. It is very fine (almost cotton like) and will catch the floating particles. You need a fines type filter to pull that stuff out. If you have a water fall stick it in a basket under your water fall, or where the water comes back into your pond from the filter.