This Pond is Dead - Using EXPENSIVE Chemicals to Fix It! (will it work?)

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I use aluminum sulfate to fix the silt and turbidity in the pond. I show you how to mix the alum sulfate, how to treat the pond for clarity and how to test for pH to make sure all the fish aren't killed with this chemical pond treatment. it is important not to use too much aluminum sulfate in a pond or the pH might rise to high potentially killing off all the fish.
Alumunium sulfate is not harmful to fish, but if the pH gets too high, that can harm the fish. Aluminum sulfate works by binding to very tiny clay particles and sediment and helping to drop it out of the water column. Treatment is advertised to work for years, but does it really? Let's test it out.
Aluminium sulfate is a salt with the formula Al2(SO4)3. It is soluble in water and is mainly used as a coagulating agent (promoting particle collision by neutralizing charge) in the purification of drinking water[and wastewater treatment plants, and also in paper manufacturing.
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"Self-Reliance" is an 1841 essay written by American transcendentalist philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of Emerson's recurrent themes: the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his own instincts and ideas. This channel will approach self reliance from a modern perspective. and will focus on various build projects using modern amenities, and tools to build a completely self reliant lifestyle.

[@ModernSelfReliance]

*Not enough people signed up for Skillshare through my link so this is the final free offer! The first 1,000 people to use the link will get a 1-month free trial of Skillshare:* skl.sh/modernselfreliance07221

[@JFA33]

See if Aquascape will come out and build you a proper trout pond

[@ChirpyMike]

Does skillshare have a part on how not to suffocate fish? They should.

[@allenrodgers8999]

Make a cardon filter if you want clear water and use Gypsum you know the stuff sheetrock is made from it helps breakdown clay

[@davejack8973]

BRO invite me over and ill make u guys a CLEARING setup for ur pond

[@supernova7799]

So next video is you building a barrel filter of sand and stone layers? Pumping it all through

[@TonyGeneseo]

I’ve commented on this before twice. Maybe u didn’t see those so let’s try again. U have trout. Not Bass. Bass like warm water. Trout cannot live in warm water. Your aerator is on the bottom. Causing two things. 1: it’s causing all the water in your shallow Bass pond to all become one temperature. 2: it’s also causing the silt that you’re dealing with because it’s disturbing the floor of the pond. The aerator in a trout pond should not be any lower than 18-24” below the surface ! Colder water by nature holds more oxygen. Pond dye. Use some. It also only colors the top 18-24” of water because of the same reason. It saturates the warmer less oxygenated water better than colder more oxygenated water. The dye prevents the sun from penetrating deeper and warming the entire pond. Which you’re already causing by having the aerator on the bottom. You’re causing convection with aerator on the bottom and silting of the water. You can try your experiments but these things I’m telling you are proven facts ! Trout neeeeed colder more oxygenated water ! Bass and other fish do not care ! Hopefully you see this comment. For all the reasons I listed, a natural flow of water to keep full, flushing and oxygenate the water. Ever seen a bog that has Trout ? Ever seen a beaver pond with a dam that water flows over that has Trout ? Hmmmmmmm. And that water over the dam oxygenates the top of the water. Proven facts. Any I have a trout pond. And I’m in Maine. Hope this helps because I really feel bad for the trout. If you want to keep things the same then make it a Bass and sun fish pond. It’ll still be a pond. But Trout are awesome and Delicious !

[@timhyatt9185]

he lives in canada, not sure how far north he is, but it may be far enough that it's outside the bass range. Trout however, are indigenous throughout canada, right into the arctic coast....

[@777cygnus]

That’s what I wa gonna say. Trout live in. Cold water streams. He should just stock it w. Bass blue Gil and pike some cat fish. Run a barrel sand filter

[@billtackett8217]

💯💯💯

[@deanfirnatine7814]

Everything you say is 100% true I can take one look at that pond and tell as he has it set up is no place for trout

[@TonyGeneseo]

@@deanfirnatine7814 yea for sure. I appreciate that I’ve gotten multiple responses to my comment ! Kinda surprised that with multiple responses I still haven’t received any comments from Kevin or Chris lol. Oh well. Take care bud

[@rememberbaby33]

Probably the best Ryan’s kzbin.infoUgkxGZedDTcDfgD7fG_uU4esfx_EgxzlY2_1 Plans on building a shed is hardly ever found. And Ryan takes the mystery out of different types of foundation options, etc. He even shows how to build a shed with different designs. Very comprehensive, covering different roofing materials, siding, etc.

[@paul329]

My dad made his own pond filter, he hooked up a pump to a barrel full of pebbles. The water was crystal clear, and all the algae just collected in the barrel.

[@daviddarlingauthor]

I've seen many home filters like that, through a barrel of small pebbles then through a barrel with a sand layer. Cost about $100 to make, plus the pump and had been effective.

[@duanemiller5606]

Instead of a barrel you could just cut a trench and make like a creek bed considering he’s trying to stop silting he could line it with plastic then cover with the rocks put in some water loving plants and then pump the water from the pond up to the head of the creek bed and let the water trickle back towards the pond. These are referred to as bog filters or wetland filters whether it’s in a barrel or just a trench you dig and line.

[@daviddarlingauthor]

@@duanemiller5606 I've seen that on some if the larger home pond builds. Looks amazing and it works!

[@KonTikiBea]

or even sand in a barrel would work..... still think a gravel bottom might help...

[@duanemiller5606]

@@KonTikiBea if you mean gravel bottom in the pond yes it would help because then the mud wouldn’t get stirred up because the gravel would break up the waves before they got to the dirt.

[@Miss.Libby.]

Have you considered adding water plants throughout the pond? You need to create an ecosystem for all kinds of pond life, not just the fish. (Creatures that help clean a pond like snails, crabs, and so on. ) Essentially, you have a still pond with minimum aeration with your solar pump. Maybe the pond needs an additional source of oxygenation and filtration through aquatic plant life. It’s certainly something to consider. Also, can you add a good layer of washed sand to the bottom of the pond, which would provide an additional layer of filtration by preventing the clay on the pond floor from being stirred up by rain or even fish activity. Good luck. I hope you find a workable solution. 🇦🇺🌺🌴

[@jimronaldson6699]

Water plants would help. Some nice water Lotus (For the middle) and Canna Lilly for the edges.

[@tonyabovee9039]

That is what I would suggest as well the more water plants, snails, and frogs you add the healthier your pond will be.

[@sickology_101]

@@tonyabovee9039 this is very effective if it is used in conjunction with a natural filtration system and a good beneficial bacteria environment because even the plants can only do so much on their own.

[@tonyabovee9039]

@@sickology_101 I agree with you organic methods are best the less chemicals the better but he definitely needs to have some moving water going as well that will help in the filtration

[@sickology_101]

@@tonyabovee9039 yes I think he needs a solar powered pump and make a small waterfall to help agitate the water surface and also add some bio filtration to the overflow.

[@onewhitestone]

I had a small pond in the yard for years. In summer it always turned green. No matter what I did it did not change. I then bought a filter and also used plants to help eat the excess nitrogen, this made a big difference. Its crystal clear. Rain water is very high in nutrients to grow algae.

[@JstJeff19]

I saw a video from "simple life reclaimed " where they built a DYI filter in a 5 gallon bucket for their pool that completely turned the brown water crystal clear in 24 hours. Also, water plants help filter the water and great hiding place for fish.

[@Sepia36912]

You need to create an ecosystem. Bottom layer of medium and small rocks to give sweet water crabs and snails housing, small fish for food for larger fish and plenty of oxigenated water.

[@badassmother1426]

There's no plant filtration. Cattail's and other water plants would clear that up in a couple weeks.

[@badassmother1426]

@@jeb3415 Dumping a neurotoxin into water that they intend to raise fish and eat, what is this reasoning? ALUMINUM is a neurotoxin. It is not good for humans in any amount. There is no "safe" amount.

[@mikella959]

NO! dont add fresh water crabs.... they are invasive to north America

[@hwaguo8383]

The bottom pond soil is only collecting more and more fish waste and on eaten food pellets...having the right water plants will have the roots of the plants consume the waste as nutrients and grow to help balance the oxygen...a filter pump will only stir up all the silt in the pond...choose the aquatic plants wisely as some grow too much to fast...water plants that absorb waste nutrients is very important and I personally think it's a way better choice than adding a filter pump that removes the good nutrients and bad stuff ,while this may look good , it offers nothing back to the water to help fish thrive.I personally think some aquatic plants will definitely help create a natural environment...and that's the key word...natural environment. The cycle life in lakes is dependent on aquatic plants cycling the waters waste giving both oxygen and balance the water.

[@keithbrookshire]

I'm a Class I Water Operator. I work at a water filtration plant that filters and sanitizes water for a municipalities drinking water. We use Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) to get suspended / unsettleable particles to settle and reduce turbidity before the filtering process. This is done because the Alum has a positive ionic charge and the suspended particles have a negative charge. The Alum is forcefully / violently mixed into the raw water to form "Flock". The Flock and the suspended particles attach to each other and have enough weight to settle to the bottom reducing turbidity. The "Jug test" you did is called a "Jar Test" in our industry. The next time you do one you can put a lid on each jar and give it a pretty violent shaking for a few seconds to get the flock to form. then remove the lid and watch for 10-15 minutes. Absent that, you can stir each jar for several minutes. When evaluating the flock you are looking for the largest puffiest flock. Think of it as looking for a large, light snow flake instead of a small wet snow flake. You should be able to evaluate this in just a few minutes. After a couple of hours you should see the flock settled to the bottom of the jars and the effects on turbidity in each jar. The jar with the largest Flock after the initial mixing will have the least turbidity when it settles. FWIW: Your jars looked good and, to the eye not so turbid that the Alum wouldn't clear up the water. What I've said above are things I know about and I would be happy to help in any way I can. What I'm about to say is something I have no first hand experience with and I only know academically. The greenish tint to you pond looks more like an Algae issue instead of one of turbidity. Normally turbid water caused by suspended particles that won't settle is brown instead of green. If this is an algae problem you can dose the pond with Copper Sulfate. Taking care to figure the proper dosage as you did with the Aluminum Sulfate. However, I would be concerned as to the cause of the algae. My guess is not enough oxygen in the water because there is no water flowing through your pond. A continual aeration pump may solve this but that would require electricity. Regular dosing with Copper Sulfate may be an option. I think the folks at the pond store would be a good source of info on this. Reach out if I can be of any help. Good luck.

[@taleg1]

Pump+filter, -alge trapp, circulation and add water plants. Are all good suggestions. Think aquarium at a much bigger scale, that should give some clues too. But it looks like you have an alge issue, so you should really focus on filtering the water, make it do a double duty and circulate it at the same time. The pump + barrel of pebbles actually sounds like it would be a workable idea for you.

[@micahestep7679]

You can add barley straw to make it he algae string together and then pull it out or filter the pond. The algae makes a good compost when mixed with leaves. You can get barley straw in burlap pouches to fix this issue in a stock tank. You will need to have a feed store order order a few bales of it and then just toss them in.

[@Ozmercyful]

Have you considered building a bio sand filter and pumping the pond water through it and putting it back into the pond … chemical free

[@kuhrd]

Just looking at your pond's side by side pictures I think the biggest issue you have is algae due to haveing the full sun beating down on the pond without enough moving water so the algae is robbing a substantial amount of oxygen from the water when and aerator is not running. The aerator itself can also be stirring up the water from time to time if it settles to the bottom when not running. Once those cedars grow up and start blocking the sun that will help reduce the light hitting the pond and the roots will also help filter out the sediment and prevent it from washing into the pond. When my father built our 2 ponds, one being a trout pond that has 4 springs feeding it, it took about 10 years for the ponds to develop the necessary plants and biome to successfully raise fish and that was after seeding the ponds with plants and things from very nearby wetlands the first year to help expedite the process. Before the pond was allowed to fill up all the way we also seeded the entire area with native grass seed to help reduce the erosion. I think you have a great start with this project and it is a great learning experience that can be very rewarding. I look forward to your future videos.

[@extended_e]

You have it right. Ecosystem is the correct way to go

[@markroberts1962]

Use your stock tank as a temporary pond filter .. use old clean rags old bedding Quilts as the filter medium that will help clear some of the green algae and clay… u can use your solar system or a ram pump system and a sump pump if u put a spray bar along the top of the stock tank and a drain on the bottom out the side it will allow the sediment to clear… just rinse out the pond medium every day or so at first after a week it will clear up great… in the uk we used to have old copper electric water heaters in our attic … I have converted one into a pond filter waterfall… the back acts as a filter the front acts as the waterfall… this filters out the rubbish allows the scum to settle on the bottom of the water tanks and I clean the bottom of the tank every 2 weeks by opening the valve at the bottom … the copper tank also acts as a algae killer … ph in the pond is spot on and it doesn’t harm my fish… if u want a video let me know …

[@tonyabovee9039]

I don't know if he would like a video but I would like a video it sounds very interesting

[@sickology_101]

With my pond I tried this and it did not give the results I need so I recommend adding barley straw to your pond and use a beneficial bacteria tablet with it. This will clear algae and detritus from the water column and is very effective also the blue dye is a great help if used with the two products I mentioned. I hope this can help you in some way. Thanks for all the great content.

[@DongusKong]

What does the barley straw do? I've never heard that and I'm super interested

[@sickology_101]

@@DongusKong Barley straw prevents the growth of algae. It is 100% organic and safe for ponds and also as it breaks down it gives colonies of beneficial bacteria's that will clear the water column.

[@sickology_101]

@@DongusKong I have a large pond with Bass and bluegill and I was having the same trouble they are here and I added the barley straw within a week it was clear. The straw acted like a magnet for the silt and it will not let algae grow at all. So I have been suggesting it to everyone even goldfish ponds.

[@suzyqc7607able]

For what it's worth. The "Natural" Filtering works so much better than you would think- In Cost, In time & $ in the future & is low maintaining.. If you made a bit of a small creek // come from a high spot.. Say a " small Water fall, flowing into the small creek.. that emties into the pond. 1) you will be airating the water, 2) filtering the water through a barrel resivware - which will be catching the contaminants 3) emptying into the little creek will also help catch more setiment & allow max, clarity. Plus, there are pond plants you really need. they help provide shelter & hiding places for the fish, and fish spawn.. and filter the water as well. If you could stir up the water briskly, like the motor boat engine suggestion.. might find better results.. Best of Luck, Look forward to seeing how this goes.. Cheering for your success "}

[@4MEStudios]

Freshwater clams and water lilies may help with clarity.

[@nascleaning6820]

Looks kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5mqg2N4q5WaZqM

[@Over60sowhat]

How about several layers of rocks in the bottom, around the edges and a truckload of additional water?

[@jaylehmanvlogs8323]

You need water flow that helps clean and aerate the water. Greg Whitstock the pond guy out of Chicago has a youtube channel. I know he would be willing to help out a fellow youtuber. A quick fix would be a big aerator out in the middle. Add plants to help clean and remove nitrogen. No chemicals.

[@katemccoy8658]

Gotta love Saturday Modern Self Reliance ☕😊

[@Lumeo592]

Considering how green it seemed at the beginning, it might be an eutrophication issue, where the algae use all the oxigen inside a body of water. If that's the issue, it will be an annoying problem because there's no easy solution

[@eskaymotorsports600]

Agreed

[@darthwizzywizard]

Bingo. Not enough oxygen. There not adding correct amount or any extras to ensure fish survival in the pond. They need more plants. Water lileys. Etc. This is painful watching these guys mess up.

[@Jakem1872]

That’s what I was thinking usually when u make a pond isn’t there like an 8-12 week process of treating the pond to encourage positive growth and limit straight blooms I would personally switch to a fountain pump trout love high oxygen the higher the better

[@Corvid-]

Pond dye may be a temporary remedy. It blocks the sunlight to the algae. A more permanent solution is a fountain which helps with water convection slowing algae growth. I didn't see what aeration he is using but I suspect it's a single solar 12v air pump, that's not enough for a pond this size with large livestock.

[@jamewakk]

Chlorine solves it, fish will die too but the pond will be clear if that's the problem. 😁

[@psychologicalprepper1653]

I had a homemade pond in Michigan and had a similar problem as you. I got some "Floating Hiaasen" and used an old pool liner I found to keep the dirt from getting in. After a couple months, it covered the pond. The water cleared and it helped cool the water. It works well. I don't know about Canada's rules and regulations, but you might look into it. Like the video.

[@EnsignLovell]

Nah, that water looks so much better. Side by side is night and day. You should add a good clean (washed) sand layer to the bottom as your soil has a pretty high clay content (visually at least), add pond plants as they will produce oxygen for water, that little pump is nowhere near enough, maybe for a small fish tank but not a pond. Hope that your pond clears up and fish are good. :)

[@karennewberry4694]

On a lot smaller scale, water plants and smaller pond life (tiny native fish, snails) made all the difference to water clarity. Get some water plants suitable to your climate. Here it’s subtropics like water Lilly, water chestnuts etc.

[@GenerousLife]

It is so green! In Oklahoma we got a warning about a certain lake that was green like this. They said not to swim in that lake due to the presence of “green algae”. It can cause severe health issues.

[@DeniseLaFranceCDNpainter]

Yes & dogs who swim in it were getting sick & dying.

[@ernestospadolesto8126]

Great result - the pond is now much more evenly opaque.

[@mybuddyme8694]

Love the videos.. I look forward to you and your brother's videos every week.. I hope you and your brother keep producing content.

[@laurieedeburn2449]

for my 5 by 10 pond... i put a kiddie pool underground to top with a few inch rise over the pond...full of white roll filter material held down by rocks...in thru pump out over edge....very effective

[@joyceb.sachsesachse1242]

Filtering water plants or reeds , might work . However you would need some type that would come back after winter , don't know of any that would work in Canada, and would need to be native.....Love you guys. Best compound show on u tube.....

[@robmarshall5100]

I had a Still Pond I did the same thing for one week I ran a trash pump for 6 hours it ran all the sulfate through circulated up the bottom and mixed all the water back through it also aerated the water at the same time you put the pipe so that it's in an arc position so that it runs approximately 10 to 12 ft Ark it's also good to do it when it's a hot day out the sun helps to magnify and purify the water droplets before they go back into the pond we've done this on golf courses where they're still holes as you know near greens we transfer one Pond into another vice versa anyone other they also do this for frog farming I don't know if my information is any good thank you very much for the science project it's good to see that someone out there understands the potentiometers also yes the silk coming on and the erosion control it was good to see your video I hope that you can clear it up soon

[@kennethsonier1766]

It must be very frustrating to see your fish dying, I know nothing about ponds but it's interesting to watch you learn. Good luck in finding a solution 👍☮️🇺🇲

[@longwildernesswalks]

OK. There are two factors that are impacting you. First, the pond is too shallow and the light is reaching the bottom, causing alge bloom. The alge will suck the oxygen out of the water on cloudy days, something I'm sure you've had quite a few of. There is no easy remedy for this aside from adding a bubbler which will agitate the issue even further. You need so introduce fresh water and some form of biofilter. Gravity will do most of the work for you, but you need to move the water through some form of filter. I'd suggest a 55 gal drum with layers of differing gravel sizes and sand. This will also consolidate the majority of the alge that is free floating. There is no easy way to fix this. You're going to have to move some water.

[@Sordnay]

Better than a barrel would be to create such a filter in place, build a wide and swallow trench in the slope where the water has to go through some media, also use plants to feed from the water, fish poop is a great fertilizer, that feeds the algae which blooms.

[@timhyatt9185]

seems like shading plants on the edges and some sort of floating lily like a native variety of duckweed. this would cut down the light transmission, which reduces algae growth and helps control water temp

[@Zogg1281]

If you can get hold of some of the smaller bails of Barley straw, that can be carried by hand, the straw is great as a water clarifier, especially for green alge which it looks like you have quite a bit of. (Make sure it is Barley straw, not wheat). I'm not sure how much you would need but I'd start with putting 2 in the pond near your water aeration pump. If you can only get the large bails you can stuff some hessian sacks with the Barley straw and a rock to help it sink. Depending on who you ask some people prefer the sack method and others prefer the whole bail method, all I know is that when I did voluntary work for the Natural Trust (in the UK) I still remember going to dump a couple of whole bails into the fishing lake and seeing one of the really big round bails that had been dumped into the lake quite a while before!! I hope this helps 😊

[@arjanvogel6444]

Thanks for your vid 😇💟💟💟 Love you guys,in Portugal they have this problem to with the fres water wells it happens because of the sun and if they put duck weed then the water becomes clear and clean again.

[@Wideranger]

I'm a new subscriber to your channel (which is great!) and one of the things that I really enjoy is the calm way you solve problems and do not seem to be phased at all if something goes wrong. A great example to us all!

[@nascleaning6820]

Looks kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5mqg2N4q5WaZqM

[@dre5379]

Very much respect your use of controls in your experiment, and Don's use of math and geometry for this project. Stay well guys

[@StevenJohnson-yy8zx]

Hello, this channel is awesome. And as for the pond I would drain it and then install a liner, this would be the most logical long term fix.

[@mariowickel456]

I would 2 part approach this . The aluminum is clumping the suspended particles ,,get a sand pool filter and filter the water now that clay is clumped it can be filtered out

[@eskaymotorsports600]

No power

[@nascleaning6820]

@@eskaymotorsports600 looks kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5mqg2N4q5WaZqM

[@matthewmcdaniel8846]

😁best practices is to add that aluminum sulfate to water and dilute it before adding to pond especially since the pond has no flow or agitation, water plants mix in 55 gallon drums(batch plant) and use chemical pumps to pump into a mixing tank that the lake water comes into ( like a giant whisk in a tank) constantly turning slowly to keep the aluminum moving in the water if there’s no movement the aluminum will clump and just sink, the stirring allows it to remain suspended longer and form bigger clumps before filtration helping the aluminum go father, your on the right track my friend

[@SamsLiberty]

I see a lot of home made pool filters using quilt batting / stuffing material that seem to work well to remove particulate matter in ponds and pools.

[@DILLIGAF65]

With your scavenging skills you should be able to find a large pool pump/filter system, it's not something you'll have to run 24/7 but it will help to get the pond cleaned after treating it. I had a 32 foot above ground pool surrounded by trees and constantly fought this same issue,it's hard to get that "sweet spot" for your PH level but you need some kind of circulation, an old pool pump/filter would do that.

[@rockydaniel7073]

Straw-around the pond and in the pond-skim off the floating straw -keep the perimeter straw in place until grasses-cattails or other vegetation takes root-simply wing 9 out of 10 times

[@pauleddy5146]

Yep, this is why most DIY ponds have a rubber membrane covering the entire bottom and up the banks. The rock ballast holds the membrane in place. Seeing how this not an option, your efforts to minimize the erosion of the banks is probably best. If you know the runoff route from high ground, you could divert it, or filter it through pea gravel or rocks before it reaches the pond. Nothing's easy. And a lot of rock or gravel would be necessary to get the job done right.

[@chris4869]

Can't you use a yard stick and attach a big X or something bright at the end? You can measure the clarity by dipping the yard stick into the water until you can't see the X anymore. You should be able to "measure" the difference after each treatment by how deep the X marking disappear. Just an idea.

[@nascleaning6820]

Nah look kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5mqg2N4q5WaZqM

[@JadenAllen]

At the end of the video the comparison actually looked like it worked. If you compare the colors, it looks way more green on the day 4 one. I think that means all the clay settled to the bottom and now your left with the algae and chlorophyll in the water, I guess try using a filter for that or something I wouldn't really suggest more chemicals since your eating these fish

[@TheWoodedBeardsman]

I think so too. It went from brown to green, which is the natural color for waters around here. All the spring fed ponds are very green due to minerals, bit of clay. I'm not sure there is algae like everyone else is thinking. Maybe some, but certainly not a lot. My first pond project had massive algae blooms which where so thick we could skim them off the top. I think this pond just has too much lay at the edges and it easily washes into the water - even with the fish moving is enough, let alone a bit of wind or rain.

[@JadenAllen]

@@TheWoodedBeardsman ill be excited to see the pond get as clean as possible. I'm hoping the rocks around the sides of the pond helps, did you guys ever find out what those worms things in the trout gills were? Id also look into fixing that unless that was just the clay

[@maryb1686]

I agree...the side by side shot really seemed like the day 4 image did indeed seem slightly clearer. I'm interested in what it will look like in a few weeks

[@zippyj.r.4486]

Most of the trouble with water quality appears to be an algae issue since the before and after has a noticeable difference in what appears to be the consistency. You can make a super easy large scale filter with a couple big trash cans or large feed troughs with lids, some tubing, an appropriately sized pump, and lots of basic filter media such as: pumice or lava stone, bio balls, cheap sponge, or gravel. If you run the water through that as a filter it will help remove the excess nitrates and the like that help the algae bloom. There are guys who have videos of how they built them for their super sized aquariums and ponds as far as a how to goes. The most expensive parts would probably be the piping and fittings. Everything is practically reusable.

[@genghischuan4886]

for reference 12:40 they are called bulkhead fittings

[@markbrooks5278]

You are doing basically what a water wastewater operator does, you can make a trickling sand filter, or you can use clean sand gravel and charoal and make your own by a simple pump using solar power also....quite interesting show...thankyou

[@davecurda2350]

Maybe you should try and run a circulation pump and a natural filtration system like reeds?

[@donnie2533]

Great video glad you posted keep them coming thanks

[@jessicad83]

You want to become a pond expert, I recommend a channel called @BamaBass he just did a whole series in eminence detail on his 5-arce pond build - definitely worth a look as he faced and overcome pretty much all and every issue you can face when building a pond. Highly recommend. 👍

[@tonyhussey3610]

That was an interesting project

[@jessicad83]

@@tonyhussey3610 absolutely, I agree.

[@Essex121514]

🤣🤣🤣 "maybe we should do it right then." 21:53. This needs to be on a tee-shirt with this guys face on it. Wiser words, were never spoken. I ♥️ The Wooded Beardsman.

[@scottsoriero9827]

I'm no expert at all, but I assisted a friend in upstate NY. His pond was man made and deeper. I believe it was 12' to 15' deep near the center. He let it settle for a season and the water was always murky especially after rain as expected. I came up with the idea of adding a layer of beach sand mixed with a small stone made from a safe aggregate. Before we did this we made the shoreline around the pond a little less steep and then added the sand/ stone mix. After a season, we had the water checked by a pro and it was perfect. I mean it is crystal clear! more son in the winter, but very clear. I know there are trout and I am not sure of the other fish that were added, but they all get along and are thriving. I have no idea how, but somehow there are also catfish on the bottom and they tolerate the frigid winter water pretty well since they are always there in the spring. A few turtles made there way in too, but they don't bother anything. We did have an Alligator snapping turtle too nd although he didn't bother anyone either, we had him relocated to the wild. I didn't want to lose a foot or arm if tat thing latched. Anyway, it worked well, no more silt so no more turbidity. Still good after 9 years too. Good luck!

[@comfortouch]

I recommend you look into planting water plants that filter the water to avoid having to buy/use chemicals. I highly recommend Tarro and water Iris; I'd avoid any floating plants like duckweed, water lettuce, lilies and hyacinth as they are extremely invasive and will block the O2/water exchange, starving your fish of oxygen. Cattail, rushes and bamboo are also good at pond cleaning but are invasive and will take over the edges of the pond so they require more maintenance to keep them under control, although bamboo would give you a building material and its shoots are edible. Also, you have an algae bloom now that the sediment has settled, water is getting more light, that is what that blue dye is for that you pointed out in this video. The blue dye will kill the algae. You also might be over feeding the fish, the nutrients getting used by the algae. For this problem, You'll need some bottom feeder (cat)fish.

[@debramorris7646]

Great video! Shopping with Kevin!!!! I loved it and hope the pond will clear out soon!

[@jeanettedevries4984]

We grew up and still go up north to Commanda Lake! A very rocky lake!

[@ModernSelfReliance]

We had a cottage on Commanda.. how's the mercury level in that lake? Naturally occuring we hear.

[@greymanzink6118]

You can add barley extract to kill the algae bloom that is occurring. This will not increase the alkalinity or acidity of your water. Algae is a major oxygen hog. plus, you need to filter the water through a bog or sand filter set up. Also, consider adding additional aeration to the pond.

[@Adriansitos623]

You need to get rid of the algae bloom and start over. We use the aluminum sulfide at the mine silt ponds. It works by clinging onto the dirt particles on contact and making them heavy enough to sink.

[@akmankalash]

we have a big pond where i live, grass carp are supposed to be good for pond clarity. The grass carp, in addition to being a vegetarian, has other traits which make it distinct from other fish. For instance, it does not muddy water while consuming plant materials, which makes it beneficial for ponds.

[@JamesScott-nz3gv]

A small fountain or a aerator stone would be better to keep the fish alive long term. Small shallow ponds need air added to support fish.

[@ericktaylor-webb6711]

Another good tip if you can get hold of Barley Strew In Bales and add them to your pond. it clears the water and kills off any Algae

[@kingarthur666.6]

Just came across your video I will surely check into skillshare and I have subscribed and we will continue to watch your videos where I come from You are considered a genius thank you stay safe

[@vilijanac]

You need moving clean water, it is not an catfish. :)

[@rustysmommy50]

Loved seeing you both in the high speed dispersal clip! ☺️

[@michaelhorton6166]

You've said that the main problem is the sediment washing down into the pond. Why not fix the main problem? Yes it will be tough and grueling to do. Besides any water clarification achieved right now will be washed away with the first rains.

[@jonpomerance-trifts6113]

Kevin/Chris... Remember how you filtered your maple syrup through a T-shirt? You can do similar here. Lay down a bed of sand. Cover with fine gravel. Cover with coarse gravel Cover with stones. Cover with larger stones. On top, put an old bed sheet (like your t-shirt) Th reason this goes on top is because you're gonna be scraping the large particulates away first. This just hast to be a square metre or so in size. Just start limping the pond water through your makeshift filter. The water which seeps back through the sand layer should be largely free of particulates. Run the pump for a day or two and you'll be surprised at the difference. You'll struggle to get a solar pump strong enough so you might need a generator for this task. But essentially you need a way to filter it. Streams and lakes have flowing water which washes silt away. If you can't feed the pond from a nearby freshwater source, you're going to need to filter it. All the other suggestions for more pond plants are good, bit you need filtration STAT.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

The Day 4 video shows a clearer emerald color at the surface of the water than you had on the first day. The fish also seem more active.

[@daltonwade7908]

Unless it’s spring fed which it doesn’t appear to be, trout are not going to make it.

[@richardwhite4277]

damn Don and his phone is like Mad Scientist cool / he's a keeper / can't wait till we have a Don live all the time channel !!

[@Sneakyfresh286]

Kever. It’s time for a DIY pond filter video.

[@markpoitras9794]

Breaking the water surface tension will add more oxygen to the water. Air raters small Air bubbles released from the bottom of does not work to well. Breaking water tension is best. Add clean sand or pee stone or both will keep clay in place. Native aquatic plants will help also. Don't use masonry sand to line bottom of pond if you decide to go that route. And I am sure you can figure out how to to brake surface tension on cheep. Alge blooms are usually caused by too much light. Well you will figure how too fix the problem. Great video M.S.R.

[@Draconamous]

I don't think the sulfate is a cure all. What it did do was remove the solids in the water, what it was meant to do. The murkiness will be there forever when there is active growth and soil on the bottom. But it did remove the clumps of soil and debris to allow the fish to breathe. But yes like other comments said. Continue to place rocks, use surface dye, and try to plant vegetation the decomposes less.

[@hwaguo8383]

One thing that natural lakes have the you don't is aquatic plants...a natural lake or pond environment has a balance of plant vs insect vs and clarity. Trying too hard to clarify the water may be a bad thing as you removed the necessary element for a proper balance. Natural lakes can have some carbon from forest fires, and helps keep the level of bacteria at a healthy level. As to the water management, try to not do too many things at a time , fish are very sensitive to big changes...hope you decide not to add any more chemicals as natural environments don't have this stuff and do fine to support life. I think the key is to try adding things that natural waters have... more shade, natural lake weeds...My father has taught me that if the water quality can support water plants, only then can it be safe to support fish...chemicals used to try cure fish was always the worst choice...Fix the water naturally to support plants first, the the fish will thrive.

[@hwaguo8383]

tossing some cleaned oyster shells whole will help the acidic level stay neutral. Add the shells in through out the pond evenly spaced. Good luck

[@delythroberts1125]

Trout need a running water source so I advise putting a running pump in there and I also think the green merk in water is due to not enough cover on pond. There alot of sunlight hitting that pond you need plants in there and maybe think about adding little stones to the bottom of the pond it does help to filler the warter from the bottom aswel. But back to with flowing water like a stream or river,lake the fish do thrive and grow well.

[@micahestep7679]

I've used barley straw in a koi pond and it works well. It doesn't kill the algae but it does make it clump up and then you pull it out with a leaf rake, or biological filter.

[@gregwright392]

Start over n install a pond liner!

[@charlesolaizolacharbonneau5142]

you need recirculation, more O2 and a wet land, will act as a biofilter lava rocks, peebles, plants, charcoal, etc... ; more movement, less algues aluminium sulfate not so environmtly healty :/ aluminium will set down sediment but will stay there for long periode of time planting around the pound was needed ;)

[@DBKimber]

You'll get it bro, no worries!

[@DavidDavis311]

There is a specific level of clarity that is optimal. Too clear isn’t good either. I forget how many feet it is. You can make a visibility checker if you look online. It’s basically a stick with a white and black painted flat piece on the end.

[@nathanclarke6694]

A couple of things: 1) you should attach a ruler to the bottom of the go-pro when dunking it so you can have an actual (approximate) measure of visibility distance to compare. 2) If your concern is precipitate in water column, you can add a pump to the deepest part of the pond with the discharge being above your rocky section, then add some plants immediately after the rocks (bulrushes etc). The water will leave solids behind as they flow down through the rocks (using varying sizes for best results) and the plants will remove suspended nutrients, as well as aiding in oxygenation and giving hiding places for frogs/fish from the herons. The water movement, if significant, will also help to diminish the mosquito population (along with the continued existence of their predators).

[@hejdingamleraev]

The site is starting to look real good with all the vegetation! Shrubs around the edges will not only prevent erosion but it will also provide shade and help keep the temperature down, which is a bonus. Looks like there are plenty of great ideas in the comments. Building some sort of pier (can't find a better word in english right now) would provide additional shade and could be a cool video as well.

[@psychologicalprepper1653]

I also had water Lillies in the pond as well. The roots may help hold the clay in.

[@outdooraddictiontv5325]

Try getting a solar pump and build a small stream up the hill and line it with red cinder rock if you can get it at a local landscape supply place and let the water flow down through it back to the pond.

[@kuzinit2374]

The yellow ball has eye shapes and reflectors that scares birds , kinda like the Cd's on a line that I told you about in another vlog you put out

[@3000gtwelder]

You need to build a filter area, and maybe a pump that is solar powered so its always running during the day time. Chemicals are not the answer! Look up" David Pagan Butler" on KZbin, he builds natural swimming pools with fish in them.

[@duanemiller5606]

I’m not sure who the gentleman you said is but I’m pretty sure he’s using what is referred to as a bog filter or wetland filter in order to keep the water clear. I think I’ll go look the guy up anyway just to see if I’m right.

[@duanemiller5606]

Yep I was right he’s using a bog filter or a wetland filter depending on which one you wanna call it. Basically using gravel and pebbles and plants to filter the water.

[@jill7717]

Hi from the Netherlands! The country that is famous for alllllll of the water 😂 just plant some tall grasses! Just like they have on the dunes at the beach, but then the ones that grow at lakes and ponds 😎

[@patrickheavirland3599]

Hello from Minnesota USA!! Another great episode!

[@friescustomfabriction3016]

Make your own filter with sand, gravel and anthracite. Water in the bottom and out the top. Gravel, then sand, then athracite

[@porter_richard]

Have you thought about putting a run off from your cabin water supply.. so when it rains fills your tub then the over follow to the pond .. the pond seems that it's become stagnant with no fresh water

[@cgamejewels]

try more rocks of different sizes and water plants, like cattails or water lilies. Try adding bushes and shrubs to provide shade. Also add a filter. I don't know what else you can try.

[@media1groupDC]

Great update! You're on the right track. Keep liv'in free boys and keep ur powder dry! God bless from the Gulf of Mexico

[@MayMay11_21]

You should hit up "Greg Wittstock, the pond guy". Perfect guy for this project

[@joshtonry4291]

I'm commenting before the show. I'd put those dead fish in the bottom of a compost pile for your garden, and a fountain/ waterfall for circulating your pond water, amd your next fish will love it. I'm always torn between trout and catfish as the best tasting fish. Love yous guys shows

[@hobbydayz9140]

Bog filter. In water plants and bacteria additive. Bog filters are cheap to make

[@remix381]

Every pond needs a full maintenance schedule and it's not cheap but must happen on a regular basis.

[@mrshmanckles1463]

Bigger rocks all over the bottom will help and if you can get the water moving like a small water fall.

[@mrJakestetler]

Mount something out in front of the GoPro as a clarity tester? You might even make whatever the object is adjustable in distance from the camera so you can run multiple distance clarity tests. Also, you could make enough activated charcoal to fill a barrel then use your trash pump to filter the water through. Then bury the charcoal under your garden to fertilize your plants.

[@saz2015]

Need to increase your waters movement and in doing so will increase your oxygen. Your water in the video had a film across the surface which is an indicator or either an unknown chemical or more likely lack of circulation.Add that with your green water algae which in full bloom in the video that will drastically decrease your waters oxygen

[@DongusKong]

You absolutely need to aquascape with native aquatic plants and add washed sand to the pond, and continue adding rocks, pebbles, and maybe sand to the beaches