I bought a house in rural Pennsylvania 2 years ago that has a farm pond about .5 acre in size. It is fed by a mountain stream, which is partially diverted and enters via a pipe. The other side of the pond has an outlet pipe that takes excess water out of the pond and returns it to the stream. The pond is loaded with catfish (I have not witnessed or caught other fish types, although the stream has a significant amount of native trout). The pond also has bullfrogs, tadpoles and many newts. The problem that I have is that there seems to be alot of muck on the bottom. Also, the pond is overrun with waterlillies that cover about 30-40% of the surface, making fishing difficult at best.

What I would like to do is to clear the muck out of the bottom and erradicate some of the water lillies. I have already applied a product about 3 weeks ago called Aquaclear Pellets (described as bacillus spores and vegatative organisms; a synergistic blend of highly specialized microorganisms with superior enzymatic activity) from a company by the name of Aquacide Company. It seems to be killing or negatively affecting the waterlillies, but I haven't seen any noticeable difference in the muck on the bottom. I bought a herbicide from the same company but I have not used it yet for the waterlillies. I understand that having some of the waterlillies would be beneficial to the fish and overall balance of the pond. I would also like to add some other types of fish and based on what I have read, largemouth bass and a hybrid bluegill would be the best, but I would like to get the overall health of the pond improved first.

Although I believe the inlet and outlet pipes are flowing, I think it might be best if they were also replaced. I also might be getting runoff from the mountain stream that is entering the pond, which I don't know what to do about. Also there are pine trees very close to the pond that deposit needles and dead limbs occasionally, that might be best if I removed the ones close to the pond.

Your help would be very beneficial, as I am confused as to the overall condition of the pond and what to do about it. Thanks.

Have you seen these pages on my site:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/farm.htm which has some links to companies that cater to larger ponds and
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/algae2.htm which has some algae information. The reason I bring up the algae is that if you kill off a lot of the water lilies, then you will be battling algae. The lilies shade out and compete with the algae so they are good to have to some degree. Of course, you'd still like to have open areas to boat through in your case. If you contact those companies on my farm pond page, they can better help you than I can. I am personally against using toxins like herbicides. Water lilies can be physically pulled up or removed with machinery, or animals that eat them can be introduced. At the same time, animals might end up eating them all. Animals that eat water lilies include grass carp, beavers, deer (ones they can reach), muskrats, certain aquatic turtles, and koi to a lesser degree. You can get sterile grass carp so they can't breed. They eat all sorts of plants.

Bass and bluegill are the standard sort of fish to add to a pond where fishing is desired.

It probably would be a good idea to remove pine trees right on the pond's shore. Some tree cover is good for shade but you don't want a lot of debris. Pine needles also lower the pond's pH. Water running into the pond from a stream should be ok if the stream is healthy.

As for the bottom sludge, there are a few options. Dredging is expensive, destructive, and makes a big mess but is the only way to get a lot of slop off the bottom. Then, there is good bacteria. I'm not sure what the stuff is that you got before but it probably didn't work well enough. There are many brands out there. A pond your size will need a lot of it. Aeration of the pond with aerators or a turnover pump/fountain will help a lot to degrade and digest the bottom slop by getting oxygen down there. The companies on my farm pond page sell bulk good bacteria and aeration systems. They also have all sorts of herbicides if that's what you want to use. Be very careful. I wish good health for you, your pond, and its denizens.