Will these fish solve the duckweed problem in my Pond?
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2023
- We went to Seven Springs Fish Farm to buy Sterile Grass Carp to stock in our pond. Hopefully they take care of the duckweed problem we have on the pond.
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#fish #grasscarp #fishpond
Having been putting grass carp and other hatchery raised fish in my pond for the past thirty years, you sure have made temperature acclimation a labor intensive operation. Here's a quick tip to make your life a lot easier. Place the plastic bags in the water along the edge of your pond for about fifteen (15) minutes. This is easily enough time to allow the pond water to adjust the water temp in the bags to the same temperature as the pond. Then just pour the bags into the pond. You're done.
It looks to me like he was more worried about water mixing.
The placing the bags in the water for 15 min is excellent step, the main issue was opening the bags and dumping the fish into the coolers with the same old water. As a hobby fish keeper we learn that a fish in a sealed bag will survive longer in the same amount of water than in a open container. The reason is in the bag the amount of air it can react with is limited, which actually prevents the buid up of ammonia in the water from being lethal to the fish. Once you open the bag to fresh air the ammonia in the water now becomes more harmful and you need to get the fish out of that water ASAP. Use a net to strain the water out and place them in the pond directly after acclimating.
Yes these are grass carp they will eat all vegetation including trees -flowers and grass everything
They will clear that pond completely
When there small they eat 24-7 once they become large they eat less often
I learned living on a lake that I would wait for very windy days when all the duck weed blew to one side and would just use a basic leaf rake and using a rowing motion in the water scoop it up because it clumped together. Worked so well that I had neighbors begin to do the same. Made such a difference.
Yep don't understand why they have not tried this
@@graydonjones6912 he had a skimmer setup at one point, but he hadnt started it until it was a solid mass. started a little earlier in the year and it woulda helped
Could you use a boat and a leaf blower with a helper to rake?
A smaller scale but my pond kept half a dozen chickens in heaven when I fed them duckweed.
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
It's just going to take some time! Said every farmer, for ever! ❤
They will not reproduce?? That's what they said in "Jurassic World"! :)
Nature finds a way
Triploids product that you eat everyday. Bananas 🍌, seedless grapes , seedless water melon .
Nature's chaos theory, Malcolm was right
Famous last words
@@michaelgribben613 nature finds a way we do the same with aquaculture tilapia however we have some cases of escaped tilapia being able to start breeding again in the wild.
You’re a worker. Looks like your efforts are paying off.
We applaud you fo trying to balance your pond as naturally as you can . We wish you a success..
The clarity of your water is why you are dealing with so many weeds. When the water is clear, it allows too much sun in and allows algae and weeds to grow. Most people I've seen say to add a fertilizer or lime and not to have over like 3-6 feet of water clarity if you can see deeper, it needs fertilized
Evan I make fountains out of two 5 gallon buckets and a 1/3 hp pump . They keep our water clear with no ill effects toward fish and they look good too. Cost about 90 dollars to build. I can send you pics if interested
Pond is looking good Evan hopefully the new fish will take care of your duckweed problem thanks for sharing
You should look into nutrient export options. Your pond is basically a strong liquid fertilizer solution which is why the duckweed is so prolific. The carp may eat the duckweed, but they'll just turn it into fish poo and add to the problem, probably in the form of some other type of algae.
Probably not..
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Such a beautiful pond. And the ducks and geese make it all the better. Lovely. 🥰
Chalk dump a ton of it in the pond. It changes the pH but keep the pumps running and the water should get nice and clean
my sister took care of her duckweed problem using goldfish worked great didnt know goldfish could get that big
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Hope the grass carp solve the problem! Filtration system makes the pond water look great! 👍💪🙏
These guys work but they get huge! They will grow to be 4 and a half feet long and over 50 lbs. When they get that size, it's time to fish them out for dinner. They are good eating. Then re-stock with new ones.
That should do it. My Grandpa had those in his pond and it was clean. Grass carp get really big as well, you'll see them near the edge once in awhile.
In Australia, we had an infestation of weed, they found a beetle that only lived on the weed, it took about 6 months but the beetles did the job, now whenever the weed springs up again, they drop in a colony of the beetles and forget the problem.
That's awesome how clear the pond is. Hope that the carp help the lake out evan more. Nice job
I’ve read that the duck weed is there because of excess nutrients in the pond. One thing you can do is add plants to use and absorb the nutrients. Also add rock piles which will add surface area for other beneficial algae and bacteria below the waters surface to use the nutrients as well. Good luck!
I've personally seen what grass carp can do to a heavy algae and plant infestation. In approx. a year the lake was almost weed free. P.S.- don't have important plants where the carp can get to it.
The wife and I wish we could have met up with you and Rebecca on your trip to pick up those Carp, we live 5 minutes from that fish farm. You two were in our backyard! Lol
Duckweed also provide a hiding place for baby fish and fryers.
In the UK, for centuries, farmers have chucked barley straw or bales into ponds to ward off duck weed. It works.
It’s great to see the pond respond so quickly.
Those glasses are the best ever made.
I put them in my pond they ate all the duck weed and everything else as well. They were stocked in 1996 and some are still alive and feeding as we speak. They are well over 20lbs and look like dinosaurs swimming around
WOW the pond looks great! Everything takes time!
Happy to see your pond update, the aeration is working as it should. If you add some beneficial bacteria like the Pond Boss blocks sold at TSC, they’ll help reduce the nutrients in the water and you’ll see some improvement this year with the duckweed. Chop the blocks in half and place 1/2 a block next to each of the aeration units.
Pond bacteria treatments have become part of my annual pond maintenance, no chemicals, just aeration, grass carp, pond dye, and bacteria. I no longer have duckweed, algae or any past problems. (3 aeration heads, 7 acre pond, depth average 4-12’)
How long does the block last , I have a one acre pond how many would I need and is it the same as the granular packets
The block treats 5 acre feet and with aeration the bacteria will keep working until it gets cold. With regular use (5 years) my pond’s sludge and weed issues have been solved. Early on I treated the pond 3 times a year.
Good to know,I will start tomorrow👍🏼
Did you add the aeration and start using the chemicals at the same time? Aeration alone would take care of a good chunk of most folks duckweed problems.
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Great channel- well done
That's WAY MORE than a 'pond' Brother! You've got yourself a LAKE there! Incredibly beautiful place you lucky man! Looking forward to more pond management lessons.
You have done such a great job with the pond. Its clear that you really care, and want to be a good steward of the land. You should be very proud of the good life you've chosen.
Love to see a time lapse of the pond. See the duckweed reduce over time.
💝🙏🙏🙏 Praying you have success on your pond❣
You should call Ed The Pond Professor. He's helped out a lot of you tubers with their ponds.
Hi Even my friend pond had the same problem and e got a floating pound fontain and it fix all the problem see int the same name ows eco floating pond fountain....
Thanks for the video n good luck!!
The pond is looking great!
Looks great Evan!
Thanks I may need to do this as well!
Thanks for sharing with us Evan and Rebecca, we too hope your pond comes back and the fish all survive. It is such a beautiful pond and we love watching Rebecca and you fishing. Stay safe and keep up the great work around there. Fred.
Evan, I think i watched a UA-cam video on aquaponics and the guy said that duckweed likes to grow in water with a high nitrogen content. Maybe you could get your water tested to see if the nitrogen or nitrate levels are high? It also may be worth wile to water your garden and yard with the pond water in hopes that the soil will filter out some of the nutrients. Maybe do some research on this and hopefully it helps solve some of you duck weed problems. Thank you for another great video!! From a 618 subscriber
Exactly, duckweed is plant and reacts exactly as it is a plant. For water quality will be great to add some probiotics, nitrosomonas and microbacter to solve ammonia and nitrites rising. The best way on my suggestion is to add some volcanic rocks or any rock for the good bacteria to survive and colonise. The aeration does a great job coz you want aerobic bacteria. More oxygen the best in any ways for fish and water quality. The best is to have fresh water input and output.
Good video, good luck with your operation there.
Personally i just plan on using duckweed as a supplemental feed for chickens. Its fairly high in protien and its free for the gathering. Duckweed can double its biomass, in as little as 3 days given the right conditions.
Aeration or flow alone could solve a chunk of this issue.
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Great job keep up the great work love your videos thank you
Another solution is retrieving the duckweed and composting it thus retrieving all the nutrients that ended up in your pond
Duck weed is great garden fertilizer.
Free feed for chickens...
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Nice work!
Put them my pond 25 years ago, worked like a champ! They’re 3 feet long now and the pond stays clean. They definitely won’t breed.
Good luck with them! The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission released a ton in my local waters. They didn't eat the weeds they were supposed to and ended up about causing several species to nearly go extinct in my area. After they get a certain age and size, they feed less and less on vegetation while feeding more and more on fish. By the time they got 2 1/2 ft long, you could easily catch them on lures...though you had to immediately release them since it is illegal to harvest grass carp in Florida. It took nearly two decades for those stocked fish to die out and the wildlife to rebound.
We seen the same thing in Washington State. They ate duck weed and water lilies until they got about 18 inches. After that the population of trout and bass plummeted as the carp ate them. Isn't that why Illinois doesn't want them in streams and rivers?
hahahaha..Carp ARE NOT predatory
@@markthomas3730doesn't have to be predatory to feed opportunistically on other things that may have fins
Have hou tryed to make a skim net to drag aver the pond?
Now that it's that clear you could swim in it. Good luck. 🙂🇨🇦
New subscriber to your channel. From up near Chicago. Can’t wait for more updates on your pond.
Good job.
It sure would be nice if team aquascape can build a waterfall feature for your pond and help with the duck weed problem
Canada goose aka cobra chickens lol 😂😂 looks good
Good luck x
Well done even hope the new carp works on the duckweed ,
"they are sterile carp" famous last words.
Yes. In illinois you need a permit and have to buy from an approved hatchery.
grass carp has beautiful scales
Looking forward to your results.
Nice I hope you can get rid of that duckweed naturally with the carp. We had all our fish die from a company treating it with copper sulfate for moss when I was a kid. It was horrible seeing all the dead fish. Good luck you two👍🏻👍🏻
We tried the aerator and that didn't do much so we went with grass carp too. That did the trick and it did take a few years for them to fix the weed issue. This was 50 or so years ago and there wasn't any restrictions on carps. If I remember right we got about 8 or 10 and we also had a 3.5 acre pond. So, I hope everything goes good with yours, and I hope you and your wife have a nice week.
The state biologist helping me with my 2 acre pond had me fertilize it to make the water green. He said this cuts down on sunlight in the water and reduces grass growth. It also is supposed to make the water safer for the fish. I have a black and white disc that I lower into the water to quantify the clarity and I adjust fertilizer and lime to get to the correct level. I hope yours is good and you don’t have to go to all the trouble I have. Good luck and thanks for the info.
Green water is good for fish, blocks light to the soil underneath, is food for babies, etc.
Another YTuber actually encourages duckweed growth...
He uses a simple oil skimmer head with a floating hose attached to a motorised trash pump to suck all the duckweed up...
and spout it out onto stainless steel fine screens...
separating the duckweed out and returning the water to the pond.
The duckweed actually is used as feed for his chickens....they love it.
He intends to cover his pond with a tunnel house type structure to extend the growing season of the duckweed and is investigating basically fermenting the duckweed to carry the duckweed feeding process over through the winter....
like silage/hay if he was harvesting grass!
Just a thought if you or a neighbour runs lots of chickens...and you want free feed???
Less ecologically damaging than introducing carp that might eat too much and upset the pond ecology???
Our county extension office told us to use aeration disc.😮 said the water was to stagnant.
We put lots grass carp in to eat the Canadian pond weed ,then the carp discovered anglers baits ,enough said
I can't wait till next year. It's a good investment. God bless🦆💞
O I pray that the fish will do what you want them to do, will you be able to fish ? I sure hope Rebecca can, she loves to fish, and so do you. God bless, I will be praying that it will all be good. ❤
Evan I commented last summer but products like Muck Away are well worth it. Beneficial bacteria to eat away the nutrients the algae is eating
Hi Evan,
@Grandpa-Chris from London,
I have just found your channel and subscribed, this is a common problem here as well, a lot of woodland lakes and ponds suffer here too, all the leaf matter that fall into the water feeds the algae as it breaks down, it’s an unsightly problem, like many of your followers have commented, Grass carp will over time solve the issue, you could also try some green tench which are algae eaters, great fun on a hook and line as well.
Good luck and thanks for sharing.
I wonder if pulling a skimmer with cheesecloth across the surface would remove an appreciable amount of the duck weed. Maybe as an interim measure until the fish are up to the job.
I paid $25 a pc. in NY 2 years ago and they were $30 ea. this year😮 I have 5 in my 1.5 acre pond and they have grown tremendously. The water ripples they make when you spook them is amazing. The pond is slowly cleaning up. Thanks for the video.
Glad you were able to find the carp! I think you’ll see a bigger difference than you expect! I would suggest 15-20 fish per acre in a pond with heavy duckweed. I know it’s expensive but it’s cheaper in the end to buy the fish.
We got grass carp put into our pond two years ago. The following spring, the difference was stunning. You'll be surprised how FAST these fish will grow.
U right!
9h yeah they are great for fishing
You could setup a small conveyor belt on the edge to skim it on shore like the skimmer boats.
Triploid are social fish. They'll hang out together.
They're also river fish, and sense moving water. I had to put a screen across the overflow after losing some during a heavy rain event.
Good luck with your pond.
I have 3 or 4 grass carp in my 1/4 acre pond (they were here when we moved in) and they get big man. Like 3' long. Our pond stays clear of vegetation, but we do still deal with a periodic algae bloom. I also have an aerator (wind powered)
Try opening up the surrounding tree lines to let a breeze hit the water, the wind will cause the water to move a lot more than it looks like its doing at the moment.
AquaShade with blue dye. The grass carp live about 15 yrs. I still have "Carpman" for 15 yrs. I'm getting more in the spring. My farm is in Southern Illinois, also. I haven't had a duck weed problem in 15 yrs. The AquaShade is an awesome product!
the biggest one ive ever caught grass carp was 36lb 4 oz in a lake near me here in UK
Someone should invent like a “Romba” machine that goes across the surface collecting the duckweed.
Plant skimmers have been in use for many years. Duck weed makes great compost and snacks for poultry and waterfowl.
You should go out in the boat and look for sunfish beds in the sand? Take a pair of UV sunglasses for the camera. Maybe with the water being so clear you will be able to see some of your sunnies.
From research I have looked into, you will need to restock every 5 years as they dont keep performing as they do early on... They are about $14-16 each down in Tennessee..
just cought your channel , sorry about the fish . I drop by to find out how it turns out . GOOD UCK and GOD BLESS
You know you are living life when you have to drive 3 hrs for live fishes! Very Nice!
Should have came to Missouri and caught you some of those grass carp for free. We grow em big round here lol
I sympathize, having suffered the same thing - duckweed taking over and a fish kill. I tried the same tetraploid carp first and they only partially helped - the tilapia I tried next did the job, eliminating the duckweed entirely in one season. My pond is only half the size of yours so I didn't need too many tilapia. It's too bad they won't overwinter in most places but they are fun to catch and good to eat. I have the same carp and they are huge now, and have maintained the pond well - no more duckweed and they eat up other aquatic plants I don't want. Much success to you.
You should find a way to skim some of the duckweed to help the carp get a headstart. Maybe an electric troll motor for your boat and some type of homemade skimmer.
Duckweed is great chicken feed.
Grass carp are fun pets they get huge and look like dragons bobbing through the water
Hi Evan an idea may be to install a floating boom to contain it at least in one area if its possible for this season
Any animal that moves from the contained area to the duckweed free side will bring some with them.
Could you use buoy line like the ones they use on oil spills, when the dock weed is at the small end of the pond, until the fish can keep up with the dock weed, just a thought. Ron
Unfortunately it’s not their favorite food Evan. They prefer submerged plants from what I have read and researched I only have one in my pond and it was by accident from the fishery. Thankfully I have not had a duck weed problem. It can’t hurt but not sure they will remedy the problem. Good Luck and keep us posted.
Grass carp can grow up to 30lb in weight and it you catch one they put up one hell of a fight, dont eat them just use catch and return will clean your pond, good luck.
Animal manure is increasing the nitrogen, which is fertilizing the Duck Weed. Ducks and geese actually eat very little Duck Weed. But they do add to the nitrogen in the water.
Probably should have left your skimmer in the pond, that duck weed will float around in the wind and the current and when it is in the area of your skimmer you could fire it up and get rid of some more of it.
I think you could also feed that duck weed to pigs and chickens, if you have them on your farm. In the end duck weed is a sign of overfertilized water. Also check if there is some overflow from a dung heap into your pond.
Lol my horses love it for some reason and usually eat it all in my pond. I also find when the pond is full of duckweed it’s less water evaporation.
Kudos on the change to clarity of pond water! Aerators are doing great!!!
Those carp are fascinating.. Good Luck.!!!
I had an issue with a 1/4acre pond. Solid duckweed. I added 80lbs of lye to fix pH and 100 talapia. Still good years later.
Put some Rainbowfish in there. They live for years and eat a shit load of duckweed every day. It got to be a pain for me having to go find some every few days to feed mine when i was breeding them for the Aquarium trade. Start with at least 6 dozen of em for a pond that size, and in a few years you will have thousands of them as they live for up to 10 years and breed every few months when its warmer.
As long as it doesnt get too cold there, the Rainbowfish will eat the lot no probs.
On my lake its heavy weed you walk across it . They put bales of barley straw around the lake and it clears it up you gotta put it in early spring