Fish safe pond herbicide needed

[MotoSook]

We have a 1.75 acre pond that we want to keep fish friendly, but the grass is out of control. Anyone have experience with fish safe herbicides?

[pwd72s]

Would take some searching...but Lincoln City Oregon used sterilized carp that eat the weeds in their "D Lake", the head of the world's shortest river. The lake was chocked with weeds...forget the name of the weed. A plant used in fish tanks.

I was skeptical, but it seems to have worked.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Soukus

We have a 1.75 acre pond that we want to keep fish friendly, but the grass is out of control. Anyone have experience with fish safe herbicides?

A product called Rodeo is basically aquatic Roundup. It doesn't have the surfactant in it that Roundup has that makes Roundup hard on fish, otherwise it is the same stuff (glysphosate). It's widely used.
Rodeo® herbicide

[dlockhart]

Souk at many private ski lakes they dye the water. It makes the lake a pretty blue and keeps the sun from reaching floor and therby keeps the plants in check.

We were doing a 20+ acre lake with it and the owner found a bulk supplier

for smaller ponds
Outdoor Water Solutions Lake and Pond Dye*|*Meijer.com

[Tim Hancock]

Souk, our pond has been maintained with careful applications of AquaShade dye along with copper sulfate for at least 30 years and our fish are healthy. We also have several grass eating carp (White Emurs sp?). We have never had a weed/grass/cattail problem and only do the treatment when we see algae starting to develop.

I know that too much copper sulfate is supposedly bad, but our pond is doing fine with small doses of it every year. My wife simply dumps about a pound or two of it in an old pantyhose leg and drags it around the perimeter of the pond as it dissolves. She then dumps a couple gurgles of Aqua Shade at each of the four corners. A gallon of AquaShade lasts us a few years as does a bag of copper sulfate.

I think our pond is about 1/2 acre.

[MotoSook]

Dave and Tim: sounds like the blue dye and aquashade are the same thing and the fish farmers use it! Awesome...I'll give it a try. I'll also see about getting a dozen carp if the aquashade doesn't work.

Pelican brain trust rocks!

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

Souk, our pond has been maintained with careful applications of AquaShade dye along with copper sulfate for at least 30 years and our fish are healthy. We also have several grass eating carp (White Emurs sp?). We have never had a weed/grass/cattail problem and only do the treatment when we see algae starting to develop.

I know that too much copper sulfate is supposedly bad, but our pond is doing fine with small doses of it every year. My wife simply dumps about a pound or two of it in an old pantyhose leg and drags it around the perimeter of the pond as it dissolves. She then dumps a couple gurgles of Aqua Shade at each of the four corners. A gallon of AquaShade lasts us a few years as does a bag of copper sulfate.

I think our pond is about 1/2 acre.

Yup copper sulfate too I had forgotten about that. We would use a 60lb bag a few times a year. We poured it into a 5 gallon pail then towed it up and down the lake at the end of the ski day. Running the boat at a slow speed, producing big wakes and mixing the lake well. It worked well. The lake for tax purposes was also a catfish farm and the catfish didn't seem to mind.

[MotoSook]

Awesome Dave. We want catfish also.

[944Larry]

If you have broadleaf troubles there is an aquatic 2,4D which is in pellet form which works well. Use Rodeo for grasses. If you do treat your pond only do about 1/3 of it at a time if you have fish in it. If you kill too much at once the rotting vegetation will reduce the oxygen level in the pond and kill your fish. No fish? Zap it all at once.

[vash]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Would take some searching...but Lincoln City Oregon used sterilized carp that eat the weeds in their "D Lake", the head of the world's shortest river. The lake was chocked with weeds...forget the name of the weed. A plant used in fish tanks.

I was skeptical, but it seems to have worked.

hydrilla or hydrillia..something like that.

ironically, the stuff grows like crap in an aquarium. but if a tiny piece gets tossed into a pond when "goldie" is let go to live life in the wild..the stuff blooms out of control. flush goldie kids, flush goldie.

[MotoSook]

After reading up on Rodeo, Aquashade and copper sulfate, I conclude that the Aquashade is a bit late for my current pond growth. That is the grass and agae mat is already grown, so I can only prevent further growth. Right now I'd say 75% of the pond is covered!

The Rodeo appears to be safe to the aquadic life, but for the oxygen depletion as Larry pointed out. BUT the MSDS lists the lethal concentraction (LC50 and EC50) for the chemical for various organisms (fish). So care is still needed to not exceed the limits and start killing fish.

Copper sulfate also requires attention to concentration...so I'll have be a chemist to get this all right without having the EPA show up at my door step! LOL!

Thanks guys...hopefully next year my pond won't look like a swamp

[id10t]

I'd recommend several things -

1) Check with state/county ag office or fish & game department for their recommendations. Here in Fl for carp you have to get F&G permission and use only triploid carp (non breeding).

2) If it is really thick, plan on some physical removal as well. Dealing with water lettuce, I was able to get a TON out fairly easily by using a piece of chain link fence and pulling it out. Used a riding mower to provide pull power. Simply brought it up on the bank, raked thru it with a heavy tine rake looking for turtles, etc. and then let it dry and burned it.

[Taz's Master]

Any tips for cattails?

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Taz's Master

Any tips for cattails?

Like the bamboo we removed from the edge of our pond, gotta get the rhizomes out. Shovel time ...

Cattail Recipes | prodigalgardens.info

[cstreit]

I hear muskrats work well. Oh wait, that's for a fish problem.

[Taz's Master]

Originally Posted by id10t

Like the bamboo we removed from the edge of our pond, gotta get the rhizomes out. Shovel time ...

Cattail Recipes | prodigalgardens.info

The problem is with how steep the walls are (not a big pond but quickly deep) that isn't an easy prospect. But on the bright side, should tabs' economic predictions come true, no bread line for us, and we won't just be eating zucchinis!

[porsche4life]

Sounds like Taz needs to bust out the SCUBA gear, and a shovel....

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

be careful with copper sulfate, it can kill the fish and there are some other unwanted consequences.

How cheap is corn meal? In proper quantities it can clear up a pool of water.

Grass eating carp are an invasive species that can cause other ecological problems. Use of them should be with only great caution and a way to keep them from spreading.

Could you drag the stuff out of the pond? Makes great fertilizer when composted.

[MotoSook]

This year I will probably drag out as much as I can, but still use the aquashade and rodeo. The wife wants a compost pile...we've discussed piling the stuff in the compost pile...but guess who has to manage it?

[RWebb]

you might want to call your county agr. extension office for advice on the fish pond, as well as the easiest way to manage the compost pile (assuming you do not own a teenage son or robot)