Liming & Clearing Ponds: Ag Lime vs. Liquid Lime Webinar

Presented by Dr. Todd Sink

Aquaculture Extension Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Director, TAMU Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory

Description:

This 1-hour how-to educational webinar will cover water quality related to the need to lime ponds and potentially clear them. It will also discuss the latest research from Texas A&M on the use of traditional agricultural lime versus commercially available liquid lime products for increasing alkalinity in ponds and pond clearing. Liquid lime products have been widely marketed as a replacement for the large volumes of ag lime required to lime ponds, but do we know if they really work? Alkalinity, hardness, and calcium all affect fish survival and growth, and yet alkalinity is naturally decreased over time in a pond as photosynthesis and bacterial processes occur in a pond. This can lead to reduced primary productivity (food and energy production) and in turn lead to reduced fish growth and smaller fish populations. In rare cases, it can even lead to fish death and collapse of recruitment to a fishery. The primary way in which to increase alkalinity, hardness, and calcium is through liming a pond. In addition, turbidity (muddy water) also drastically limits primary productivity and fish growth and can be aesthetically displeasing to look at. We will discuss the ability of traditional agricultural lime versus commercially available liquid lime products to clear a pond. At the end of the program, 30 minutes will be reserved for questions.