It finally happened. . . I can see the bottom of my new pond (and my fish). I finished building/filling on May first, the water went green in less than a week and cleared (almost overnight) July 4th weekend. I was determined to wait it out and not add anything, but you know how that goes. I started having pond scum float up in the afternoons. After reading a bunch of references to koi clay / kitty liter for string algae, I tried it (so I guess I kind of cheated). That worked great for the scum not so much for the green water.
In past years I used Microbe-Lift and always had clear water. This year I played a hunch that I would have clear water without it. I started the pond up in the spring and never had any green. So when I re-built the pond, I knew I had a clean slate to experiment with (which is why I didn't want to add anything). The water would clear a bit and green up again each time getting a little better. After 9 weeks, I broke down and added Microbe-lift. Over the next two days the water cleared. Now I am left to wonder, is it possible that the first application would work that fast (doubtful) or was it just finally time? I wish I had waited. . .
The water is not crystal clear (like a pond with UV) there is a slight "whiteish" tint. I feel like i have read that this is part of the new pond cycle and will go away shortly, but don't remember where I saw that.
So I guess what I am saying is, if you are cycling a new pond, wait just a little bit longer. . .