String algae

Last year I had string algae for the first time. I'm doing spring cleaning now & wonder if there are preventive steps I can take to make sure the algae doesn't come back. I unpot all my plants, for instance, in order to divide them. Should I wash the pots w/ Clorox instead of just the soap & water I normally use? I also wash the pebbles - same question about them. Do I have to replace all the dirt w/ new?
Thanks for any advice.

I think algae is the #1 problem people have when owning a pond. We help more people with algae control than any other. We typically suggest people start using a good bacteria early in the year and religiously throughout the season. This helps with keep organic waste broken down and controlling the amount of available nutrients. It is also a good idea to keep an algaecide handy. We suggest GreenClean since it is safe for fish and other aquatic life. If you have the means, you could also benefit from an aerator or fountain to help add oxygen back into the water, which algae hates. There are also things like dying the water or planting so surface aquatic plants to help shade the water and limit sunlight penetration. IF you are interested, you can visit the Algae Control section of our website and find links to some helpful articles.

I get it every year as well. I just keep pulling it out the excess and eventually it goes away by itself. My adult koi love to play in it.

Thanks. That's certainly the easiest solution.

I have 5 "water" areas - 2 are (very small) ponds & they do have filters & aerators & mosquito fish & one has goldfish. The other 3 are static since books say not to have moving water with lotus & they're the ones that have to worst string so I'll try the dyes. I do have water lettuce & fairy fern, etc. floating on the surface. I don't understand why, after 10 years, I got the strings to begin with.
Thanks for your suggestions.

will uv kill string algae?

I believe UV only really works on planktonic algae (pea soup water) and is less effective on string algae.

I typically scrub the walls of my pond once a week with an algae brush since my pond has concrete walls and let the filter remove all of it. its been pretty effective against string algae but planktonic is still giving me a good a$$ kicking.

I find that string algae has a limited life span. Every year, my pond gets string algae in the spring and as I remove it, the pond eventually clears. I don't know if this is universal, but in So Cal, that is what I have experienced.

I have also found that my adult Koi love it and not only eat it but hang out inside it.

As far as the pea soup algae, I have not had any since making and installing my biological filter last summer.

Originally Posted by DrDave

I find that string algae has a limited life span. Every year, my pond gets string algae in the spring and as I remove it, the pond eventually clears. I don't know if this is universal, but in So Cal, that is what I have experienced. I have also found that my adult Koi love it and not only eat it but hang out inside it. As far as the pea soup algae, I have not had any since making and installing my biological filter last summer.

Here in SE Pennsylvania we had a cool spring. The bulk of the pond plants were slow getting started but the string algae…….

I just pulled out what I could, used a debris net to remove it from the bottom, and dealt with it.

The fish loved it. The first spawn was in the algae, and since I did not try to remove the fry, they used it for food (as do the adults).

When the potted and floating plants finally took off, it was like someone turned off a switch on the algae growth. There is still some here and there in the pond, which is fine by me, looks natural.