9 replies to this topic

[Julius Leonid Maestral]

Hello people! Its been quite a while since Ive been in the forum. I just need a little bit of assistance with regards to the proliferation of algae in the pond. Particularly the kind which makes the water "green". I remember, there were several articles in the forum which dealt with this specific problem but I could no longer remember their title. Are these articles still here? and any direct advice on dealing with the green algae problem would be most welcome.

[koiguy1969]

articles aside..there is an over abundance of postings (threads) on algea.. pea soup will subside on its own with patience... the better your filtration and the more plants you have the shorter this period...a U.V. light will get rid of green water in days and keep it away....barley and barley / peat extracts are great for the string algeas to come after the pea soup has passed. you should look at preventing algea instead of waiting and getting rid of it once its here.

[oldmarine]

Hi Julius,

Having been in the Phillipines several different times while in the U.S.Marines, I can understand your problem with Algae. Your weather is high humidity and you are closer to the sun than most of us are here in the states. Koiguy is right about the treatment. With the rapid growth of algae that you are experiencing, you may have to go with a more efficient filtration system like koiguy suggested. Add as much surface plants as you can to help block the sun.

Happy ponding,

Rich:umbrella:

[DrCase]

And while you are waiting for your filter too kick in
Add a laundry basket with pillow stuffing , under your waterfall ,,
It will start pulling out the bigger stuff .
Clean it as needed , which will be a lot

[j.w]

What about Bentonite.........does that help w/ clearing up your water from algae? I tried it once and thought it did but maybe I was just imagining it.......I don't know for sure.

[Julius Leonid Maestral]

koiguy1969 said:

articles aside..there is an over abundance of postings (threads) on algea.. pea soup will subside on its own with patience... the better your filtration and the more plants you have the shorter this period...a U.V. light will get rid of green water in days and keep it away....barley and barley / peat extracts are great for the string algeas to come after the pea soup has passed. you should look at preventing algea instead of waiting and getting rid of it once its here.

My filtration is quite simple and I got the Idea from what the resident doctors suggested (with my own modification) in an article in this forum on filters. Its a 105 liter container with layers of rocks, synthetic fiber filter, and pieces of broken clay-pot as the filter medium. In fact I would suspect that the filter has a hard time coping especially when the water is already dark green, because even the water which passed through it is light green in color!!

[Julius Leonid Maestral]

oldmarine said:

Hi Julius,

Having been in the Phillipines several different times while in the U.S.Marines, I can understand your problem with Algae. Your weather is high humidity and you are closer to the sun than most of us are here in the states. Koiguy is right about the treatment. With the rapid growth of algae that you are experiencing, you may have to go with a more efficient filtration system like koiguy suggested. Add as much surface plants as you can to help block the sun.

Happy ponding,

Rich:umbrella:

You're right! Specially in these months where summer is just around the corner, as the mighty sun is in its flaring mood, algae seems to be having a swell time...

[koiguy1969]

lets see.. your filter is 105 liters so 1 gallon U.S = 3.79 liters... so your filter is 27 gallons ...how big is your pond (volume)?

[Julius Leonid Maestral]

I forgot to mention that I have FOAM as one of the filter mediums in my system. My pond volume is around 800 gallons I guess... Its triangular in shape and is around 1 and a half feet in its deepest point and 1 feet at its shallowest.... Everytime I clean it (including the filter), the clarity can only last up to a month then after which its green, green, green.....

[koiguy1969]

well i think that your filter may be alittle small for your pond and your media choices could have been better...but i dont know your fish numbers, nor your plant numbers. but the bigger the filter the better, or i should say the more filtration, the better . you might consider adding a second filter like the first or a bigger one. the plants feed on the same nutrients as the algea so the more plants to consume them the less there is for the algea.and the leaves,pads, and other water surface foliage serve to block out sun light which the algea needs too. that said,.. a u.v light would serve you well as far as clearing up the green water, but clear water doesnt neccessarily mean good water..

Edited by koiguy1969, 17 February 2010 - 02:39 PM.