Algae Control

Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Wisconsin
Hello all!

First I just wanted to introduce myself as Sid. I am very interesting in building a pond in the near future for myself, but I am currently working as an Intern at the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, WI and part of my job is to help do research to restore and improve their existing pond. Part of the restoration is to keep the pond as natural as possible without adding any chemicals and be energy efficient as possible.

This pond has been built only a year ago I believe but lack important aspects such as aeration and filtration. But one of my main and first concern was how to control the algae naturally. I know that some of the steps required to control algae will be to have good dissolving oxygen and filtering but would like to know if there's any natural methods in controlling algae growth? Such as plants that compete with algae for nutrients or plants that prevent algae growth (heard barley straw was good?). Keep in mind that a solar pump of some kind will be added to increase dissolved oxygen (If anyone has a suggestion on a good affordable solar pump that would be greatly greatly appreciated!) and help fight against algae.

Also, after figuring out how to keep the pond as clean as possible we are planning and hoping to stock it with native fish species such as bluegills, sunfish, yellow perch, small/largemouth bass with the approval of our Department of Natural Resources. It would be nice to know how these fish do in pond environments also. Thanks.

Your inputs and responses will be greatly appreciated! Please let me know if you have any questions about the pond and I will try to answer it the best that I can. Thanks again guys!

Sid
 

DrDave

Innovator
Moderator
Joined
Aug 29, 2007
Messages
6,851
Reaction score
112
Location
Fallbrook, Ca USA
Welcome to the Forum!
Check out our DIY section on bio filters and get your self some water lettuce. Your water will clear up with this combination.
 

sissy

sissy
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
33,086
Reaction score
15,702
Location
Axton virginia
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
7A
Country
United States
welcome sidt87 and if they had the money they could go for wind turbine and solar system .They have them in all sizes solair is the company .
 

fishin4cars

True friends just call me Larkin
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
5,195
Reaction score
1,599
Location
Hammond LA USA
Hardiness Zone
8a
Welcome aboard! How about additional information, Lets see what I can think of that will help get the ball rolling. Inside or Outside? Size? Depth? Construction type? Liner, natural, concrete, Temp. range for the pond?
Just the fish mix alone could be a challenge. each is territorial, It will need to have plenty of cover for each species to be able to claim it's area. I've seen ponds done like this but they either had pretty serious fitration, or they were all natural. The second you pretty much take the water as nature deals it to you. barley bales help with string algae, but then again, so does hydrodgen peroxide which is what the barley bails break down to when they are breaking down, so that is the all natural way, but the peroxide works faster. As for plants, 50% coverage or more and it will help keep the water clear, But there will have to be a balance for the pond as far as the fish load and plant mix. If it gets really cold in the pond then the plants don't work all year. There fore the water wouldn't stay clear the year round unless there was filtration to take over. Or everything hibernate.
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
Messages
4,068
Reaction score
4,008
Location
Chicago Area
Hardiness Zone
5b
Country
United States
Hi Sid, Welcome to the forum! What a great job to get paid to take care of a pond. Most of us would do it for free! A few suggestions. Direct sun will cause the algae to grow, so like fishin said covering about 50% will help. Also plants that have roots in the water will compete with the algae for nutrients. So really the plants have a double benefit. The best sun blockers and cheapest are generally floaters like water lettuce and water hyacinth. Note both of these will literally explode and create a lot of plants in a short time. For this reason they are banned in a lot of areas. There are other plants that are oxygenators like anacharis. They do not float but are also good at eliminating nitrates in the pond. Also if you are worried about algae a UV light can be very helpful. Also you may want to read about cycling a pond on older threads on the forum. Once the pond builds up some beneficial bacteria this will eliminate the green water effect. Other natural ways; snails, tadpoles, and any fish that eats algae. Of course every time you add something it may create another issue that you may need to consider. Good luck with your endeavor!
 

j.w

I Love my Goldies
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
32,947
Reaction score
20,252
Location
Arlington, Washington
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
USDA 8a
Country
United States
welcome41.gif
Sid
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,340
Reaction score
29,089
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
turtle-welcome-to-the-group.gif


Welcome Sid!, I use a bog for filtration to keep my pond clear of algae, there are good filters you can build also that will work. Like they say check our diy section.
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Wisconsin
Thanks for all the replies guys! I will definitely look into all the suggestions and do more research! I'll get back to you guys as soon as I find out more information about the pond's dimension and so on. Thanks again.

Sid
 
Joined
Jun 22, 2011
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Location
Wisconsin
Sorry I've been busy lately and the computer decided to crash on me so I haven't had the chance to get on here. I finally got some information about the size of the pond. Its about 14ft by 32ft and has a max depth of 4ft in the middle. The sides are about 1ft deep and decends down to 4ft max depth. I will try to post some pictures of the pond.

So far my plans are clean up the current algae and invasive plants and then probably make one of the Dr Dave's bio filter. Question for you Dave, how much cleaning is required for your filter? Thanks!
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,782
Messages
508,578
Members
13,042
Latest member
lucaryan

Latest Threads

Top