Algae Education

[DigdirtJen]

I've done so much reading about ponds and their ecosystems, and read so many different opinions, I'm not sure what to believe. I'd like to explain my set up and ask some advice as to what i'm doing right or wrong. My pond is only 120 gal, with 2 small koi, and 4 small comets. I have a 700 gph magnetic pump with a prefilter around the intake. I figured out i was oversold on the pump and needed to decrease the water flow so i installed a ball valve between the pump and the waterfall to regulate the flow. The pump routes the water to a waterfall filter and here's how i have the filter layers: in the bottom i have a layer of coarse filter medium, the second layer is pea gravel which covers the coarse filter, then on top of that i use quilt batting held down with 4 heavy stones - one in each corner to keep it in place. The water in the pond looks pretty clear but i have noticed lately that there is a brown algae growing on all the surfaces in the pond. Aside from the fish in the pond, I also have 2 bunches of parrot feather, and some water lettuce floating around. I got really concerned about how warm the water was getting so i have a small tarp sheltering the pond - which they seem pretty happy about! So here are my questions:

1. Will cutting down the water flow damage my pump motor?
2. Is this brown algae a good thing? I hear some algae is good because it creates oxygen in the water and the fish like to eat it. But i also hear some algae is bad.
3. Should the pond always be in the shade - is any direct sun preferred?
4. There are four washable parts to my filter; the prefilter on the pump, and then in the waterfall box there's the coarse layer, the pea gravel, and the quilt batting. Every few days i rinse out the prefilter on the pump, the coarse filter and the pea gravel in the waterfall box, and I replace the quilt batting at the same time. Am i cleaning too much or not enough? Am i preventing a good ecosystem from forming?
5. The parrot feather is pretty darn happy. However, when i brought my water lettuce home it did really well for a while, but now it looks terrible. Some of the leaves are turning yellow/orange, there are rips and tears in the leaves. What is going on with that? I read that it doesn't like floating around to much - that it would rather be containing in one area. Is this true?

Thank you all for your time in helping a newbie out. I am in love with my little pond and want my fishies to be happy!

 

[poconojoe]

I think the gravel in your filter should be on the very bottom and should not be cleaned at all. This is your bio media where the beneficial bacteria resides. That is the good bacteria that is needed for good filtration. You can rinse the filter pads, but don't use chlorinated water to do that. The chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria on the pads. If your home's water is chlorinated, use pond water or rain water and rinse them in a bucket.

Your pond will also grow a beneficial biofilm all over the liner and you should not disturb that either. That is also part of the pond's ecosystem.

Pond's are not meant to be "hospital clean". Just leave it be. If the pressure of the water returning to the pond diminishes greatly, then rinse the pads. If you get a buildup of leaves, acorns or other natural debris on the bottom, net that stuff out. Decaying matter is not good.

Try not to tinker much, just let it all naturally cycle through. Patience is important with ponding.

You said your water is clear... that's great, so sit back and enjoy your pond!

One more thing... 120 gallons is way way too small of a pond to keep koi. I mean...way way too small...really! The standard is 1,000 gallons for your first koi and about 300-500 or so for second. You need to build a bigger pond or find a new home for those. Koi will grow very quickly to over 2 feet long. Can you imagine a fish that big trying to swim in that little amount of water? And koi produce a lot of waste which will quickly tax your filtration system.

 

[mrsclem]

Regarding reduction of water thru the pump- its ok to reduce output but not the intake.

 

[DigdirtJen]

I think the gravel in your filter should be on the very bottom and should not be cleaned at all. This is your bio media where the beneficial bacteria resides. That is the good bacteria that is needed for good filtration. You can rinse the filter pads, but don't use chlorinated water to do that. The chlorine will kill the beneficial bacteria on the pads. If your home's water is chlorinated, use pond water or rain water and rinse them in a bucket.

Your pond will also grow a beneficial biofilm all over the liner and you should not disturb that either. That is also part of the pond's ecosystem.

Pond's are not meant to be "hospital clean". Just leave it be. If the pressure of the water returning to the pond diminishes greatly, then rinse the pads. If you get a buildup of leaves, acorns or other natural debris on the bottom, net that stuff out. Decaying matter is not good.

Try not to tinker much, just let it all naturally cycle through. Patience is important with ponding.

You said your water is clear... that's great, so sit back and enjoy your pond!

One more thing... 120 gallons is way way too small of a pond to keep koi. I mean...way way too small...really! The standard is 1,000 gallons for your first koi and about 300-500 or so for second. You need to build a bigger pond or find a new home for those. Koi will grow very quickly to over 2 feet long. Can you imagine a fish that big trying to swim in that little amount of water? And koi produce a lot of waste which will quickly tax your filtration system.

I feel the same way about the koi. i found out too late that the people that sold me everything to start my pond weren't as educated as they led me to believe. I've already decided to find homes for my 2 koi. They are beautiful and small for now, but i DO NOT want them unhappy or unhealthy.

so the brown 'algae' i see covering the liner is the bio film and it's ok? i thought it would be green.

thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

 

[Mmathis]

I hope this helps or even makes sense — I feel like I’m rambling.

Look to basic science to find your answers.

What happens during the nitrogen cycle: Fish produce waste products — bacteria convert this ammonia into nitrites — another type of bacteria converts the nitrites into nitrates — plants utilize the nitrates for food — algae is a plant.

Your bio filter contains the bacteria necessary for these chemical conversions (you don’t have to add this bacteria as it already exists in the pond). Also, various surfaces in the pond (liner, rocks, etc.) with be a substrate for these beneficial bacteria, so it’s not only in the filter. If you aggressively “clean” your filter and/or your liner, you are destroying your biofilter, and your pond has to “cycle” all over again.

The beneficial bacteria need oxygen and water movement to stay alive, healthy, and happy — this is where filtration and aeration come into play.

But it’s a delicate balance. Too much ammonia (from an overstocked pond) will build up if the filter can’t handle the amount. Ammonia and nitrites are harmful to fish. Nitrates, only in very high numbers. Algae is everywhere, on surfaces, in the air, beamed down by aliens. Algae will seek out a feeding ground — it’s like lawn and garden weeds — if you keep a healthy lawn, you are less likely to have a weed problem.

Algaecides and UV will kill the algae, but it won’t solve the underlying problem, and could actually make things worse.

During this game of cat and mouse, your water quality will be in a state of flux. This will cause stress to your fish, and you will have sick fish.

Agree, too, that your pond is way too small for koi! Koi produce a lot of waste. Koi require a lot of room.

 

[DigdirtJen]

Thank you

I hope this helps or even makes sense — I feel like I’m rambling.

Look to basic science to find your answers.

What happens during the nitrogen cycle: Fish produce waste products — bacteria convert this ammonia into nitrites — another type of bacteria converts the nitrites into nitrates — plants utilize the nitrates for food — algae is a plant.

Your bio filter contains the bacteria necessary for these chemical conversions (you don’t have to add this bacteria as it already exists in the pond). Also, various surfaces in the pond (liner, rocks, etc.) with be a substrate for these beneficial bacteria, so it’s not only in the filter. If you aggressively “clean” your filter and/or your liner, you are destroying your biofilter, and your pond has to “cycle” all over again.

The beneficial bacteria need oxygen and water movement to stay alive, healthy, and happy — this is where filtration and aeration come into play.

But it’s a delicate balance. Too much ammonia (from an overstocked pond) will build up if the filter can’t handle the amount. Ammonia and nitrites are harmful to fish. Nitrates, only in very high numbers. Algae is everywhere, on surfaces, in the air, beamed down by aliens. Algae will seek out a feeding ground — it’s like lawn and garden weeds — if you keep a healthy lawn, you are less likely to have a weed problem.

Algaecides and UV will kill the algae, but it won’t solve the underlying problem, and could actually make things worse.

During this game of cat and mouse, your water quality will be in a state of flux. This will cause stress to your fish, and you will have sick fish.

Agree, too, that your pond is way too small for koi! Koi produce a lot of waste. Koi require a lot of room.

thank you so much for explaining. I have a friend who has a huge pond on a farm. i will probably give my 2 koi to him. Will my comets be ok in my 120 gal pond?

 

[Mmathis]

Thank you



thank you so much for explaining. I have a friend who has a huge pond on a farm. i will probably give my 2 koi to him. Will my comets be ok in my 120 gal pond?

Monitor your water and as long as the ammonia and nitrites are Low to zero, you should be fine. Or....build a bigger pond

 

[DigdirtJen]

Monitor your water and as long as the ammonia and nitrites are Low to zero, you should be fine. Or....build a bigger pond

Believe me, i love my little pond so much, i've already told my husband next spring....he'll have less grass to cut because there will be a bigger hole in the yard!!

 

[Mmathis]

Believe me, i love my little pond so much, i've already told my husband next spring....he'll have less grass to cut because there will be a bigger hole in the yard!!

After we built our pond, I blurted out to my hubby that, “With the pond taking up so much real estate, we’re going to save on our water bill,” meaning, of course, that we wouldn’t be watering the back yard.... No, I’m not blonde.

 

[Lin]

After we built our pond, I blurted out to my hubby that, “With the pond taking up so much real estate, we’re going to save on our water bill,” meaning, of course, that we wouldn’t be watering the back yard.... No, I’m not blonde.

HA!HA!! LOL. Sounds like a Blonde moment. Funny what a Pond in the backyard can teach a person....

 

[Lisak1]

You got so much good advice that there's really nothing to add other than welcome! I will say one thing - there is no such thing as "bad algae" in a pond. It's all there doing the job that nature intended. And mainly it's giving you clues to what's happening in your pond. Too much algae - too many nutrients. No algae - you're probably using an algaecide!

You actually can reduce a water bill with a pond. A pond takes far less water than the same amount of lawn to keep watered, if you're the lawn watering type that is!

 

[CometKeith]

Believe me, i love my little pond so much, i've already told my husband next spring....he'll have less grass to cut because there will be a bigger hole in the yard!!

Hi and welcome! So I started with a 150 gallon pond a little over 10 years ago and worked my way up to 3000 gallons or so. It’s a very addictive hobby but here I am at night on my backporch listening to the water and I love it and so do my neighbors.. or at least the ones we talk to! I used to have brown algae at my old pond in the spring. It always went away after a week or so by itself. I can’t really add anything to the advice you already received here. It’s all excellent. Good luck with your pond and fishies!

 

[IPA]

You may want to replace the quilt batting with something a little coarser so that you don’t have to rinse it out (with pond or dechlorinated water in a bucket) as often. Is the gravel in the filter in bags? I only rinse out my sponge filters I have in a small pond when I notice the water flow is greatly reduced. For the intake I have a leaf basket because the sponge type got clogged too quickly.

 

[Mayank]

Believe me, i love my little pond so much, i've already told my husband next spring....he'll have less grass to cut because there will be a bigger hole in the yard!!

Awesome! Don't give your koi away. Build a bigger pond (ours is 1800 galllons and a great size)!
I know not everyone likes koi but they certainly have personalities and our big one is already eating from my hand in two months (Just got fish first time ever in May) and gives me kisses on my fingers (obviously he's just looking for more food).

 

[DigdirtJen]

I don't want to give them

Awesome! Don't give your koi away. Build a bigger pond (ours is 1800 galllons and a great size)!
I know not everyone likes koi but they certainly have personalities and our big one is already eating from my hand in two months (Just got fish first time ever in May) and gives me kisses on my fingers (obviously he's just looking for more food).

I hate the thought of giving my koi away, but i'm so worried that they won't be happy until i can get a larger pond dug next spring. The personality of koi are what got me interested in this to start with. I used to know a lady years ago that had an indoor pool in her VERY NICE home that she had converted to a koi pond. Those fish were just so much fun to watch. They each definitely had their own personality. Her koi were of course huge and very happy! I love my little comets too, but there is a big difference in the personalities.