Algae

[nichos]

Hi,

Recently has been warm in the UK & although I installed the combined pump, bio & sponge filter with UVB two weeks ago, the pond water creates the floating stringy Algae (pls see attached) which also stick on the walls below the surface. Also the water is not crystal clear & seems cloudy, will my Blagdon "clear water" clear this?

 

[MitchM]

Without you testing your water so we can get an idea what's going on, it's hard for anyone to say.
By the looks of your other pictures in the other thread, you have an excess of nutrients, so the algae is growing.
Remove the algae as it grows and keep the water circulating.
Are you feeding your fish, how many fish, how large are they?
UV will not help with string algae.
Your water maintenance routine needs to include a method where you physically remove trapped detritus, otherwise the algae will continue to grow.

 

[Lisak1]

Hi @nichos and welcome to the GPF!

You are certainly growing a good crop of algae there! As @MitchM said, more information would be helpful. In addition to the questions he asked can you tell us how big is your pond? How old is it? Do you have any plants in the pond?

Algae is a common sight in new-ish ponds and also very common in the spring when other plants in the pond haven't yet started growing. It's not a problem in and of itself (other than if it's blocking water flow that is) but rather a sign that things are out of balance. It's also helping to get your pond IN balance, so it's a useful nuisance! Removing it by hand will help if it gets overgrown, but otherwise you should focus on the things that will help your pond in the long run.

 

[nichos]

Thanx both.

What is excess of nutrients?, remove trapped detritus? what are they & from where?

The pond came with the bungalow 10-15 years ago.

The water is maintained at 10x5x1ft (pond is 2' deep), drained & cleaned recently with the original Iris & w.Lily plants not fully grown

The original 6 small goldfish varying 2 & 3" aprx. also a frog & baby, & 6 very small Newts, throw 3 pellets each every 3-4 days.

Just got the JBL EasyTest 6in1.

Readings:- All in the Green sectors
No3 mgl =10
No2 = 0,5
GH = >4d
KH = 6d
PH = 7.2 - .6
CL2 = 0,8

PS. the pump is LagunaPowerclearMulti 3500ltr 9w uv

 

[MitchM]

Excess nutrients refers to a situation in your pond where there is an over abundance of chemicals that plants consume for growth.
Detritus is the accumulation of organic matter such as dead plants, dead bugs, bird poop and fish waste.
Bacteria, moulds and fungi break down detritus into it's chemical components.
Nitrogen, in the forms of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate is the main chemical component. Phosphate and iron are some others.
You need to remove these from your pond either by mechanical means, like a filter, or by having plants growing in your pond that will consume these nutrients.
Once you have more nutrients that your filtration can remove or plants can consume, algae will start to consume the nutrients. Algae is normal and natural but if it starts to grow out of control it can have negative effects on the pond ecosystem as a whole.
You don't want that. You want a pond that is balanced and takes care of itself with as little intervention from you as possible.

 

[Lisak1]

drained & cleaned recently

That can be another cause of algae overgrowth - if you clean the pond too thoroughly you get rid of the biofilm that has developed on all the surfaces which also is an important part of the filtration system in your pond. The result is a pond with excess nutrients and no way to remove them - so algae comes along to do it's part.

 

[nichos]

from the test readings what is your verdict, & where can I find what to do to correct it if they are low or high

 

[MitchM]

I would not make any decisions based on the test readings. Test strips are not accurate.

For your pond I would stop feeding the fish, clean the filter once per week and remove excess algae once per week.
The algae growth should slow down within a few weeks.

If you want more accurate test results, use a liquid drop test kit like the one API sells.
http://www.apifishcare.co.uk/product.php?id=874#.WwrxJS8ZNhE
also this one:
http://www.apifishcare.co.uk/product.php?sectionid=1&catid=4&subcatid=29&id=79#.WwrxZS8ZNhE

 

[nichos]

OK, no feeding.

I understand about the test kit but, just for exercise, supposing those figures were correct what indication do they show, is the water OK, & if not what would the decisions & remedies might be? give us an example.

I looked every where to find a case where action was required & what was done but, with no success.

In water with no live creatures in it, it would have been easy using chlorine.

I scoop the floating algae daily & is disheartening to see it forming behind me, and the non floating covers everything in the pond from the pump to the plant baskets e.t.c, if there is no solution to this, but wait & see, by then it will be a mass of slime!!.

I split & cleaned the insides of the pump but the sponge filter could not be cleaned clean no mutter how match tap water I forced through it or how match bashing I gave it black particles were still in it although I could see light through it. ...thanx ....nick

 

[Lisak1]

Don't lose heart @nichos - just when you think your pond is never going to clear up, BOOM it will happen overnight.

An important note - when you clean your filter, don't use tap water. It probably contains chlorine which is killing off all the good bacteria in your filter.

Your goal should be a pond that sustains itself - no chemicals, no additives, nothing from you but occasionally removing some organic debris if necessary. The ingredients necessary for that are low fish load, lots of plants, light feeding (if any - let your fish help you clean up that algae!) aeration and - the hardest one of all... TIME. Patience is your best friend right now.

Also, remember your goal is not NO algae. Your goal is the appropriate amount of algae and the right kind. Every well balanced garden pond has algae growth - it's a beautiful thing!

 

[MitchM]

The filter you are using isn't the best design. It traps the detritus until you turn the pump off to clean it, then the detritus just falls back into the pond.
A canister type filter that sits outside the pond is much more effective.
If you have a pond vacuum, using that regularly will also help.
Stopping feeding will make a big difference, along with removing the algae as it grows.

 

[nichos]

Thanx again, straggling to fathom all this scientific info, & Ill be back. ............nick

 

[Panzer13]

I had this same problem. I had allot of algae. I did not have enough filtration. The only way to get rid of algae is to starve it. You have to have rite filters for that and biological filtration is the key. When it comes to biological filtration nothing beats a good bog.

 

[nichos]

Thanx again, straggling to fathom all this scientific info, & Ill be back. ............nick

The heat subsided the last 2-3 days & at least the floating algae is has disappeared.

I am encouraged with all the explanations you are all giving me & the "give it time" sinks in now.

It beats me though how by doing nothing to the pool all these 9-10 yrs nature took care of it all & only lost 2 fish (one rather old). I never bought a any fish, they just regenerated from the original I found & the ones now seem happy as always were without all this technology I added.

Thanx all for giving your time to help us ignoramous. ...........nick

 

[guitarman023]

This happens in my pond every spring. I get a huge bloom of algae in the upper pond and the waterfalls. What I notice is I let it grow out of control unless it's blocking water moving, and it ends up starving itself out as I get the dead leaves and other stuff cleaned out of the pond for the season. The big thing I notice is that right before the algae dies off, it starts floating to the surface. Once my filter gets caught up and the pond gets cleaned out ( I net out one or two loads a day to keep the impact low) the algae floats up, and then dies off and my pond is usually pretty clear the rest of the season. Patience with algae though, is key, it starves itself out as it grows out of control.