Algae

[bletulle91]

Hello again everyone. Thank you all for your answers on my previous post about the substrate around the pond.

Now I have another question! I have never had issues with algae before with my ponds. But I'm battling it now. Green algae all over my pond. What can I add to my pond that will eat it? I have tried algaecides and they worked for a short time. I don't like doing them because of my fish.

 

[j.w]

Lots of nutrient sucking plants. A bog.

 

[Stephen Noble]

I can't recall the size of your ponds.

 

[poconojoe]

It's a natural cycle and you have an imbalance.
You have an excess of nutrients which the algae (plants) are thriving on. Do you have a lot of fish? Do you feed them a lot? An abundance of fish waste can cause excess nutrients. If you add more plants to compete with the algae, that should help. Or as mentioned, better filtration such as a bog. If your pond has direct sunlight, that can also contribute to the outbreak. Add more plants. You can go the easy route and get the floating kind that don't need to be potted. No soil, just toss them in.
The more plants, the better.

 

[bletulle91]

It's covered in water hyacinth currently and I have a large papyrus in there. I do have koi and am currently using flakes, which I'm not fond of, but I got them for free from a client at work. I've got to do a good clean on the pond as soon as it warms up a bit more. It's 500 gallons

 

[j.w]

Did you know that one or two koi need about 1000 gals of water or more. More is better as koi need lots of zooming around room. Maybe right now you only have tiny baby koi, I don't know but eventually you will need a much larger pond than 500 gals. Got a good shovel and some strong arms,lol?

 

[poconojoe]

How many fish do you have? What kind and how large are they?

 

[GBBUDD]

if you have leaves sticks and other debris in your pond that has to be the starting point

 

[poconojoe]

Also, some algae is good. It helps with filtration and can be food for your fish. When it gets out of control, clogs things up and turns the water green like pea soup is when it becomes nuisance. Your fish don't care if your water isn't perfectly clear either. Look at ponds and lakes in nature. Are they crystal clear like drinking water? Nope.

I personally like a bit green here and there, around the edges, as long as my water isn't pea soup. I especially like moss growing on the rocks. The more natural, the better.

So, what degree of algae infestation do you have? Can you post some pictures?

 

[Alice_Bee]

do you have limestone or concrete in the pond?