Algea in February


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Hello! I went out to check on my pond this morning and I have a really bad algea bloom. The last couple of days have been so warm that all the snow melted and I don't know what to do. I turned the heater off and put the aerator in and am wondering if I should put my UV filter in to kill it. But will it disturb the fish? I also went out this afternoon to check on the aerator and one of my fish was swimming at the bottom. Help!
 
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sissy

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algae is normal and means you have nutrients it is trying to eat up and fish on the bottom always happens during the winter .
 
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Tell us a little more about your pond. Size, number of fish, age of pond, etc.
Pond is 4 years old. It's about 600 gallons. I have 5 koi between 3 to 8 inches. It's 3.5 feet deep. I had aelge growing back in October I tried everything to get it to clear up. I figured with the cold weather it would go away. The winter was cold we had -22 for several weeks and then this week it warmed up to +10 I turned the heater off and installed the aerator thinking that it would help but all it's done was move the water around and now the water is green. Do you think maybe putting the UV filter in could help? Or will it disturb my fish? I noticed one out and about this morning. I'm scared that if we end up with another freeze my fish will die from the shock
 
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And add to that why you feel your fish swimming at the bottom is something that concerns you?
Normally I don't see the fish until late April to middle of May. I was scared that they were coming out of hybernation to early, it's supposed to drop again and feel like it could be a shock to the system.
 
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algae is normal and means you have nutrients it is trying to eat up and fish on the bottom always happens during the winter .
I was told once that algea isn't good so when I see how much I have, I get a little concerned. I've worked really hard on my pond and have searched long and hard for the best looking koi fish that I would hate to lose them. Especially that I've got them eating out of my hands lol. It took years to get them used to me lol.
 

Meyer Jordan

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Algae, like most aquatic organisms, responds directly to temperature. That, and the availability of nutrients and light, determines when and at what rate it will grow.
Algae only becomes a water quality issue when it becomes quite thick. This is known as an algae bloom or by many pondkeepers as 'pea soup'. It is only when this much algae dies does it become problematic. Bacteria recognize the dead algae as a food source and will multiply based on the amount of this dead algae. When the bacteria 'feed' on the algae, they consume considerable amounts of Oxygen. In severe cases, this can result in almost complete Oxygen depletion and a fish kill.
Because of this, the use of any algaecide or UV in such a situation only accelerates the problem requiring considerable aeration to replace the Oxygen being removed by the bacteria.
Green water is a natural occurrence in natural ponds every Spring. The increase in water temperature added to the existing nutrient level that has accumulated over the Winter triggers this annual phenomenon.
I would not be concerned about this noticeable level of planktonic algae as once the water additionally warms zooplankton will begin to multiply and feed off of this algae. Over time clearing the water without affecting the Oxygen level. Zooplankton, along with Phytoplankton (algae) are natural components of the diet of most fish. This is part of Nature's way of re-cycling and is a large part of the aquatic Carbon cycle.
I would also not be concerned about the fluctuating temperatures effect on your fish. They are quite adept at adapting to temperature change as long as it not a sudden large change. Since water temperature changes at a much slower rate than air temperature and also changes over a longer period of time there should be no adverse effects to your fish.
 
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Algae, like most aquatic organisms, responds directly to temperature. That, and the availability of nutrients and light, determines when and at what rate it will grow.
Algae only becomes a water quality issue when it becomes quite thick. This is known as an algae bloom or by many pondkeepers as 'pea soup'. It is only when this much algae dies does it become problematic. Bacteria recognize the dead algae as a food source and will multiply based on the amount of this dead algae. When the bacteria 'feed' on the algae, they consume considerable amounts of Oxygen. In severe cases, this can result in almost complete Oxygen depletion and a fish kill.
Because of this, the use of any algaecide or UV in such a situation only accelerates the problem requiring considerable aeration to replace the Oxygen being removed by the bacteria.
Green water is a natural occurrence in natural ponds every Spring. The increase in water temperature added to the existing nutrient level that has accumulated over the Winter triggers this annual phenomenon.
I would not be concerned about this noticeable level of planktonic algae as once the water additionally warms zooplankton will begin to multiply and feed off of this algae. Over time clearing the water without affecting the Oxygen level. Zooplankton, along with Phytoplankton (algae) are natural components of the diet of most fish. This is part of Nature's way of re-cycling and is a large part of the aquatic Carbon cycle.
I would also not be concerned about the fluctuating temperatures effect on your fish. They are quite adept at adapting to temperature change as long as it not a sudden large change. Since water temperature changes at a much slower rate than air temperature and also changes over a longer period of time there should be no adverse effects to your fish.
Thank you so much Meyer Jordan,
 
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Algae lol :)

Doesn't algae produce oxygen? It's good food apparently for my fish, they love it. Also I rather like the look of it, but not pea soup conditions, just on the edge of liner.
 
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Normally I don't see the fish until late April to middle of May. I was scared that they were coming out of hybernation to early, it's supposed to drop again and feel like it could be a shock to the system.

Your fish don't hibernate - that's really a misnomer. They slow waaaaay down, but are still active and very much responsive to the water temperature. Our fish have been much more active this year as a result of our mild winter. They love to come to the top and soak up the warmth of the sun. Your fish know what they're doing - they'll be fine!
 
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sissy

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If you look at commercial koi breeders the water is so green you can't see the fish .There used to be a koi breeder in Riedsville NC and that is where I got my fish .But I bought what they call the cheap ugly ones for less than 5 dollars a piece .I saw the ponds they were taken from and all you could see was green water .He has since retired.He kept the ugly ones in the green house in tanks and also carried goldfish for customers
pics on durecell back up 762.JPG
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pics on durecell back up 760.JPG
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One thing to remember is that as long as you pond has ice but isn't frozen solid, the water temperature will be between 0 - 4C, and the fish don't know care about the air temp. A second thing to remember is the temperature of water changes very slowly compared to air.
Fish like algea, it has lot's of oils, vitamins and carotenoids.
 
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Your fish don't hibernate - that's really a misnomer. They slow waaaaay down, but are still active and very much responsive to the water temperature. Our fish have been much more active this year as a result of our mild winter. They love to come to the top and soak up the warmth of the sun. Your fish know what they're doing - they'll be fine!
Thank you!
 
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One thing to remember is that as long as you pond has ice but isn't frozen solid, the water temperature will be between 0 - 4C, and the fish don't know care about the air temp. A second thing to remember is the temperature of water changes very slowly compared to air.
Fish like algea, it has lot's of oils, vitamins and carotenoids.
Thank you, wish I would have known about this site a couple of years ago. Learned lots this couple of days. Thanks again
 
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I will of course remind you that 5 koi in 600 gallons will soon be overstocked as they each grow over 12+ inches.
Yes I know! I gave one away last summer, she was 12 inches long and felt sorry for her. Found a great couple with a large pond out in the country where she can swim. Thanks
 
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Algae lol :)

Doesn't algae produce oxygen? It's good food apparently for my fish, they love it. Also I rather like the look of it, but not pea soup conditions, just on the edge of liner.
But mine looked like pea soup. I've had the Po d for 4+ years and never had this problem at all. And when I started it I was told to beware of algea that it isn't good because it will take over and kill the fish. But I've learned alot this past weekend from this site. Wish I would have found this site earlier. So thank you for answering my question.
 
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Two more things about algae is;

Firstly it generates oxygen in the day, but at night it uses oxygen which can stress the fish, especially on hot summer nights when the warm water can't hold as much oxygen.

Secondly it's growing because there are nutrients for it to grow on, such as phosphorus and nitrates, too many nitrates in the water aren't good for the fish either.

A lot of us have a bog with plants that consume the nitrates as they grow, others change 10% of their water every week and a few do both. This keeps the algae from getting too carried away for most of us.
 
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Two more things about algae is;

Firstly it generates oxygen in the day, but at night it uses oxygen which can stress the fish, especially on hot summer nights when the warm water can't hold as much oxygen.

Secondly it's growing because there are nutrients for it to grow on, such as phosphorus and nitrates, too many nitrates in the water aren't good for the fish either.

A lot of us have a bog with plants that consume the nitrates as they grow, others change 10% of their water every week and a few do both. This keeps the algae from getting too carried away for most of us.
See that's why I was worried, I've heard this before. Ok I will build a bog this spring. This is the first time that this happens to me but in the middle of winter.
 

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