Ugh. I know the biggest thing I need as a ponder is patience, but this pond is making me crazy!
The quick recap is I bought a house where a large 3500 gallon pond turned into a complete swamp for 7 years. I had it cleaned out by a landscaper (drained and power washed several times). New pump, refilled it, and for 2 weeks it was sparkling clean and beautiful. That was May.
Added a few tiny fish in mid May. But since then, it has been a non-stop fight to get the water clear. It went so murky and brown for 2 months that I couldn't even see the tiny new fish I'd put in.
I didn't have a filter, but I added some helpful bacteria my pond store gave me. I also eventually got some muck defense that gradually helped and after 2-3 weeks I could vaguely see the bottom again. But it was short lived. It has ranged between slightly murkey brown to fairly clear brown. But it's never clear. When it's most brown, the sides and bottom are all covered with a brown, growing algea. It's not just a slimy coating...it's actual little brown plants. At their worst, they completely cover the rocks and fill the water. At best, the rocks are fairly free of that algae and the water is only slightly brownish.
Since then, I've had periods where I added algaecide and it cleared up for a week or two, then it goes all brown and murky again.
I finally bought a nice filter with bio, mechanical and UF filtration. That helped for a few days too. But the problem I think is brown algae. My pond has never turned green. And the UV filter only kills algae which passes through. The brown algae covering all the rocks is not free-floating.
Then the waterfall rocks turned black.
And my plants (hyacinth and cat tails) are not flourishing and are slightly yellowish.
I also have sudsy water, which could either be that I put too much algaecide in when I first got the pond or as the websites all say "too much organic matter". But it creates a soapy, bubbly surface when the waterfalls are running that is very unattractive.
Add to that that everyone I talk to from pond stores to pond neighbors to forms on here gives me different advice: Add this, add that, don't add anything! Just wait. take your fish out, add more plants, plants are doing poorly? Take them out!
I just want to enjoy my pond. And for me, enjoyment = a pond that is clear enough to see my fish, not an ugly color or smell, and plants that grow and flourish as they should.
No snarky or mean comments, please. I'm frustrated enough.
Thanks for letting me vent!
The quick recap is I bought a house where a large 3500 gallon pond turned into a complete swamp for 7 years. I had it cleaned out by a landscaper (drained and power washed several times). New pump, refilled it, and for 2 weeks it was sparkling clean and beautiful. That was May.
Added a few tiny fish in mid May. But since then, it has been a non-stop fight to get the water clear. It went so murky and brown for 2 months that I couldn't even see the tiny new fish I'd put in.
I didn't have a filter, but I added some helpful bacteria my pond store gave me. I also eventually got some muck defense that gradually helped and after 2-3 weeks I could vaguely see the bottom again. But it was short lived. It has ranged between slightly murkey brown to fairly clear brown. But it's never clear. When it's most brown, the sides and bottom are all covered with a brown, growing algea. It's not just a slimy coating...it's actual little brown plants. At their worst, they completely cover the rocks and fill the water. At best, the rocks are fairly free of that algae and the water is only slightly brownish.
Since then, I've had periods where I added algaecide and it cleared up for a week or two, then it goes all brown and murky again.
I finally bought a nice filter with bio, mechanical and UF filtration. That helped for a few days too. But the problem I think is brown algae. My pond has never turned green. And the UV filter only kills algae which passes through. The brown algae covering all the rocks is not free-floating.
Then the waterfall rocks turned black.
And my plants (hyacinth and cat tails) are not flourishing and are slightly yellowish.
I also have sudsy water, which could either be that I put too much algaecide in when I first got the pond or as the websites all say "too much organic matter". But it creates a soapy, bubbly surface when the waterfalls are running that is very unattractive.
Add to that that everyone I talk to from pond stores to pond neighbors to forms on here gives me different advice: Add this, add that, don't add anything! Just wait. take your fish out, add more plants, plants are doing poorly? Take them out!
I just want to enjoy my pond. And for me, enjoyment = a pond that is clear enough to see my fish, not an ugly color or smell, and plants that grow and flourish as they should.
No snarky or mean comments, please. I'm frustrated enough.
Thanks for letting me vent!
