Brown Slime water topping

[Scottishstu]

Hi all,

We have a small garden pond, around 1500 litres with a number of fish that have lived in there for around 5 years. We seem to be getting a lot of Brown slime sitting in the top of the water. Advise on what it is and also how to get rid of it would be greatly appreciated.

I’m also looking to filter the water, as it’s a small pond advise on the best way to do it would be great also.

Thanks

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @Scottishstu !

Your pond would definitely benefit from some water movement - an aerator or a small spitter or waterfall would be a bit help. Anything to get the water moving. More plants would also help to clear it up. Basically algae is taking over and doing the job that nature intends it to do - consuming the nutrients that are in the water. Adding more desirable plants will help with algae control.

Your pond is just under 400 gallons - how many fish do you have? And what kind of fish are they? I know you said the fish have been there for 5 years, but remember those fish have continued getting larger every year so while we believe "nothing has changed" the most important thing of all is changing all the time. As fish grow, the amount of waste and nutrients they add to the water also grows.

If you add a small water feature, you could use a pump with a pre-filter attached. Or if you really want to get the water moving you could add a small waterfall with a bio-filter. All depends how much you want to do!

 

[Scottishstu]

Welcome @Scottishstu !

Your pond would definitely benefit from some water movement - an aerator or a small spitter or waterfall would be a bit help. Anything to get the water moving. More plants would also help to clear it up. Basically algae is taking over and doing the job that nature intends it to do - consuming the nutrients that are in the water. Adding more desirable plants will help with algae control.

Your pond is just under 400 gallons - how many fish do you have? And what kind of fish are they? I know you said the fish have been there for 5 years, but remember those fish have continued getting larger every year so while we believe "nothing has changed" the most important thing of all is changing all the time. As fish grow, the amount of waste and nutrients they add to the water also grows.

If you add a small water feature, you could use a pump with a pre-filter attached. Or if you really want to get the water moving you could add a small waterfall with a bio-filter. All depends how much you want to do!

Hi Lisak1,

Thank you for your reply,

The fish in the pond are gold fish. There was 2 in the pond when me moved in and we introduced 3 more small fish. Over the years they have started their own family's, we have gave fish away but maybe not enough of them. My thinking was it was due to the fish and the waste they were producing.

I would like to put some sort of filter/water movement in place. I would need to run a power supply but that wouldn't be an issue. Its just knowing the best way and products to use. Any advise would be great.

 

[j.w]

@Scottishstu
I like the Laguna brand of pumps as they are more power efficient. I have a submersible pump that is attached to a pre-filter and then water goes over the falls. I have an aerator also.