Cheapest way to clear algae?

[GBrant]

Hi! We have an old garden pond that is green with slimy algae all summer. I posted about it years ago when we had thoughts of rehabbing it — you can check out photos in my old posts if you wish — but now we just want to get rid of the algae to clear the water and MAYBE plant a few lily pad flowers.We use mosquito dunks to control bugs. What’s the cheapest way to do this? Thanks!!

 

[Mmathis]

Are there any fish?

 

[GBrant]

Are there any fish?

No

 

[Lisak1]

Chlorine bleach I suppose.

 

[j.w]

Any wildlife in there will be killed unless you can get them all out of there first. The Algae will come back eventually tho and if you put plants in there they can't take bleach treatments. Too much trouble, just take a clean toilet brush and wind all the algae around it and take it out whenever you see it. We are talking long stringy algae, right? If it just the short carpet algae on the side, that is good to allow to stay as it just hides the liner and makes things look more el naturel If you are just gonna do this one time w/the bleach and then start all over and leave things be in the future by just doing the brush maintenance I think that would be fine tho. Like a clean slate start up

 

[GBrant]

Thank you. There is no wild life. No fish, no plants, nothing. We just want clear water and possible a few plants.

 

[GBrant]

How do we keep algae from coming back?

 

[GBrant]

Chlorine bleach I suppose.

Thank you! 100% bleach? How much? The pond is approximately 500 gallons. And how do we keep the algae from coming back? How long after we add the bleach is it safe for plants? Do we need to keep the water moving or do we need a filter to keep the algae from returning?

 

[Mmathis]

How do we keep algae from coming back?

You really can’t stop it, but you can keep it under control.

 

[GBBUDD]

Bleech = no plants no life it will kill everything.

 

[Lisak1]

I was being a bit facetious. Chlorine will kill it and cheaply but it will also kill any other plant life in the water or anywhere near the water if it splashes. I really wouldn't recommend it, but it is cheap and fast.

Having any kind of water feature outdoors does mean you will have algae. You can try hydrogen peroxide, which is much safer and also cheap, but you will need to apply it frequently to keep the algae under control.

You can also use sodium per carbonate, which breaks down into H202 and soda ash when it gets wet. Very effective against algae and helpful if you're trying to clear it from rocks as it is a powder that will cling to damp surfaces.

 

[GBrant]

I was being a bit facetious. Chlorine will kill it and cheaply but it will also kill any other plant life in the water or anywhere near the water if it splashes. I really wouldn't recommend it, but it is cheap and fast.

Having any kind of water feature outdoors does mean you will have algae. You can try hydrogen peroxide, which is much safer and also cheap, but you will need to apply it frequently to keep the algae under control.

You can also use sodium per carbonate, which breaks down into H202 and soda ash when it gets wet. Very effective against algae and helpful if you're trying to clear it from rocks as it is a powder that will cling to damp surfaces.

Thank you! That is all very helpful!!

 

[AP1]

Out of curiosity, and since this has apparently been a problem for years, why not spend a day and build something like q bog filter to try to keep the pond water clear permanently? Figured I'd bring this up since this seems bothersome enough for chemical treatments (even chlorine bleach) to be seriously considered.

 

[GBrant]

Out of curiosity, and since this has apparently been a problem for years, why not spend a day and build something like q bog filter to try to keep the pond water clear permanently? Figured I'd bring this up since this seems bothersome enough for chemical treatments (even chlorine bleach) to be seriously considered.

How does one do that?

 

[Lisak1]

A bog filter won't work on every water feature - it works on an ecosytem, which requires three things: Plants, Water and Fish. If you're missing any one of the three, you have very little chance of establishing an ecosystem that can be balanced with bog filtration.