Diatom algae and snakes

[Koi mom]

so we’ve moved from central New Jersey to North East PA and my beau koi, 14 inch to 1 inch came with me. We had a very lovely pond built for us using natural stone from our property. It’s been 2 years and I not only lost all of my ”children” but also their replacements. I have a really disgusting problem with diatom algae that has coated everything. Nothing is living in my pond so I am draining it. Plan to power wash and scrub the pond and clean my water lilies that I have pulled up and am storing in buckets i. The shade. I know I have to clean them as well. Does anyone know how to completely get rid of diatom algae. If you don’t know what it is….it’s brown slime that forms a layer over everything. It shoots up tubes. It peels away and floats when it gets thick. It’s really disgusting.

I also have a problem with snakes. I was thinking maybe digging some chicken wire down about 2 inches around the pond. Please! Any suggestions?

 

[addy1]

I used minnow traps and trapped the northern water snakes for , I think, 4 years now. When they first showed up, they ate over 200 goldfish.

Finally this year I have trapped none. The first year over 20.

The algae, I use a big bog to suck out the nutrients that algae loves. I don't have that issue