Floating brown algae and big air bubles on my pond surface

[Akira Kurosawa]

Due to my Koi fish being killed by next door's construction debris, I had to replace all of the pond's water. I mostly used tap water and some that fell from a late rain. The water was crystal clear at first but it them began getting cloudy. Afterwards, this brown floating algae began to appear. I installed a new aerator and added two Chemicals which were advertised as pond water clarifiers. Instead of getting clear water again, this slimey (good thing it does not semell bad) brown algae began to appear.and the bubbles a little later. I had water hyacints in the past but learned that one cannot have both: Koi and plants so I did away with them. What can I do to restore my pond to a better looking state? I currently have four small Koi and quite a bit of gold fish. Any suggestions will be greatly appreaciated. I include some pictures of my pond as it is now. It has about 7,500 gallons of water.

500 gallons of water.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Check the Phosphorus level of the pond water and also the Hardness (GH).

Which two chemicals (clarifiers) did you add? Brand name?

 

[KC Crook]

Wow, those will be beautiful ponds once you get them balanced right. Dont give up!

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

Thanks for the quick replies. I initially poured a white powder named "Green Clean" which was highly recommended by Amazon.com customers. It seemed that this product added more algae cultures to my pond because the green algae problem worsened. After some partial replacements of water, I added another (Amazon.com) product named "Algae Off" by Crystal Clear. This product did not solve the problem but gave my pond shining green streaks on the existing green water. I last bought a product named "Pond Clarifier" by Fritz from Water Garden Gems near San Antonio, TX. I was assured that this product would clear my pond without causing damage to the fish. I was also told that it would not react with the oxidizing agents of the products I had used before. Well, my fish seem to be doing fine but this disgusting brown stuff began to appear. I used to dislike the green color of the water of my pond. I now wish it would at least look green and not with this appearance which gives the impression that there was a chemical spill or that an outhouse was dumped in it. What should I do to check the Phosphorous level of my pond? I know that there is only hard water in this neck of the woods, Which tools would you recommend for me to check both the Phosphorus level and the GH?

Being very grateful for your time and knowledge sharing:

Akira Kurosawa

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

Wow, those will be beautiful ponds once you get them balanced right. Dont give up!

Thank you for the encouragement. It is only one pond but I narrowed it in the middle in order to put a bridge. Our Chihuahuas use it to bask in the sun. I use it to go and clean the filters that are in the shed attached to the wall.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Apparently after all of the different products that you have used, you are left with a floating mass of dead algae and possibly some chemical floc.
Is the pond water now clear or is it still cloudy (green or brown)?
I would do what I could to skim this surface accumulation. I would also test the water quality parameters especially Nitrate and Phosphorus. (these test kits are readily available on-line if not locally).
I would also begin partial water changes...no more than 20% at a time.
The idea here is to get your pond back to as close as square one as possible.
Do not...I repeat, do not add any more pond treatments.

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

The pictures which I posted were taken yesterday June 29, 2016. Underneath the brown floating algae, there is still green water. I have skimmed all of the brown algae almost daily only to have new algae float and cover most of the pond's surface again that same day. This happens when the sun passes the Cenit hour and goes strong into the afternoon. I will look for those kits online and buy them. When I do the 20% water changes, should I use a chemical to treat the new water to avoid suffocating the fish with the Chlorine and Ammonia which the city use to treat our water?

Akira Kurosawa.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

When I do the 20% water changes, should I use a chemical to treat the new water to avoid suffocating the fish with the Chlorine and Ammonia which the city use to treat our water?

Absolutely.
What you are trying to do at this point is to remove all of the floating dead algae and re[lace the chemically laden water. You are not trying to eliminate the green water. That can be addressed after the floating material is removed.
Do your fish seem to be OK?

 

[Magzire]

Love the walkway, best of look.

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

Absolutely.
What you are trying to do at this point is to remove all of the floating dead algae and re[lace the chemically laden water. You are not trying to eliminate the green water. That can be addressed after the floating material is removed.
Do your fish seem to be OK?

Yes, the fish are doing O.K ., they do not show themselves when I am near the pond (I guess they took it personal when I emptied the pond, caught them, placed them in a lot smaller pond for few days while I emptied the contaminated water and refill it with new. The goldfish come out to the surface in a flash to eat the floating pellets or small pieces of bread that I throw at them and go back to the bottom of the pond. The next question is about the 20% (water change 101); do I pump water out of the pond from its surface or from the bottom?

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

Love the walkway, best of look.

Thank you. I'll include some other pics from past better days...

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yes, the fish are doing O.K ., they do not show themselves when I am near the pond (I guess they took it personal when I emptied the pond, caught them, placed them in a lot smaller pond for few days while I emptied the contaminated water and refill it with new. The goldfish come out to the surface in a flash to eat the floating pellets or small pieces of bread that I throw at them and go back to the bottom of the pond. The next question is about the 20% (water change 101); do I pump water out of the pond from its surface or from the bottom?

In your case, I would pump from the bottom. This will help remove any fine sediment accumulation.

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

Thank you very much (Domo arigatoo gozaimas) I'll start right after getting out of work. I usually work midnight shifts and I get to do pond maintenance on the early hours of the morning before going to have conversations with my pillow. I'll keep you posted and I am very grateful for the time you have taken on my case and for the advice you have given me.

 

[Akira Kurosawa]

The brown algae is gone. Now there are humongous white bubbles which appear at night and explode during the day. There are still small white bubbles which cover the entire pond during the day. These bubbles sometimes carry green algae on top in a small quantity but, when bundled together, they seem like a blanket. I have been skimming them but it seems they are resilient. The water looks a little clear enough in sections to let some fish be seen under the surface. Is my pond making a positive comeback? I've also added few water lettuce and one Hyacinth. The plants seem to be adapting.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Can you post a photo of these recent bubbles?