Getting rid of dead algae

[Kerry]

Hi people. I'm a new garden pond owner and have a question regarding algae.

About a month ago I took over a garden pond from previous owners. I cleaned the pond out and filled it with water. Algae (the suspended type) started growing sooner than I expected. The pet shop gave me a product called Tetra Algorem. This product states that it kills the algae and clumps it together, then the dead algae floats to the surface. Well it worked perfectly but I left it most of it overnight (bad bad mistake) and it sunk down to the bottom.

How can I remove this dead algae? I've read about pond vacuums and that sort of thing but they seem to be a bit out of my budget.
After googling round a bit I came across something called barley straw/barley extract. It's claimed that this keeps your pond water clear, but what I couldn't find out is: can it clear away algae that's already there (dead or alive) or does it only prevent new algae from growing?

 

[koiguy1969]

barley and barley / peat extracts are for alge prevention and will kill alge thats pre-existing but wont get rid of already dead algea. if you have a skimmer net you can get most of it if it hasnt been too long!! what are you doing for filtration? the flocculant in the aquarem binds the dead cells together long enough for your filter to catch it. build or buy a good bio filter. where as chemicals are convenient and sometimes a plus ,most of us here would reccommend going chemical free....dechlorinator and beneficial bacteria are all i use and as little as possible.

 

[DrDave]

Kerry
Can you get a siphon going? I use a garden hose with an aquairium vacuum head/tube on the end and suck the muck of the bottom of my shallow pond once every year. When leaves get into the head, I hold my hand over the end, then dump it into a bucket without losing the vacuum.
This all requires you to have a lower spot available than the bottom of your pond to maintain a siphon.

 

[koiguy1969]

or if theres really alot you could setup a fines filter..

 

[Kerry]

Thanks for your suggestions :toothy12:

KoiGuy:
I didn't have a skimmer net at the time I used the AlgoRem; In fact, I was very unprepared and didn't even have a pump! The only filter I have is the sponge-type filter that came with my pump.
You mentioned beneficial bacteria. I read up more about this and it sounds interesting - I'll have to see if I can get hold of some!

DrDave:
I don't have a lower point than my pond available, but you did give me an idea. I attached a garden hose to both the input and output connections on my pump and ran the output into a drain. I can now use this as a sort of vacuum. Only problem is, after a few minutes the algae gets stirred up so I have to wait for it to settle again between 'treatments'.


I've ordered some barley straw extract, so I'll see how well that works in preventing algae in the future. Also, I read up about making a home-made algae filter by drilling a hole near the bottom of a bucket and half-filling the bucket with old clothes/rags/etc. I think I'll give that a try, will let you know how it works.

 

[koiguy1969]

thats basically a fines filter...use fiber fill (pillow stuffing) instead of /or with the rags. and stir up the gunk (repeat as needed) so the pump can get it ...remove the little sponge filter from the pump.

 

[DrDave]

You can also go to any fabric store and ask for quilting material. It is similar to the pillow stuffing Koiguy suggested only it is thin and can be rolled or easily layered.

 

[Kerry]

Ok, so I've got my home-made filter up & running. I used the insides of an old pillow (hey, it gives me an excuse to buy myself a new one )
It's been running for about 3 hours, the stuffing has been rinsed out once in between and my pond is starting to look cleaner already :banana:

Apologies for not giving you the credit for the filter, KoiGuy - I had no idea what a fines filter was... (where's the innocent angel-face emoticon??)