Green sludge in pond

[Danielcole]

I have a new pond I have built in my garden, 4 weeks ago. 10 fish, some snails and pond plants. It’s covered it a green sludge and the stones are green. What can I do?

 

[j.w]

@Danielcole
That's just algae it looks like and the more plants you put in the less you should have. Leave the short carpet algae on you pond sides and rocks as it it beneficial. Any long floating kind can be removed w/a clean toilet brush used only for the pond.

 

[Danielcole]

Thanks for the reply, it seems to be growing on the plants as well? So would you advise I put more plants in?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum!

Plants help compete with algae using up the nutrients in the pond. Also watch how much you feed the fish, non eaten food and all that poo helps the algae grown.

You might still be going through new pond syndrome, the pond is reaching a balance.

 

[gimpy]

Patience. And, what the others said.

 

[Danielcole]

Thanks for the advice. We have 10 goldfish. How often should I feed them and roughly how much?

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome @Danielcole ! If I were you I'd feed those fish very little - let them snack on that good green stuff! But we all love to feed our fish, so the best advice is to give them just small amounts at at time and see how fast they eat it. Once you've spent some time with your fish you'll learn the right amount that they can consume quickly. Always leave them a little bit hungry.

Goldfish can be fed sparingly, or, in a more established pond, not at all if you choose. They are good little scavengers who will find plenty to eat in your pond.

How big is your pond? How many gallons? What kind of filtration are you using?

 

[Danielcole]

Interesting. Pond is about 1500 litres, with filter with uv

 

[poconojoe]

That's normal for early Spring. My pond has that green blanket on everything right now, exactly like yours.
It's only temporary as long as you have enough plants to compete with the algae.

Once all the plants kick in and the beneficial bacteria wakes up, it will go away.

Basically, nature is compensating for an imbalance by growing algae to feed on the excess nutrients. Algae is just another plant.

So, if you don't already have lots of plants, think about adding them. Plants are an important part of the pond's ecosystem.

 

[Danielcole]

We have about 4 in there, should I get some more? Thanks

 

[Lisak1]

We have about 4 in there, should I get some more? Thanks

If you can count the number of plants you have, you probably need more!

 

[Danielcole]

Ok I’ll get some more. Thanks

 

[poconojoe]

If you can count the number of plants you have, you probably need more!

That's a good one!
That should be the forum's motto!

 

[GBBUDD]

Hate to be the sour puss but if you just built a pond . You have some algae growing and didn't expect it . It makes me wonder how the pond was built.

 

[Bluerooster]

When I put in my first pond, it took about 6 months for me to quit fussing with it in an attempt to get rid of the green stuff. Then I just gave up, and decided to just leave it alone. It cleared up in about a week, and has been clear since. I learned a lot on that first pond, and found that it works very well to let nature run it's course.