Green Water control, 10k gallon pond ?

[rjp44]

So I managed to get control of the string algae to a point but now it seems that the water clarity went downhill quickly. I have a UV filter on it currently although I feel it is probably to small for the size of the pond. I placed some plants in the pond as well. What are some other steps I should think about to help with water clarity on a 10000 gallon pond?

I would like to add a bog but most likely will not happen until next year so looking to get something to work in the meantime.

 

[IPA]

Is the flow too fast through the UV and how old is the UV bulb? 10,000 gallons might be a lot for one UV and bogs take labor, time and money to build but well worth the effort in the long run.

 

[Jhn]

Pics....What does your pond look like? Is there planting beds in the pond out of pea gravel or 3/4” gravel?

Being able to get plants growing bare root in the pond, will greatly help control algae of any type, as will a bog. ( Have both in my pond)

Also, looks like your pond was built back in April. Green water is typical in new ponds as a balance is being established. The UV light short circuits the pond trying to find this balance as it kills whatever comes by the light be it algae cells, bacteria, zoo plankton.Turn off the UV, plant it well with various species of plants, and the pond will clear on its own eventually , just have patience. Also proper circulation, 1.5-2x pond volume an hour is also helpful.

My pond is the same size as yours it turned green for a 1 or 2 months right after I built it 10-11 years ago. I have an immense amount of plants, I planted in the pond right away and had an undersized bog as well, initially. After That it has never turned green or had algae issues of any type ever. Point is patience and plants, proper circulation will get your pond clear and looking nice with little effort from you.

 

[Mr.Fus]

On my pond as soon as it gets hot in the summer the green water gets back, you can keep it under control with water changes, filtration and pond plants taking care of the excess of nutrients... it's hard to get the perfect balance, my pond is almost 3 years old and I'm still figuring how to do do it!

From learning how much and how often water need to be changed, what chemicals work, feeding patterns and what food is the best not only for them on nutrients but in general for the whole pond system, filters and media for filtration... Honestly feels like I'm going to be 90 by the time that I have all figured!

 

[rjp44]

My biggest concern is the health of the fish. I cannot see them anymore to be sure they are healthy or acting right. Here is the current state of the pond, an algae bloom seems to have just started again after I thought I had the last one under control. The string algae doesnt seem to be a problem anymore and its more the green water that I am concerned about and would like to remedy. There is some coontail planted in pea gravel in the pond itself.

 

[Mr.Fus]

Same for me, my pond is not too big so it's easy to spot the guys around 4pm when they are ready for lunch so if someone not show it will be a clear sign someone is not right and not been able to see all the way to the bottom makes hard to assist them on any way...

 

[Jhn]

@rjp44 You need a lot more plants in your pond that grow quickly, like water cress, water celery, water forgetmenot, all of these can be just stuck between the rocks around the edge of your pond and grow like wildfire. Irises, pickerel rush, bog bean are some other ones that are good nutrient consumers.

The green water is actually keeping your water quality up, while the pond is finding its balance. What type of filter system do you have?

@Mr.Fus You should never use chemicals to treat an algae problem in your pond, all it does is kill the algae, which then feeds more algae. Water changes can be counterproductive if you don’t know what is in your source water, and contributing to your issues.

Proper circulation, proper stocking levels, and lots of quick growing plants, will help get any nutrient issues under control.

 

[cas]

My biggest concern is the health of the fish.

One year my pond looked like that for 2 months. Fish did fine - they actually were bigger once I saw them again.

 

[Mmathis]

Nice pond! Is this a lined pond or a natural pond? It looks like the edge of the pond is at ground level.

 

[sissy]

even grass when you are mowing or trimming can cause water quality problems .The grass carries nutrients that feed the algae .I can even grow banana plants in my filter ,but I have to trim the roots often .Cannas and elephant ears grow great in a pot in the pond

 

[Lisak1]

Green water is never a problem for your fish. They could care less. As has already been shared - you need LOTS MORE PLANTS. LOTS. And patience. Give nature time to do what nature does best - find a balance.

 

[addy1]

it's hard to get the perfect balance,

Build a bog, mine has been balanced since I turned it on (well the second year had to get my ph up from 5.3 to 7.6) .
I only filter with a good size bog, the water never goes green, very minimal string algae, a tiny bit on the hornwort which goes away as soon as it starts growing in the spring. I quit testing the water years ago, it always stays perfect.

 

[rjp44]

For those suggesting plants, which ones would you recommend to plant along the edge? Also what is the best way to go about planting these? Wedge them in-between the rocks? Should their roots be soaking in water or dirt?

Havent had a chance to even mow the grass yet, waiting for that to get established before I cut it but I will try to avoid clippings landing in the pond.

Recently I started loosing some smaller bait fish I put in for the big fish, not really sure if this is algae related or something else?

 

[rjp44]

So the way this pond is setup is there is a natural waterflow that constantly flows through, sometimes strong other times weak really depending on the ground water level. We have a smaller pond that the water goes into first then from there we plumbed it to go into the larger pond. We have a small spillway that keeps the larger pond at a certain level. The smaller pond was built a few years ago. Larger pond built this spring. The smaller pond had a pretty bad algae bloom early this season but it had not been cleaned out in a couple years so we decided to clean it and its been fine ever since. Granted the pond is much smaller and shallower so I would be surprised that it is not getting green water much like the larger pond as theres no plants at all in it. Here are some pics for reference, dont mind the hoses and UV light hanging around, we were trying something temporarily. The small pond looks murky but that is just because the bottom is covered in muck and leaves, but the water is clear.

 

[Jhn]

The plants I mentioned water cress, water celery and water forgetmenot, can just be wedged between rocks bare root at the waters edge with roots in the water.