Help - Fishies keep dying and can't stop Algae :( NEWB

[PondSF]

Hi Everyone

I'm a pond newb - having some trouble and was hoping for general help. If this should be posted elsewhere, please let me know!

I've got a small concrete pond with no plumbing (was originally supposed to be a water feature only). It's about 85 Gallons (6 ft x 2ft by 1ft). I have a water pump circulating water, and a 100 Gallon air pump with 3 airstones providing oxygen.

I put some feeder goldfish in (about 10 of them 1" each), and added the recommended amount of an aloe-vera based pond conditioner - and the fish seem happy and move around and eat the food I am feeding them - but over the course of 2 weeks, green suspended algae starts to form. last time around - I used some algaecide (but I read the measurements wrong, and put in WAY too much - and all my fishies died within hours - however all the algae died pretty quickly too!).

So I drained dried, and repeated the process - and again it's been about 2 weeks, and the suspended algae is back - so this time over the weekend I put in 1/2 the recommended amount (about 1 tbs), and basically nothing happened. The algae is looking thicker, and so yesterday I added the recommended amount again - and this morning 3 of the fish are dead. There's still a few visibly moving around - so all may not be lost - but I am not sure what to do here?

Options as I see it:

- perhaps the pond conditioner is unnecessary and without it I wouldn't have the algae problem to begin with
- perhaps I should add the algaecide in smaller quantities much sooner?
- i have considered covering part of the pond to limit light exposure - but I live in San Francisco, so it's only been sunny 3 or 4 days since these fish were in
- other ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!
Shamir

 

[sissy]

Reason is that it is shallow and algae will happen more as water heats up .Nutrients from fish waste feed algae

 

[cas]

Have you added any plants to your pond? They will help with the algae, but it takes time.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

You have a new pond that needs to 'cycle'. Even though the fish are small, this is too many fish for this amount of water. The algae should dissipate naturally given time. The use of any algaecide only 'sets back' the biological processes occurring in your pond.
Stop feeding the fish, for now.

 

[Dave 54]

You have a new pond that needs to 'cycle'. Even though the fish are small, this is too many fish for this amount of water. The algae should dissipate naturally given time. The use of any algaecide only 'sets back' the biological processes occurring in your pond.
Stop feeding the fish, for now.

In agreement with you Meyer shamir go to the articles section at the top of the page, there are numerous articles to help you

Dave

 

[PondSF]

Have you added any plants to your pond? They will help with the algae, but it takes time.

Thanks Cas. Do you have recommendations on what kinds of plants to put in? Any resources on how to plant? It's a small and shallow pond, so not sure how to best approach

Thank you!
Shamir

 

[PondSF]

You have a new pond that needs to 'cycle'. Even though the fish are small, this is too many fish for this amount of water. The algae should dissipate naturally given time. The use of any algaecide only 'sets back' the biological processes occurring in your pond.
Stop feeding the fish, for now.

Thanks for the feedback - i'll keep fewer fish this time around - and feed them less often?

It seemed like the algae got worse and worse each time (until I used the Algaecide and killed the fish); is it normal to get worse for a while and then better? Seemed like it was snowballing, which worried me

Thanks!!!
Shamir

 

[PondSF]

In agreement with you Meyer shamir go to the articles section at the top of the page, there are numerous articles to help you

Dave

Dave,

Thanks for the feedback - will review the articles section, thanks for the tip!

 

[cas]

Water hyacinths are good floating plants to remove nutrients from the water. Hornwort and anacharis are good submerged plants to try.

 

[sissy]

mini cattails and ribbon grass or strawberries and cream grasses