How many plants?

[Bluerooster]

How many plants does it take to prevent the dreaded string algae? Water is clean, and clear. but string algae is running amok.

bog fulla plants.

 

[bagsmom]

My bog is only a few months old and doesn't have many plants in it yet - so I can't speak from experience. Do you have fish in there? My first thought is that you need some shade in the main pool area. Maybe some water lilies could help with that?
I only have 8 small fish in my pond. The water has been fantastic - no pea soup whatsoever. Just some string algae in the beginning that disappeared in a few weeks. I was feeding the fish a little bit, just for my own entertainment, and I noticed the string algae forming again. I've stopped feeding them and they are gobbling up the string algae. I think there really is a very delicate balance between fish, fish poo, sunlight, and beneficial bacteria and plants.

 

[Lisak1]

Well the answer is always “more than you have”.

UNLESS - this is a brand new pond. OR you recently did a water change.

 

[Rashad]

Another vote for shading the main pond somehow. Lilies, marginal plants, aquatic plants, duckweed, azola, anything.

 

[GBBUDD]

For a larger pond it can take more than a year for the pond to balance out. i have string algae in my stream and new waterfall to the 3 month old bog. One thing i did was to pump air into my bog to boost the bacteria but in your case i would suggest aerating the pond. try a good nitto 45 air pump with a 12 inch rubber bladder . i found some that you would add weight to let it sink to the bottom.
With the rec pond your going in for a dip is adding to the demand of the nitrogen cycle.
The folks who have farm ponds who fight algae will do fountains and air

 

[Faebinder]

Honestly you dont look like you got a lot of algae. You'll need to starve them out big time. Shade or add more bog action.

 

[Bluerooster]

It's shaded for most of the day. no fish, just the occasional frog or salamander. Been in operation for nearly 2 years now.
It's gotten pretty bad since that pic. It stops up the skimmer in just a few hours. I figured that the waterfall would provide plenty of aeration, but i guess not.

 

[Mgessert]

Have you tried adding water and marginal plants to the pond/pool itself?

 

[Bluerooster]

No I haven't. I figured that with grandkids hopping in and out, any plants in the pond proper would not fare well.
Today I increased the flow through the bog to about 57gpm, in hopes of better aeration via the falls. I can do the whole 86gpm, but I don't want to blow the gravel out . I know, the gravel will stay there, but I kinda like the idea of a "safety valve" in the form of a return jet, in case something gets stopped up in the bog. 86gpm is a bit small for a 6000 gallon pond, but pretty close at 5160gph. Or should I run full flow through the bog, and shut off the secondary return?

 

[Faebinder]

If you cant add more plants anywhere (like a second bog) then it's water changes every once in a while.

 

[Lisak1]

I know people say shade helps, but in ky experience, algae grows because of what’s IN the water. Sun may speed the growth or green it up, but it’s not a direct cause. When my kids we little I’d put the kiddie pool in the shade - two or three days was all it took for the algae to start. Replacing some of the water won’t reduce algae at all - it will just force your pond to keep trying to balance.

If this is to be a swim pond, you still need plants. Create an “in and out” spot and plants go everywhere else. If you need a bit more help, try some sodium percarbonate every now and then - perfectly safe and it will help control the algae. Or hydrogen peroxide - same function. Cheap, easy and safe.

 

[GBBUDD]

i'd be pushing at least 3500 to 4500 to the bog and have a return jet to the pond keeping the water moving but most of all i'd look at aerating