How much is too much algae

[Gabe]

hi all. My fish made it through winter unscathed and the plants did as well except maybe the Lillies. I know that some algae is benificial. The water is crystal clear and the irises are growing well. My concern is the algae has exploded since the first warm day over a month ago and almost completely covered the surface of the pond. I took the surface algae out ( I hope that was the right thing to do.) the bottom is rocks and almost completely covered in algae. Is this ok? The pond is roughly 330 gallons and there are 4 shubunkin goldfish. I have a picture of what it looked like two weeks ago and what it looks like now that I took out the algae. When I took it out, it had almost completely covered the wide side of the pond and all around the narrow side where the fountain is. What else do I need to do for spring?

 

[Angel]

I am not an expert but removing surface algae and string is ok. Algae on rocks and liner is good to keep the fish will eat it also it is a plant and help produce oxygen.

The only algae I remove in my pond is the string in the stream. What grows on rocks and liner i leave. The only reason i remove the string in the stream is for water flow reasons.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

From what I have experienced and read from other members here algae may be unsightly but it is performing a function so it's best to let it do its thing until the pond balances itself out. The beneficial bacteria will start doing their job and the plants will help reduce the nitrates over time and most the algae should go away on its own. I don't ever scrape algae off the surfaces of my pond liner, sterilite storage crates that I use as plant stands, or fabric pots that the lilies are planted in. I even have snails that have been in the pond so long that they have algae growing on their shells. With time the fish will eat a lot of it and most of it will go away like I mentioned before.

I will admit, I do use a UV clarifier to help with the floating algae that would cause the water itself to become pea soup green but I don't do anything about the algae growing on surfaces.

 

[Lisak1]

It's only too much if it starts to affect your other plants - sometimes string algae can get a little out of control, but it's easy to remove. As @ShawnInfirmity mentioned, consider the algae for what it is - a sign you have excess nutrients in your pond AND a solution to that problem. We don't like the way it looks, but it is serving a purpose. More plants will help get your pond in balance. Avoid the temptation to use algaecide, as that will only lead to more algae growth and harm the microscopic creatures that live in your pond.

 

[Mmathis]

Like others have said.... More plants, cut back on feeding the fish, don’t use chemicals, adding shade.....

 

[Gabe]

Thanks all. When I started this pond last spring I used algaecide and scraped the sides of the pond clean. I and the poor first round of fish paid for it dearly. They all died and that’s when I found this forum.

I was only concerned cause last year I didn’t get surface algae at all. I rather like the algae growing on the sides and bottom, makes it look more natural but I hate it on the surface where my floating plants are going to go when it gets warm enough to add them. So I gather from your responses that it won’t hurt to remove the surface algae and to leave the bottom alone. Thank you

 

[Gemma]

I used to use chemicals to fight algae, too!.... now I just scoop up the stringy on the surface, and leave the rest of it alone knowing that they are actually necessary for the health of the pond.

Every year is different, so just because some years you get more algae doesn't mean you did something wrong, and certainly doesn't mean you should change your approach

I wish I would've found this forum years ago...it would've saved me the ton of money I spent in chemicals

 

[Lisak1]

So I gather from your responses that it won’t hurt to remove the surface algae and to leave the bottom alone. Thank you

If you can scoop it, go ahead and remove it. If the pond needs it, it'll grow more!