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Hidy, folks of Garden Pond Forum, and thank you very much for having me! I am presently writing from upstate New York (Hannacroix). I have never really kept 'ponds,' but more a couple barrels with water lilies or, later, lotus. As time went on, goldfish entered the mix here and there. Several years ago, I moved from Port Townsend WA to Louisville KY. When I moved, my landlord offered up the old 'hot tub' (a galvanized livestock trough....as if hillbilly hot tubs are a new thing). I threw it in the back of the moving truck with my water lilies, formerly living in half oak barrels. Upon arrival in Louisville, trough was filled with water, lilies added. No additional filtration. Some months later we picked up a few Black Moors on a whim. 'They won't survive the Zone 6 Winter, they said.' 'We'll see,' we said. The following Spring the Black Moors appeared and produced several more Black Moors. I tried to take some to pet stores, nobody needed them. A few years in, somewheres round 36 fish in the trough (round 8ft x 2ft deep) we had a pH crash and an overpopulation crisis, I went on Craigslist and managed to find homes for what I thought were 'all' the fish.
Next Spring appear 13 Black Moors. Actually, there were 10 Black Moor-esque darlings, one fish who, as a youngster, was mostly orange and is now mainly black with a bright orange belly, an all orange and a bronzey one....though these days I can't pick it out, and that is a mystery we'll just never know. Within the year I had sold my Louisville place, drained the trough, put the fish in buckets, tossed them in the back of the moving truck with the water lilies and moved to upstate New York where we are now. This is our third Spring here. We're still at 13 fish. Last year a green frog lived in the trough; I'm guessing this is why we did not end up with several babies (thank you, Good Sir). In Fall the trough gave out, sprung several leaks. The fish overwintered this year indoors, all of them crammed in a lined half barrel with frequent water changes. Spring arrived, we bought a shiny new 250ish gallon galvanized trough, put them and some of the lilies in it, made a little waterfall, and this is where we are.
Which brings me, AT LAST, to my sort-of question. The fish and lilies seem to be carrying on swimmingly (ha! couldn't resist) in their new digs. I suppose they've been in there about three weeks now (we're on well water). The algae, however, is really loving the new digs as well. As of yet, I'm not seeing thread algae, but their pool has become an Emerald Kingdom.
My understanding as a water plant enthusiast but sort of pond tourist is this: As water plants grow, so does algae. There may be a period of perceived imbalance (so much algae), but, as the leaves of water lilies and co. grow/mature, this will greatly diminish the amount of light reaching the water, and the plant/algae relationship will strike a balance.
So here, then is my question. Does it ever happen that the level of algae in the water is so dense that it inhibits the growth of the lily/lotus etc leaves (who are also competing for light), that a balance may not be struck? Secondly, what are the signs to look for that are the cue to interfere with algae activity? And lastly, I have somewhere tucked in my mind that I was once told that algae does not pose a threat to the breathing of the old fishes. Is this accurate?
Anyhow, if you're still here, thank you for taking the time to read the ramblings. Should you have any thoughts, I'd sure be interested to hear them. Stay well, everybody! Kind Regards, Mardi
Next Spring appear 13 Black Moors. Actually, there were 10 Black Moor-esque darlings, one fish who, as a youngster, was mostly orange and is now mainly black with a bright orange belly, an all orange and a bronzey one....though these days I can't pick it out, and that is a mystery we'll just never know. Within the year I had sold my Louisville place, drained the trough, put the fish in buckets, tossed them in the back of the moving truck with the water lilies and moved to upstate New York where we are now. This is our third Spring here. We're still at 13 fish. Last year a green frog lived in the trough; I'm guessing this is why we did not end up with several babies (thank you, Good Sir). In Fall the trough gave out, sprung several leaks. The fish overwintered this year indoors, all of them crammed in a lined half barrel with frequent water changes. Spring arrived, we bought a shiny new 250ish gallon galvanized trough, put them and some of the lilies in it, made a little waterfall, and this is where we are.
Which brings me, AT LAST, to my sort-of question. The fish and lilies seem to be carrying on swimmingly (ha! couldn't resist) in their new digs. I suppose they've been in there about three weeks now (we're on well water). The algae, however, is really loving the new digs as well. As of yet, I'm not seeing thread algae, but their pool has become an Emerald Kingdom.
My understanding as a water plant enthusiast but sort of pond tourist is this: As water plants grow, so does algae. There may be a period of perceived imbalance (so much algae), but, as the leaves of water lilies and co. grow/mature, this will greatly diminish the amount of light reaching the water, and the plant/algae relationship will strike a balance.
So here, then is my question. Does it ever happen that the level of algae in the water is so dense that it inhibits the growth of the lily/lotus etc leaves (who are also competing for light), that a balance may not be struck? Secondly, what are the signs to look for that are the cue to interfere with algae activity? And lastly, I have somewhere tucked in my mind that I was once told that algae does not pose a threat to the breathing of the old fishes. Is this accurate?
Anyhow, if you're still here, thank you for taking the time to read the ramblings. Should you have any thoughts, I'd sure be interested to hear them. Stay well, everybody! Kind Regards, Mardi
