New Goldfish Pond - Algae Issues

[addy1]

Nice pond set up!

 

[JamieB]

Thank you all for the responses. Unfortunately we lost the fish we had. We got additional plants 2 weeks ago, might still need to add more, but we will wait before buying new fish. So far the water already looks clear. We got a water test kit, and I was wondering if there is a table out there of what the recommended levels should be prior to adding fish.

It’s not so much a matter of test levels, but give your pond a little time. The beneficiary bacterial colonies need time to establish so they can break waste down into non toxic compounds the plants can take up. How are the tadpoles? If they are good, add 2-3 small fish, give it a few weeks, then 2-3 more, till you reach your desired amount. Note they will grow and multiply. Do test the pond water, 2-3 times a day, same time every day for a few weeks till you see little in the way of big changes out of pattern. And if you can, get fish from fellow pond keepers, rather than a big box store, knowing where they come from help to know they are healthy.

 

[CometKeith]

The palm was already there and we looked up the required space for the type of palm and ensured we left that amount of space for it. We left space to be able to pull up the "fake" grass to feed it every 3 months.

Hi and welcome. You got great advice already so no need to add any more! The problem with a new pond is everyone wants it to look great out of the box. That's impossible! So patience is required...Good luck!

 

[JediCoconut]

I am uploading new pictures because I have been pulling out the algae, but it comes back in less than a day. The plants are still growing (they are sprinkled around the pond as you can see in the pictures), I am just wondering if maybe I need more plants? Most of the algae starts at the top of the water spill which seemed odd to me.

 

[Mmathis]

Oh, yeah, you need many more plants. While water lilies are great for shading a pond, but they don’t really help with nutrients in the water since they are (usually) potted in their own medium. I’m sorry, but I’m not up on my plant list. Otherwise I could advise good plants to use, but you’re going to get good advice from others on good plants. Creeping Jenny is good to poke into the rocks.

Your pond looks very nice!

 

[Lisak1]

Lots lots lots more plants. I only see one marginal and a few water lilies - which like @Mmathis mentioned aren't great for helping with excess nutrient control. And for as green as that algae is I'd say you have LOTS of excess nutrients!

 

[JediCoconut]

Lots lots lots more plants. I only see one marginal and a few water lilies - which like @Mmathis mentioned aren't great for helping with excess nutrient control. And for as green as that algae is I'd say you have LOTS of excess nutrients!

Do any of you have recommendations on what type of plants to use? Is there anything I can do aside from plants to handle the excess nutrients?

Thank you!

 

[addy1]

Is there anything I can do aside from plants to handle the excess nutrients?

Don't feed the fish, check your source water.

 

[CometKeith]

Oh, yeah, you need many more plants. While water lilies are great for shading a pond, but they don’t really help with nutrients in the water since they are (usually) potted in their own medium. I’m sorry, but I’m not up on my plant list. Otherwise I could advise good plants to use, but you’re going to get good advice from others on good plants. Creeping Jenny is good to poke into the rocks.

Your pond looks very nice!

I think everything looks fine. The algae is eating up excess nutrients and ammonia so you really don’t need to pull it out because it’s actually helping keep the bad stuff in check. When your pond finally cycles it will mostly go away. Have you ever seen the mud ponds the Japanese use to raise their Tosai Koi? They have no real filtration but are covered in green algae. The algae helps keep the water healthy for the fish.

 

[poconojoe]

You could get some floating plants like water lettuce or water hyacinths. Just plop them in. No pots, not soil. They float around and feed off the nutrients in the water. Be aware, they are banned in some States since they can be invasive at times. Parrot's feather is a good one too. It can be planted at the edges outside the pond and let it grow into the water or just throw some pieces in the water.

 

[TheFishGuy]

since there is now much more string algae, there are a few products that you just dose monthly that can work pretty well, but definitely more plants would be preferred, if water lettuce and hyacinth arent illegal in your area, then that would help quite a bit, as they shade the pond and also take in tons of nutrients

 

[Mmathis]

since there is now much more string algae, there are a few products that you just dose monthly that can work pretty well, but definitely more plants would be preferred, if water lettuce and hyacinth arent illegal in your area, then that would help quite a bit, as they shade the pond and also take in tons of nutrients

Except that, as a general rule, we don’t advocate the use of chemicals to control algae, though some use hydrogen peroxide for some spot treatments, like on waterfalls.

 

[poconojoe]

Please don't add any chemical algae treatments. There's no need to add anything to your pond. No chemicals, no miracle beneficial bacteria in a box or jar. The only treatment you may need is if your home's water is chlorinated. Then you will need a dechlorinizer.

We always get these horror stories posted by new members where all their fish have died. Then we find out they were using so-called "fish friendly" algaecide. The title is usually something like "help, all my fish died".

Believe it or not, algae is nature's way of balancing out your pond's ecology. Algae is a plant, so what you want to do is add other plants to compete with the algae, basically starve it out.

We prefer doing things the natural way and sometimes the natural way takes time. So, patience is an important factor in this hobby. If you have all the parameters in place, eventually you will get results.

 

[TheFishGuy]

Please don't add any chemical algae treatments. There's no need to add anything to your pond. No chemicals, no miracle beneficial bacteria in a box or jar. The only treatment you may need is if your home's water is chlorinated. Then you will need a dechlorinizer.

We always get these horror stories posted by new members where all their fish have died. Then we find out they were using so-called "fish friendly" algaecide. The title is usually something like "help, all my fish died".

Believe it or not, algae is nature's way of balancing out your pond's ecology. Algae is a plant, so what you want to do is add other plants to compete with the algae, basically starve it out.

We prefer doing things the natural way and sometimes the natural way takes time. So, patience is an important factor in this hobby. If you have all the parameters in place, eventually you will get results.

wow, I never really knew that! my main point of refrence is aquariums, where we spend hours every week trying different methods of destroying algae, that really does show just how different they are from eachother

 

[Phaewryn]

wow, I never really knew that! my main point of refrence is aquariums, where we spend hours every week trying different methods of destroying algae, that really does show just how different they are from eachother

The worst aquarium experience of my life was after using an algaecide in it. The rule holds true for aquariums as well: if you have an algae problem, you have another problem and using an algaecide just covers it and the ramifications of killing the algae are often worse than the original problem. Algaecides have only one recommended use IMO: in ornamental fountains with no plants/fish, and then really, BLEACH is better. Throw that algaecide shit in the trash where it belongs.