New to garden ponds

[ina]

Hi, my name is Ina and I have recently moved into a property in Kent with a garden pond full of fish. My partner and I have been learning about pond & fish, putting some barley straw into the water against the algae and buying some oxygenating plants. There also are frogs in the pond but I presume all frogsporn will be eaten by the fish - as are the oxygenating plants. The water still is very green.

Also, I am finding dead, white/grey worm-like things floatig on the surface of the pond - do I need to worry about these? They look a bit like dead earth worm but when I pick them ut of the water they are more fragile, almost like a thin string of mucus.

The pond has many fish in it and they seem to be ok on the whole, although we suspect that we have too many fish in the pond. How many should there be for a pond roughly 2 x 2 metres? We feed them three times a day and they seem hungry every time.

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Best wishes,
Ina

 

[Mmathis]

Welcome! Beware: fish ALWAYS act hungry!

Are they goldfish or koi? Is there any type of filtration and/or a pump to circulate the water? One of the best tricks here to combat algae is to run the water through quilt batting -- it's fine enough that it filters out the cells. There are other things to consider, and you'll get lots more advice once some other members start responding.

And no clue about the "worms." Maybe something falling from trees?

 

[ina]

Hi! Thank you, that was a quick reply - from half way around the world as well. There is no filtration and I think the fish are goldfish, although we might have one koi - it's a big, blackish one. The chap who sold the house said that the pond didn't need a pump - and it is established with thriving fish. The fish seem fine - it's just that we can't see them.... I think it's very fine plankton algae in the water and kind of filaments on pond lily stems & leaves, In fact, the pond lily seems to be decaying as fast as it is sprouting new leaves. Re the 'worms', there are no trees overhanging the pond - it must be some creature.
Anyway, it's bedtime here now - I'll check in again tomorrow.
All the best,
Ina

Welcome! Beware: fish ALWAYS act hungry!

Are they goldfish or koi? Is there any type of filtration and/or a pump to circulate the water? One of the best tricks here to combat algae is to run the water through quilt batting -- it's fine enough that it filters out the cells. There are other things to consider, and you'll get lots more advice once some other members start responding.

And no clue about the "worms." Maybe something falling from trees?

 

[sissy]

welcome and still sounds like worms i see here in natural creeks or could it be a string of pearls ,meaning frog eggs .If you over feed them you could cause water quality issues .They are beggers .

 

[addy1]

I would feed the fish less, they are great about eating out of the pond. Also they eat any eggs laid which makes less fry which equals less fish.

 

[j.w]

Ina

 

[gardengimp]

Welcome! Our fish try their best to convince us that if we don't feed them they will turn into minnows. They try this act every time we come by the pond. They learned that trick from their housemates, the Belgian Shepherds, who try their darnedest to convince everybody that they are turning into Chihuahuas because we never feed them.

Funny, the fish keep growing. Eating stuff out of the pond is probably better for them anyway. Silly fish, they still want us to feed them the junk food.

Are your worm things kind of slimy and slippery? If so, could be toad egg sacks.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Hello and Welcome!!
I would highly recommend getting a good pump and filter and maybe the pea green water will go away.

Also I see you are from England, and might I suggest you obtain a yellow flag water iris for your pond, if you don't already have one, as I have read that they are best at photosynthesis filtration. I have had this yellow flag for 22 years now, been divided many times, it survivies the harsh Canadian climate, is a native plant to England, and it is the pride and joy of my pond!

 

[Becky]

Hello and welcome to the forums! :wave:

 

[ina]

Hi everyone and thank you for a very warm welcome and all your usefull tips. I have typed this before but seem to somehow have lost the message - I am not very familiar with this format yet. I will look for a yellow flag water lily and not feel bad in future when I can only manage to feed the fish twice insteead of three times a day.... I read that goldfish don't have a stomach and so need feeding often but little. How many fish would you keep in a pond roughly 2 x 2 metres and probably about 1 - 1.5 metres deep? We seem to have about 20. I presume their waste also affects the water quality?
Also, has anyone experience with solar powered airators?
Thanks in advance!

 

[addy1]

Mine get fed off and on, not even every day. They are all fat and sassy. They munch constantly on the pond critters, plants, any algae that does grow and eggs laid. Yep their poop can easily affect the water quality.