Pea soup pond!

[flareyflan]

I just completed the fourth summer of having my pond. I Inherited it with this house so there are some things I would’ve done differently had I built it myself. But the one thing I cannot get under control is the algae in midsummer. Not string algae. This is green water algae. My pond turns to pea soup about early to mid June and no matter what I do it doesn’t become clear again until the temperatures cool down in mid to late September. I’ve tried adding more plants, creating more shade through water lilies, using sodium percarbonate, using every kind of bio chemical with bacteria in it, and just about every other product I found at the pond store. Not all at once of course, but after four years = 12 months of pea soup over those 4 years, I have tried giving pretty much everything a shot at improving it. But I can’t seem to get the water clear. I can’t tell if it’s because there’s too much sun or because I have secondary water on my grass which may be introducing algae from outside sources. Or maybe there’s not enough water flow. But I feel like I should be able to get it under control somehow— all my neighbors ponds don’t have this problem — and I just never can. I can’t even see my fish for months at a time. Any recommendations?

I would love to keep a crystal clear pond all summer. But I’m about to throw my hands up and give up. I would love any help.

Pond Details: 3500 gallons, 2.5-3’ deep. 3 koi and a dozen goldfish, part -full sun for 5 to 8 hours a day, water hyacinths and water lilies. 5 foot high waterfall with 3-way filtration system (UV light, bio pods, and 2tier mesh filters). 2 bubblers. No string algae. Use 2 brands of bacteria regularly. Have tested the water in a couple occasions and everything is in the normal range.

 

[Faebinder]

Yep, too much sun.

 

[Stephen T.]

I had pea soup my first year, couldn't see down 2". My ponds/steam combo contains about 1300 gallons and is in full sun all summer. I put in a small bog filter, about 3'x5' and 18" deep, heavily planted. This last spring and summer, the water stayed crystal clear and it's still that way (covered with ice and snow real soon though). I have about 12 goldfish ranging from 4" to10". I'm convinced that that a well planted bog is the way to go if there is a way you could do so.

 

[sissy]

Pea soup means it is protecting your fish from something in your pond .Are you over feeding the fish and are the number one reasons for water quality issues .I built my pond and in the spring before plants grow green water is there but as the plants fill in it goes away .I only feed my 3 or 4 times a week as there is plenty to eat in the pond

 

[mrsclem]

Your lawn looks really nice and green. Do you fertilize it and if so, is it possible it's washing into the pond?

 

[Tula]

Maybe it's just these pictures, but the water looks very still, not much movement. How many watts is your UV bulb and when was it last replaced?

 

[audioenvy]

You mentioned 3500 gallons. How strong is the pump (i.e. how often does the water get cycled)? What is the brand/model of the 3-way filter?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Lay off the use of supplemental bacterial treatments and all other 'snake oil' treatments. Allow the pond to develop a natural biochemical balance. DO NOT overfeed the fish, 2%-3% of body weight per day is sufficient.
Test for Phowphorus.

 

[MitchM]

.... or because I have secondary water on my grass which may be introducing algae from outside sources. ....

This raises a red flag.
Surface runoff into the pond is never a good thing.

-also check that the sleeve protecting the uv bulb is clean.

.

 

[Jhn]

Agree with MitchM, and as others said could be lack of water circulation and to me it looks like the pond could use more and different species of plants.

My pond gets full sun and the water never turns green even in early spring. However it is heavily planted with a large variety of plants.

 

[Lisak1]

You've gotten some great advice already, but one thing I will add is to ask - are your plants potted? If so, I would suggest getting them out of the pots and planted in the pond as much as possible. I think plants are 1000% more effective when they are naturalized in the pond. (Not waterlilies - I'm referring specifically to marginals.)

 

[addy1]

. I can’t tell if it’s because there’s too much sun .

My pond is full sun from sunrise to sunset. I filter only with plants, a large bog. My water is always crystal clear. Plants save the day! This picture is in a 5 foot deep area. You can see the bottom with I can count the snails on the bottom if I so desire.

Welcome to our group!

 

[Stephen T.]

Bog before and after it's growing! In the upper image, the bog is on the far right, just starting to grow. lower image is looking across CLEAR pond and bog is very full of plants, upper left. I'd also added some lily pads in the lower image.

 

[Rajesh]

Planting near the edge will absorb nutrients from water. less nutrients=>less algae growth.

I find thread algae better than pea soup, though thread algae can choke filter and tangle fishes, still could be removed easily than pea soup algae.

Never plant small invasive type will cut off oxygen,by covering the surface faster than you could remove them, best way is to get larger plants that can cover up the surface.

Stop feeding the fishes (will go with Meyer Jordan ), food pellets make fishes aggressive.

Cover 75 or more or the pond with thin sheet of opaque plastic sheets, don't forget to tie the ends and put air pump in the water for few days, no sunlight => no food for algae=>crystal clear water.