pond algae control?

[mrfixer]

I have been using tetra pond algae control..It works pretty good. My question is when you look at the ingredient it is is 5.4 % dimethyliminio ethylene dichloride..thats about it with a 95% filler.i have read that some algae side you can buy for your pool are a lot cheaper and exactly the same thing but are pure and dont have 95% filler that tetra uses..Anybody try this straight in a pond with koi ??

 

[mrfixer]

http://www.poolsolutions.com/gd/polyquat.html

 

[fishin4cars]

Does it say safe for fish or plants anywhere on it? If not, I would not use it if your trying to treat a pond with any pond life. i've just had to many bad experiences trying to use pool chemicals usually find that they aren't any cheaper. Hydrogen peroxide does a heck of a job but again, it some thing you have to use correctly or you could easily over dose. And as far as using with Koi, Not Me! I'm all natural, barley bales, lots of plants with the water deing filtered through them before reaching the koi, and good water management. With a large pleco to get the rest, sparkling clear, happy koi, low cost. That's how I like to roll.

 

[koiguy1969]

YEAH - BAY- BEE!!...thats hows we all likes to roll...HALE yeah!....lol

 

[jupiter1]

Roger that ! Take of the water and the water will take care of the fish .

 

[Pond Boy]

Roger that ! Take of the water and the water will take care of the fish .

+1` :yikesu::fish::fish:

 

[mogsie]

would just like to add that i purchased some barley straw and put it in net bags in the pond and now the string algae grows ON the barley straw !!

 

[fishin4cars]

would just like to add that i purchased some barley straw and put it in net bags in the pond and now the string algae grows ON the barley straw !!

Not uncommon at all! LOL The barley is actually catching the algae as it passes through. The straw takes time to breakdown and decay. That is what it needs to do in order to help control the algae. using extact first will help kill it a little faster and the bales seem to work better for keeping it under control. It hasn't stopped it from growing in my ponds either but it sure has slowed it down to a managable amount.

 

[addy1]

No string algae...........lol bog working great!

 

[oldfogie]

Re: pond algae control? "A VERY Green Pond

Hi folks wherever you are! My pond is in Cambridgeshire,United Kingdom. I've had it years and never had a lot of trouble with it but now for the second year I've got green water, so green I can't see more than 2" into it (and its nearly 3 feet deep). And the fish will soon have to be fitted with personal aqualungs and goggles it's that bad.

I've got a pump and filter that I keep on 24/7 and the size is more than adequate, however, I've not got a UV light thingy and don't want to buy one as I'm intending to sell the house this year. I'm hoping to get a chemical solution to the problem. I've got no plant life in it either apart from some water hawthorne.

Ok, this "green" is a suspended matter, it's not blanket weed which I've had problems with in the past and quite easily got rid of. Up to now I've used 2 bottles of "Interpet Green Pond" solution, which at £10 GBP a bottle is OTT! I've also used a preparation from Unwins Garden Centre (It's a well known supplier in the UK that "gaurantees" iradication of the problem, and that did not work either which at a further £20 GBP was a bit of a wrench!!!)

Another favourite trick over here is to put a heap of barley straw in the pond and as this degrades and rots it's meant to coagulate the suspended green matter and it's then meant to fall to the bottom of the pond. This hasn't worked either! So I'm stuck. I'd like to spend very little cash on it now, so has anyone any ideas?

Oh, and I've even drained the pond down and re-filled it.

Just read a post below about using hydrogen peroxide, can I have more detail on this please, eg, strength, dosage ete and is it safe for the fish?

Thanks very much

oldfogie

 

[stroppy]

draining all the water out might not have helped ...do you do weekly water changes ? and what type of filters do you have and how often do you clean them ? more plants would certainly help ...is the pond in full sun ? sorry for all the questions but i think we need a bit more info :regular_waving_emot
oh and welcome :fish:

 

[vertigo72]

Re: pond algae control? "A VERY Green Pond

So you want a solution that is fast, cheap and fish safe. Pick two :regular_waving_emot.
More plants is usually the best long term solution, UV the fast solution (though it may lead to string algae). Barley hay works often, but not always, it depends on the exact variety of algae. Seems you are out of luck there.

Draining the pond entirely probably wasnt a good move, you will have destroyed much of the micro biological ecosystem doing so. Algae blossom is very common in new ponds, because there isnt any yet. Id consider a bacteria dose to help get things started again.

You didnt mention how big your pond is, but if its not too big, then really, a suitable UV unit isnt all that expensive. Buy one used from ebay or some local second hand site, you can always sell it when you sell the house. Even if you dont, a nice looking pond probably increases the sales value of your house quite a bit more than what a UV unit costs.

In the meanwhile, I would do partial water changes to keep your fish from drowning, and use some quilt batting in the filter that you will have to clean/replace every day, if not more often. Thats assuming you have plants that can take over the role of algae, otherwise you may be doing this for eternity. If you dont have plants, or not enough, add more! Particularly floating plants do well competing with algae. Water hyacinth or water lettuce and the like. And reduce or stop feeding your fish, as you will be feeding your algae even more.

 

[Malak]

I found this yesterday:

Dosages to achieve 100 ppm pure hydrogen peroxide in 1,000 USA gallons:
0.95 liters of 35% hydrogen peroxide
11 quarts of 3% hydrogen peroxide
2.2 pounds of generic solid sodium percarbonate

Said you can repeat every other day till fixed, but you are just reintroducing the algae nutrients back into the pond. Also, can severely effect the oxygen levels. You can put an airbubbler in to supplement. Most people say only one liter of peroxide so maybe experiment with less than above.

 

[backyard bill]

are there any fish or animals that will eat pond algae?

I know that many animals eat duckweed, and some can even be used to control duckweed

I always prefer natural methods before resorting to chemicals, but sometimes they are the only choice.

 

[fishin4cars]

Hypostomus plecostomus A great algae eater, does well with other fish but one drawback is they need water temps. of 50 degrees f 10 degrees C or warmer water to survive, Do great outside for algae control for algae species that are attached, Does not do anything for free floating or green water species of algaes. Must be brought back indoor. in order to survive winters Second drawback is it obtains a size of 24" full grown so indoors holding tank will need to be fairly large once they get large, Not fast growing once they reach about 8-10 inches.