Sorry for the insanely long post!
Water quality
* Ammonia Level (pond) 0.0
* Nitrite Level (pond) 0.0 nitrate 0.0 also
* Ammonia Level (tap water) 0.0
* Nitrite Level (tap water) 0.0
* Ph Level, pond (If possible, KH, GH and chlorine) ph 8.0, kh 4, gh 4, phosphates 0, iron - 0, TDS - 80
* Ph Level, tap water (If possible, KH, GH and chlorine) 7.8, 9, 9, 0
* Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? API liquid test, Seachem iron test, 2 TDS meters
Other useful information:
* Water temperature? 53F
* Pond size and how long has it been running? ~4,000g, running since the end of the summer 2014
* What is the name and size of the filter(s)? 10'x3' gravel bog, 30ft stream, lots of plants, DIY skimmer w/medium sponge and pond master 5000 biofalls with medium sponge mat and bio media
* How often do you change the water and how much? 50% water changes in spring and fall during cleanout but besides that water is removed when it overflows (often enough) and is replaced by rain or auto top off (auto top off rarely comes on)
* How many days ago was the last water change and how much did you change? see above
* How many fish in the pond and their type? about 20 standard goldfish ranging from 4in to 12in + 2 babies
* What kind of water additives or conditioners have you used? none, filtered well water
* What do you feed your fish and how often? Used to, drs foster and smith staple, every other day and are feed very slowly so no food is allowed to escape the fishes mouths (none goes into the skimmer or around the edge). Have not feed the fish since last August 2015
* Any new fish added to the pond recently? not since startup
* Any medications added to the pond? never
* List entire medication/treatment history for fish and pond. none
* Any unusual findings on the fish? one fish as had a popped eye since last summer, seemed caused by some sort of trauma while they were breeding
* Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.? no
Additional info - Pond gets TONS of sunlight. I am on a well but the iron is high so we use a water softener/conditioner. That water is what I use to clean the pond and refill after vacuuming but the auto top off is raw water that has been ran through a dedicated iron filter only.
History
I finished my pond in the fall of 2014, several plants were planted at that time. That winter some filamentous algae grew in the main pond only, not the stream. Shortly after the ice melted it floated up from the bottom of the pond and was caught by the filters and was gone from the pond. Once the water was warm enough I did start feeding my fish very lightly and slowly letting no food reach the skimmer or edges. Beginning of May green water started, I added an umbrella for shade, by mid June it was cleared up. Shortly after that I started seeing the first signs of nutrient deficiency in my plants, lilies and marsh plants alike. End of June the first bit of filamentous algae starts in the stream and has not gone away since! Mid July every plant is suffering in some way and the algae in the stream is spreading, it could have been in the pond as well but the fish seem to eat it faster than it grows.
Beginning of August I came here for help after manual removal was not working. Answers I got were....
1. That the rocks in the stream were collecting debris and releasing nutrients that the algae was using too fast to get a reading on my tests.
Response - I clean the stream in the spring and fall thoroughly and I can move all the rocks around and find nothing more than some sand.
2. Stop feeding the fish because that is adding too much phosphorus and they have enough natural food.
Response - I'll try it. I don't like the idea cause I enjoy the interaction with the fish and I don't feed heavily but I will do it. It also goes againsteverything I've learned in planted aquaria but ok!
I have not feed the fish since the beginning of last August and the algae has not let up, at all! Getting close to pond season now I want to try to get this under control.
Future?
I've been doing as much research as possible and I keep planted aquariums. My theory is that when the plants started suffering and the algae started growing is when the plant mass was larger then the nutrients provided and the nutrients ran out. The plant mass was quite large by that time too. If you look at my water parameters the water is void of everything even super low in TDS. In planted aquariums you can have excess nutrients without algae as long as your plants are healthy and the light is not ridiculously high BUT having even one nutrient bottom out causes the plants to suffer then algae is all too happy to take over as it only need a tiny bit of nutrients to grow where as the plants need a higher amount of a variety of nutrients to be healthy.
But we are talking about ponds here. This is NOT something I see discussed in pond care though, always the opposite and that phosphorous is most evil thing created. In planted aquariums years ago it was the same though, then the community got a better understanding of what was really going on and discovered that Phos wasn't THE problem but healthy plants were the solution and by giving them excess nutrients they flourished and algae never gets a chance.
In conclusion, I feel that the excess sunlight and LACK of nutrients may be what is causing the imbalance of my pond. what do you guys think now?
This is what the pond looks like today, took pictures before I cleared the leaves like I do very regularly even in the winter.
It was windy, sorry for the extra ripples. I had already removed the aerator but the algae was all over the hose and string for that too.
This one section of the falls is clear though oddly, usually it is covered as well.
Water quality
* Ammonia Level (pond) 0.0
* Nitrite Level (pond) 0.0 nitrate 0.0 also
* Ammonia Level (tap water) 0.0
* Nitrite Level (tap water) 0.0
* Ph Level, pond (If possible, KH, GH and chlorine) ph 8.0, kh 4, gh 4, phosphates 0, iron - 0, TDS - 80
* Ph Level, tap water (If possible, KH, GH and chlorine) 7.8, 9, 9, 0
* Brand of test-kit used and whether strips or drops? API liquid test, Seachem iron test, 2 TDS meters
Other useful information:
* Water temperature? 53F
* Pond size and how long has it been running? ~4,000g, running since the end of the summer 2014
* What is the name and size of the filter(s)? 10'x3' gravel bog, 30ft stream, lots of plants, DIY skimmer w/medium sponge and pond master 5000 biofalls with medium sponge mat and bio media
* How often do you change the water and how much? 50% water changes in spring and fall during cleanout but besides that water is removed when it overflows (often enough) and is replaced by rain or auto top off (auto top off rarely comes on)
* How many days ago was the last water change and how much did you change? see above
* How many fish in the pond and their type? about 20 standard goldfish ranging from 4in to 12in + 2 babies
* What kind of water additives or conditioners have you used? none, filtered well water
* What do you feed your fish and how often? Used to, drs foster and smith staple, every other day and are feed very slowly so no food is allowed to escape the fishes mouths (none goes into the skimmer or around the edge). Have not feed the fish since last August 2015
* Any new fish added to the pond recently? not since startup
* Any medications added to the pond? never
* List entire medication/treatment history for fish and pond. none
* Any unusual findings on the fish? one fish as had a popped eye since last summer, seemed caused by some sort of trauma while they were breeding
* Any unusual behavior like staying at the bottom, not eating, etc.? no
Additional info - Pond gets TONS of sunlight. I am on a well but the iron is high so we use a water softener/conditioner. That water is what I use to clean the pond and refill after vacuuming but the auto top off is raw water that has been ran through a dedicated iron filter only.
History
I finished my pond in the fall of 2014, several plants were planted at that time. That winter some filamentous algae grew in the main pond only, not the stream. Shortly after the ice melted it floated up from the bottom of the pond and was caught by the filters and was gone from the pond. Once the water was warm enough I did start feeding my fish very lightly and slowly letting no food reach the skimmer or edges. Beginning of May green water started, I added an umbrella for shade, by mid June it was cleared up. Shortly after that I started seeing the first signs of nutrient deficiency in my plants, lilies and marsh plants alike. End of June the first bit of filamentous algae starts in the stream and has not gone away since! Mid July every plant is suffering in some way and the algae in the stream is spreading, it could have been in the pond as well but the fish seem to eat it faster than it grows.
Beginning of August I came here for help after manual removal was not working. Answers I got were....
1. That the rocks in the stream were collecting debris and releasing nutrients that the algae was using too fast to get a reading on my tests.
Response - I clean the stream in the spring and fall thoroughly and I can move all the rocks around and find nothing more than some sand.
2. Stop feeding the fish because that is adding too much phosphorus and they have enough natural food.
Response - I'll try it. I don't like the idea cause I enjoy the interaction with the fish and I don't feed heavily but I will do it. It also goes againsteverything I've learned in planted aquaria but ok!
I have not feed the fish since the beginning of last August and the algae has not let up, at all! Getting close to pond season now I want to try to get this under control.
Future?
I've been doing as much research as possible and I keep planted aquariums. My theory is that when the plants started suffering and the algae started growing is when the plant mass was larger then the nutrients provided and the nutrients ran out. The plant mass was quite large by that time too. If you look at my water parameters the water is void of everything even super low in TDS. In planted aquariums you can have excess nutrients without algae as long as your plants are healthy and the light is not ridiculously high BUT having even one nutrient bottom out causes the plants to suffer then algae is all too happy to take over as it only need a tiny bit of nutrients to grow where as the plants need a higher amount of a variety of nutrients to be healthy.
But we are talking about ponds here. This is NOT something I see discussed in pond care though, always the opposite and that phosphorous is most evil thing created. In planted aquariums years ago it was the same though, then the community got a better understanding of what was really going on and discovered that Phos wasn't THE problem but healthy plants were the solution and by giving them excess nutrients they flourished and algae never gets a chance.
In conclusion, I feel that the excess sunlight and LACK of nutrients may be what is causing the imbalance of my pond. what do you guys think now?
This is what the pond looks like today, took pictures before I cleared the leaves like I do very regularly even in the winter.
It was windy, sorry for the extra ripples. I had already removed the aerator but the algae was all over the hose and string for that too.
This one section of the falls is clear though oddly, usually it is covered as well.
or 