What can I do about the scum building on the sides of my pond? (Pics inside)

[char]

I have a small pond that I keep various types of fish in.
My problem has always been that it fills up with algae and other muck so that you can't see anything besides solid green water.
Here's what I mean:

My old thread about it is here.

My solution was to put a white tarp around the edges of the pond.
This way the fish and pond would be more visible.
I also added a bucket filtration system that runs the water through gravel and then back in again.
This worked at first...

But 12 days later, it looked like this:

However, the difference this time was the water itself was still clear, the sides of the pond had just become all gunked up with crud, making the whole thing look dirty. At least the problem of solid green algae water has been fixed, though.

But now, what can I do about the sides getting all gunked up? I can put the fish in a bucket, empty out the pond, take out the tarp, spend an hour washing it off, put the tarp back in again, fill the pond back up again and put the fish back in again but that takes half a day and it seems rather pointless if it's just going to become gunked up again in the next 12 days or less.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks! :redface:

 

[char]

I have a small pond that I keep various types of fish in.
My problem has always been that it fills up with algae and other muck so that you can't see anything besides solid green water.
Here's what I mean:

My old thread about it is here.

My solution was to put a white tarp around the edges of the pond.
This way the fish and pond would be more visible.
I also added a bucket filtration system that runs the water through gravel and then back in again.
This worked at first...

But 12 days later, it looked like this:

However, the difference this time was the water itself was still clear, the sides of the pond had just become all gunked up with crud, making the whole thing look dirty. At least the problem of solid green algae water has been fixed, though.

But now, what can I do about the sides getting all gunked up? I can put the fish in a bucket, empty out the pond, take out the tarp, spend an hour washing it off, put the tarp back in again, fill the pond back up again and put the fish back in again but that takes half a day and it seems rather pointless if it's just going to become gunked up again in the next 12 days or less.
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks! :redface:

 

[Oldhead]

actually the green on the sides is a good thing. If the water is clear and the water tests fine then all is good

 

[Oldhead]

actually the green on the sides is a good thing. If the water is clear and the water tests fine then all is good

 

[3qtkidz]

do you have a UV running? A little green stuff on the side walls is not that bad. The fish will munch on it. What about adding a few plants to help with filtration and algea control? Just a few suggestions I had.

 

[3qtkidz]

do you have a UV running? A little green stuff on the side walls is not that bad. The fish will munch on it. What about adding a few plants to help with filtration and algea control? Just a few suggestions I had.

 

[The Juice]

I agree with the putting a uv light in. You might also want to upgrade the filter a little from just gravel.

 

[The Juice]

I agree with the putting a uv light in. You might also want to upgrade the filter a little from just gravel.

 

[DrDave]

Your most immediate solution is circulation, filtration and some floating plants.

These small shallow ponds are very difficult to maintain. Floating plants require some depth for their roots and the Beckett pump (shown) and filter clogs up every day with crud.

I would start with a larger volume pump, add an external bio filter and let the water fall back into the pond. Have so floaters to help with filtration and shade and you may be surprised how nice it can get in a few weeks of running. All without the UV.

 

[DrDave]

Your most immediate solution is circulation, filtration and some floating plants.

These small shallow ponds are very difficult to maintain. Floating plants require some depth for their roots and the Beckett pump (shown) and filter clogs up every day with crud.

I would start with a larger volume pump, add an external bio filter and let the water fall back into the pond. Have so floaters to help with filtration and shade and you may be surprised how nice it can get in a few weeks of running. All without the UV.

 

[char]

do you have a UV running? A little green stuff on the side walls is not that bad. The fish will munch on it. What about adding a few plants to help with filtration and algea control? Just a few suggestions I had.

I don't have a UV sterilizer running; I've considered getting one but they all seem to be designed for much larger ponds and are also pretty pricy. If you or anyone else could point me in the direction of an inexpensive smaller one though, that would be great.

What types of plants should I add, specifically? There's not a whole lot of room so they can't be too big.

You might also want to upgrade the filter a little from just gravel.

what kind of upgrades are you thinking of?

I would start with a larger volume pump, add an external bio filter and let the water fall back into the pond.

Do you have any recommendations for specific models or brands that I could look up?


Thanks again for all the help!

 

[char]

do you have a UV running? A little green stuff on the side walls is not that bad. The fish will munch on it. What about adding a few plants to help with filtration and algea control? Just a few suggestions I had.

I don't have a UV sterilizer running; I've considered getting one but they all seem to be designed for much larger ponds and are also pretty pricy. If you or anyone else could point me in the direction of an inexpensive smaller one though, that would be great.

What types of plants should I add, specifically? There's not a whole lot of room so they can't be too big.

You might also want to upgrade the filter a little from just gravel.

what kind of upgrades are you thinking of?

I would start with a larger volume pump, add an external bio filter and let the water fall back into the pond.

Do you have any recommendations for specific models or brands that I could look up?


Thanks again for all the help!

 

[The Juice]

Do a search on here for a DIY bio filter. You would probably only need something in the 10-15 gallon range, but you can never have to big of a filter.

 

[The Juice]

Do a search on here for a DIY bio filter. You would probably only need something in the 10-15 gallon range, but you can never have to big of a filter.

 

[char]

Hey guys, three more questions if that's alright:

1. What exactly is the difference between an external bio filter and what I have already? The water goes through a filter, up a tube and out of the pond into an external bucket full of gravel which pours back into the pond again. How would the effect of an external bio filter be different than this?

2. This is sort of unrelated to the original topic, but now that I have an order of floating plants on the way, I'm thinking the wire screen I have covering the pond is going to get in the way an awful lot. Does anyone here have any experience with building a small wall around the edges of ponds so that the fish can't jump out? Mine are usually pretty determined to do so, and it's not pleasant when it happens...less pleasant when my dogs find them first and roll in them. Would a small wall work, and if so, approximately how high should it be/what should it be made of?

3. Is there something better than gravel that I could be putting into the bucket...? I.e. something that would filter it better?

Thanks again for the help