Algae/green water
#1
Algae/green water
Hi everyone.
I have a huge algae problem in my outdoor pond. I have a filter system as well as a filtered water pump. It seems that every 3 weeks, I have to completely empty my pond of approx.100 gals, because it totally turns green with algae. I have used all kinds of algae chemicals/chemicals to treat/solidify the algae to no avail. In the pond there is a Koi and a goldfish, after two weeks you can't see them except at feeding time because of the density of algae. Does anyone know of a way to combat this problem and if it helps I live in California.
Thank you.
Mike
I have a huge algae problem in my outdoor pond. I have a filter system as well as a filtered water pump. It seems that every 3 weeks, I have to completely empty my pond of approx.100 gals, because it totally turns green with algae. I have used all kinds of algae chemicals/chemicals to treat/solidify the algae to no avail. In the pond there is a Koi and a goldfish, after two weeks you can't see them except at feeding time because of the density of algae. Does anyone know of a way to combat this problem and if it helps I live in California.
Thank you.
Mike
#2
Mike,
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but a 100 gal pond is too small for a Koi. They can get quite large, up to two feet or so!! Think about a bigger pond for your koi.
Ahhh, green water, aka pea soup.
Okay, stop changing out the 100 gals with new water every three weeks.
You are just planting the seed to start the green cycle all over again.
There are TWO keys to stopping green water:
First is filtration removal - get some quilt batting and put it in your mechanical filter system. You can change it every couple days as needed if it gets too clogged.
Second, is PATIENCE. Give your filters time to clear up the green.
Algal blooms usually occur in spring as the water warms, but they generally clear up in two to three weeks.
good luck,
fred
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but a 100 gal pond is too small for a Koi. They can get quite large, up to two feet or so!! Think about a bigger pond for your koi.
Ahhh, green water, aka pea soup.
Okay, stop changing out the 100 gals with new water every three weeks.
You are just planting the seed to start the green cycle all over again.
There are TWO keys to stopping green water:
First is filtration removal - get some quilt batting and put it in your mechanical filter system. You can change it every couple days as needed if it gets too clogged.
Second, is PATIENCE. Give your filters time to clear up the green.
Algal blooms usually occur in spring as the water warms, but they generally clear up in two to three weeks.
good luck,
fred
#3
Algae bloom, fight it with plants
I agree with all of Fred's points.
When you flush out the whole system, your killing the good bacteria that will help to combat this problem. There are some bacteria boosters on the market that work well for setting up the pond & mantaining proper balance which is hard enough to do with such a small pond.
I hate to tell you but the reality is that the smaller the pond, the harder it is going to be to keep things in check. You also may have way too much sunlight getting into the pond, shallow ponds in open areas commonly have this problem. Find a way to shade the pond part of the day, especially in the afternoon.
I went from a 350 gal. pond to a 1200 gal. pond & have never had these problems but my pond only gets direct sunlight from morning to early afternoon, roughly 5 to 6 hours.
Plants are a good way to deal with this problem. With a larger pond, you can have lilies or tiger lotus, maybe some taro or umbrella palm that will help shade the pond surface. The plants also help fight the algae by using up the nutrients that they need to survive.
Anacharis or Cabomba will directly fight the algae by secreating antibodies that resist the growth & providing oxygen that will be benificial to the fish. You can find plenty of this stuff on the online auction sites & save money compared to the retail fish & pet stores, also the fish will nibble on the stuff as well.
Hope this helps.
When you flush out the whole system, your killing the good bacteria that will help to combat this problem. There are some bacteria boosters on the market that work well for setting up the pond & mantaining proper balance which is hard enough to do with such a small pond.
I hate to tell you but the reality is that the smaller the pond, the harder it is going to be to keep things in check. You also may have way too much sunlight getting into the pond, shallow ponds in open areas commonly have this problem. Find a way to shade the pond part of the day, especially in the afternoon.
I went from a 350 gal. pond to a 1200 gal. pond & have never had these problems but my pond only gets direct sunlight from morning to early afternoon, roughly 5 to 6 hours.
Plants are a good way to deal with this problem. With a larger pond, you can have lilies or tiger lotus, maybe some taro or umbrella palm that will help shade the pond surface. The plants also help fight the algae by using up the nutrients that they need to survive.
Anacharis or Cabomba will directly fight the algae by secreating antibodies that resist the growth & providing oxygen that will be benificial to the fish. You can find plenty of this stuff on the online auction sites & save money compared to the retail fish & pet stores, also the fish will nibble on the stuff as well.
Hope this helps.
#4
Mike
If you continue to just change water you will kill your fish and have the same problem.
I am very new at ponds but I learned a few things .... you can
change water everyday, add chemicals everyday or two or try to work with mother nature. I have selected mother nature and I am doing quite well with a pond only a month old. Maybe you were too quick and didn't give the pond time to "fix" the problem.
I will only tell you the first option so as not to confuse this issue. You need something to stabilize the good bacteria. With the water changes you cannot achieve that. There are many good products to get your pond stabalized with bacteria. I can't name the name of the company I use so just look around and find a good product.
I am very new at ponds but I learned a few things .... you can
change water everyday, add chemicals everyday or two or try to work with mother nature. I have selected mother nature and I am doing quite well with a pond only a month old. Maybe you were too quick and didn't give the pond time to "fix" the problem.
I will only tell you the first option so as not to confuse this issue. You need something to stabilize the good bacteria. With the water changes you cannot achieve that. There are many good products to get your pond stabalized with bacteria. I can't name the name of the company I use so just look around and find a good product.
#6
Go to my website below to find natural solutions to keep your pond algae free.
Some of the solutions I have researched are:
1. Daphnia (they eat algae, they will survive the winter if there is liquid water anywhere)
2. Clams (also eat algae)
3. Freshwater shrimp, like ghost shrimp (eat algae)
4. Certain fish in your pet store eat algae, but are not winter hardy.
5. Duckweed, fast growing weed to shade out the sun.
6. Use other plants to shade out the sun, like water lettuce.
This is not a sales pitch, it is just information I have collected. I don't sell anything there.
http://chuckr.freeshell.org/pond.htm
Some of the solutions I have researched are:
1. Daphnia (they eat algae, they will survive the winter if there is liquid water anywhere)
2. Clams (also eat algae)
3. Freshwater shrimp, like ghost shrimp (eat algae)
4. Certain fish in your pet store eat algae, but are not winter hardy.
5. Duckweed, fast growing weed to shade out the sun.
6. Use other plants to shade out the sun, like water lettuce.
This is not a sales pitch, it is just information I have collected. I don't sell anything there.
http://chuckr.freeshell.org/pond.htm
#7
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Personally I'm not really sure where you have your pond located but with a 100 gallon pond I hope you have it in the shade pretty much all day except for the morning hours or you will be pretty much cooking those fish.
Don't do water changes like your doing now, stick with maybe a 10-20% water change per week.
As far as the algae problem, If I was you I would put the fish in a temporary holding area. Then empty the pond and completely scrub the pond out, fill the pond and add water condition, get the pond water ready for fish. Put the pond in a shady area, get the filters all clean. Then go out and get a tetra pond uv sterilizer, with your size pond you can probable get the smallest one they sell, which will still run you somewhere around $100.
The aglea problem is a hard one to fight but with any luck you should do fine, just remember your pond liner should always be covered with aglea which is good. The uv light will keep that water super clear.
As far as me telling you to completely empty the pond out and clean it, this would be a one time deal just to get your self a fresh start.
What did you do for the pond in the winter, a pond that size most have been a ice cube. Did you bring the fish in for the winter or did you use a heater?
Don't do water changes like your doing now, stick with maybe a 10-20% water change per week.
As far as the algae problem, If I was you I would put the fish in a temporary holding area. Then empty the pond and completely scrub the pond out, fill the pond and add water condition, get the pond water ready for fish. Put the pond in a shady area, get the filters all clean. Then go out and get a tetra pond uv sterilizer, with your size pond you can probable get the smallest one they sell, which will still run you somewhere around $100.
The aglea problem is a hard one to fight but with any luck you should do fine, just remember your pond liner should always be covered with aglea which is good. The uv light will keep that water super clear.
As far as me telling you to completely empty the pond out and clean it, this would be a one time deal just to get your self a fresh start.
What did you do for the pond in the winter, a pond that size most have been a ice cube. Did you bring the fish in for the winter or did you use a heater?
#8
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We have a small pond and last summer had a bad algae problem. She found a product that cured it in 4 days and no more algae the rest of summer. If you care to E-mail us I'll give you the product name, etc.
Mike A
Mike A
#9
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Originally Posted by mla2ofus
We have a small pond and last summer had a bad algae problem. She found a product that cured it in 4 days and no more algae the rest of summer. If you care to E-mail us I'll give you the product name, etc.
Mike A
Mike A
I sent you a private message