Algae

[milliemax]

  I have an above ground preform, about 400 gal with 6 comets/shubbies.
  It's a fairly new set up.
  I have a filter with the balls and the foam stuff and also an ultra violet connected to that.
  The ultra violet really cleared up the water when we hooked it up, but this last week since I have been back from vacation I've noticed the algea growing daily! I kinda take my net and scrape around the bottom and sides, but it kind of has a life of it's own! I have a little vaccum that connects to a hose, but the house sitter filled the pond to the top and using the vac is the same as a partial water change cause it pushes water through the vac and into the pond (if this makes sense)
  I don't like to add chemicals if I can avoid it.
  Any suggestions? Or do I just let it ride?
  BTW it hasn't been very hot. Just low 70s this week.
  TIA  Nancy

[miguynmkoi]

Do you have any plant coverage in the pond?  Strong enough pump for water flow exchange?  Do not scrape the good algae off the sides of the pond.  Sometimes I find when there is an imbalance there may be a few days of floating algae until the beneficial bacterias in the filter box take care of it.

I'm sure more experienced folks on this forum will know better.

[milliemax]

  I have some cat tails and some unicorn grass in the pond.
  I've tried hyacinth a couple of times, but it is too shady. I get dappled sun in that area.
  I would like to know of some shade plants that would work.   Nancy

[Timgod]

Is there any way you can show a picture of what you are talking about.
As miguynmkoi said you usually do not want to get rid of algae that only grows on the liner. That is natural.
Since I built the new pond for the wife's Koi a few months ago I have about a 1.5" shag carpet around the pond. You can see where some of the goldies and plecos are foraging off of it in spots.
This is benefecial for a pond, it should not be green free as that is not a natural state.
If it is floating, or string algae that is another matter and you will want to get rid of it.
Has the water changed color?

Just a few questions to think about.

Tim

[miguynmkoi]

I have about a 1.5" shag carpet around the pond

I like that description!  I only have short berber carpet in my pond.  Feeling warm and fuzzy thinking about it

[milliemax]

  i'M THINKING IT IS  string and floating algae (sorry about the caps)
  I went out to see about the pump and found it FLOATING in the pond!
  We cleaned it out and determined that the string algae glopped up the filter so much that the air got trapped in the filter and made it float away!
  The fish were VERY interested!
  I'll be cleaning the pump/filter weekly now.  Nancy

[frloplady]

Nancy you might want to check it a bit more often at first so you have an idea how fast it will clog up.

String algae in a new pond is almost to be expected.  Feed the fish a bit less will help some.  If your water temps have only been in the 70's it is possible the filter hasn't fully cycled yet too.

I had string algae in my pond last summer, but my filters took a good portion of it out (the stuff that swam loose  )  Better to just take out the excess rather than trying to "fix" it with something as that usually makes it come back worse than before!  I've known of ponders taking a $1 store round brush (toilet brush, hair brush) and putting it on a stick and using that to "catch" the string algae.  Dump it in the compost or right in the garden

[crazyfishlady]

Barley, Barley, Barley. Can't say enough for it. I have a pond that sits in full sun 12 to 14 hrs a day. My hyancinths fried. I have no filtration system and the only thing we add is beneficial bacteria and dechlorinator. My Koi and Goldies are fed only every couple of days and are growing. I have lots of plants; a few lilies in their infancy, underwater, and marginals. I would say there is less than 20% surface coverage. I have floated barley at the top of my falls since day one.

All of a sudden we had this thick stringy algea all through the falls. We noticed the barley had all but disentegrated. I bought more and magic the algae is gone. If your pond is small and you don't want to look at bags of straw floating about; they make these barley straw planters. You can put any plant in the planter and not even see the straw. Or they have pellets or liquid. You can have clear water without a lot of hassle; if you don't overfeed and have plants that eat your fishes nutrients before the algae can grow.

[milliemax]

  OK, barley. I have some in the kitchen! LOL. Barley straw, pellets or liquid, correct?
  At this time I only have a cat tail and a unicorn grass plant in the pond. It seems to be too shady for hyacinth, iris or lillies. I also only have 2 shelves, hence 2 plants. I need to know some that can go well below the water without mucking up the water (I bought some "aquatic soil" from the fish place and am scared to put it in the pond cause when I water it it seems so muddy)
  The stuff cleared a bit after cleaning the filter, but I still added some floating yuk to the compost today.
  I'm still scraping the stringy stuff from the sides, just the long shag, not the Berber!
  Nancy
  PS anyone know if unicorn grass can be divided?

[crazyfishlady]

You can use the barley in any form; the liquid works immediately, but doesn't last as long. They say the straw takes a month to work, but my experience is less than 2 weeks. Don't expect instant improvement. About two weeks after my pond went in it turned totally grren and you couldn't see past the first 3 inches. I just kept buying plants, practically every day. After eight days of yuk you could see halfway down the next day it was clear to the bottom and has stayed that way.

If you don't have anymore shelves; try submerged pants like: Anacharis or Hornwort. They don't need soil. Actually none of my plant's are in pots. I just cover their roots with rocks. I had Hyacinths in my pre-pond pot garden under a covered patio it thrived, didn't flower but was happy and multiplied 'till I had to thin it. I also had good luck in the shade with Umbrella Papyrus, I built my own ledges by turning over glass or stoneware bowls. 

I'm not familar with Unicorn grass, sorry.

I am a newbie too, I only know what my pond man told me, "You can't have too many plants." The pond has to be in balance, radical interventions like UV, water changes and algaecides just delay the process. By the way his best picks for root filtration were Dwarf Cattail and Impatience. The Impatience was a problem with my sun, but I got it going in the semi-shade gravel bog at the top of the falls where the Barley is.

[miguynmkoi]

Nancy I just noticed you live in No Cal.  Maybe the Dahlialama, also No Cal coast, can help you out since you're both in the same general region.  He has pretty good advice on this forum.

[Ky Kim]

Have you checked your UV light.  Sometimes the quartz sleeve will get gunked up.  Best way to clean it is, to use Lime away.  It will take the calcified stuff right off.  Remember don't touch the bulb.  Might be worth checking out.

Kim

[milliemax]

  Thanks Kim, I actually just bought some Lime away! I'll check out the UV.
  Things have cleared up considerably. I've added a few plants from freecycle and a few I bought.
   The only problem now, is the dark color from droppings from my tree. Not leaves (yet) but these little seeds that add tannen to the water. A landscaper we were talking to last week said they are harmless.
  The string stuff seems to be done for now, but we're having a heat wave (for our area) of near 100*. Isn't that when the string algae usually shows up?
  You guys are so much help! Thanks!  Nancy

[miguynmkoi]

The only time I get the "String" is early spring when plants start to wake up (I hope I didn't curse myself)   

It's been Freakin' H O T here!  Two weeks ago when we were going through a hot spell most of the lily pads in my lily ponds melted.  This week they are coming back baby size.  Hopefully the full coverage of fairy weed keeps the water cooler.

[pahunter]

Check out this web site. www.pondclearproducts.com  I use there Hydra Crystal and Hydra Quartz  This stuff works. They will even send you a free sample. Tell them you heard of them on American Ponders and they will give you a 10% discount if you order. You have nothing to lose put your green water. Good Luck ED

[Tommy1]

Try some Barley Straw Pond Strips. They are a natural way and effective at clearing up algea.

[OldMarine]

Hi all,

I've only had small ponds for 12 years, and my latest is a 365 gallon inground pond. Obviously any water exposed to natural daylight will grow algae. Several things that have been the magic equasion for me is the right amount of surface plants, fish, filtration, and trap door snails. I have found that the trap door snails which are about the size of a quarter can do their share of algae cleanup providing that you have enough. I have approximately 20 snails in my 365 gallon pond. I have noticed when I had a out break of string algae, the snails didn't make any different. Several things seemed to work for me. I didn't over feed my shubunkins, I had six water lilliy plants for surface cover, along with water hyacinths, and UV clearifier hooked inline with the water return to the pond. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I strongly feel that it's all about creating that just right balance in your pond that will help minumize your maintnance effects.

A friend turned me on to this simple way to quackly remove string algae on a daily basis when it seems to be getting out of hand. He used a 3/8" diameter wood dowel about three feet long and put it in the chuck of his cordless drill. He would stick the dowel down into the water next to the string algae and give it a spin. The string algae is easily grabbed by the wood and rolls up for quick and easy removal. I was amazed when I tried it. This method won't eliminate string algae altogther, but it's a quick and easy way to keep string algae in check.

Happy ponding,

[ChrisAZPonds]

To deal with surface algae, here is what I suggest doing: (1) when surface algae presents itself, stop feeding your fish and allow them to feed on the surface algae. When the surface algae subsides, only feed your fish once every other day and only what they will eat in 5 minutes. (2) seriously consider using some sort of beneficial bacteria additive to help your biological filter in the break down of organic waste. My favorite is GREEN CLEAN Extreme which is all natural strain of beneficial bacteria (NOT A CHEMICAL). (3) if your using lava rock as a biological media, get rid of it and replace it with bio balls or make your own out of an old garden hose. Lava rock is a PAIN to clean and needs to be changed every season. Bio Balls are re-usable and easy to clean. Also, bio balls allow more oxygen to pass by the beneficial bacteria and that means they will be more active in breaking down waste. (4) watch how you clean your biological filter! You must use pond water to clean any and all bio media. Never use tap water as the temperature difference will surely kill off the beneficial bacteria. If you have a bio falls,CLEAN IT! Most folks leave these alone and they become huge traps for waste. I suggest cleaning them monthly by washing the bio media in a bucket of pond water and then hose off the filter mats with tap water. (5) if you have a filter that back washes, I suggest doing that weekly and twice a week is even better! (6) Try and provide a 50% pond plant coverage as plants will help aid in the break down of waste too. (6) get a cheap test kit like Pond Care's Pond Master Test Kit and keep up with your tests. High levels of things like Nitrates can result in un wanted surface algae!!(7) feed a fish food that is high in FISHMEAL and not loaded with cheap fillers. Cheap fillers always shoot up the organic waste levels.  If you have any additional questions, just drop me a line or give me a call at 800-722-8877 or email chris@azponds.com