How to Control Pond Algae - Ask #39 

Also use pond tint. Lilies work great. They provide shade.

I recently moved and made an above grade pond. For weeks my water was brown. I tried a few things that didnt work. I watched this video bought some hyacinth and overnight saw a difference. My water is clear.

I'm driving down the road and I see a little pond with water plants, can I use the wild plants in the pond for algae control?

Hey Sr Eric. Happy New Year. The question I have is about my pond. The water is clear here in central Cali, but I'm starting to get green string algae. it's cold and 30-45 deg. I'm not feeding & all my plants are inside me garage to protect from the frost. it's a 1100 gal. square raised pond. let me know any suggestions.

Lily pads do grow and multiply, and do add a lot of shade for a shallow pond. They grow and root considerably, they start growing earlier in spring, and last longer than other plants into the fall, if you have an actual winter. How deep they are in the pond can be a factor in how much they spread and grow. So I think them being useless for filtration is a big underestimation. They can still be models, but ones that can actually walk and chew gum at the same time. There are solar options for pond pumps, add it to a bucket with filter media, and make some additional filtration and airation besides plants. Solar pump, windmill pump, could be ran to a bog filter which would increase filtration. Bog filter can be higher than pond, overflowing into pond, which can increase airation, or it could be tied in to utilize existing water levels with no pumps to it. Long stems of lilies or swords moving in the wind, break surface tension, and increase gasses being exchanged, some Floating plants are quick multipliers, but their long dangling roots, quickly reduce the area the fish have in a shallow pond, and its harder to see fish are even in the pond. We went several years with lilies, iris, sword plants, all in pots along two sides away from a seam we have along the middle. Plants all multiplied, and rooted outside their pots, and the entire floor of the pond was one six + inch mat of intertwined roots. Pulled out it all gradually, had to feel to even find the pots in the roots. Roots have gone through the seam several years ago. Redid seam with rubber roofing seam tape and reinforced it with less of a flap at the lap, and its held fine. Entire pond bottom blanked in roots didn't compromise redone seam. Our pond is 6'x6'x20". Around 400 gallons with plants and pots calculated for. Bucket filter out in the middle, with a water dome fountain. Pump out bottom of side of bucket. Roll, flat long 6 inch filter pad in a coil to bucket size, flat round filter pad bucket size on top of that. Our filter needs cleaned about once a month. Remove bucket and pump hose off filter pads, rinse bucket, re roll coil, put it back in pond, takes 10 minutes. Use a stock tank de icer on a half cinder block in the winter to keep pond surface from freezing over. Cinder block keeps heater mid way in pond, so top stays clear of ice. Ran 2" pvc from gutters of house to pond, to let rain fill pond. Over flow pipe out another side at top, routed away from pond. Twenty sarasa comets, is our usual fish count. Our plants are all in pots in dirt, one pot is an old plastic mop bucket. Pond was put in back in the 90's, went dry from root going through seam in mid 2000's. Restarted with 5 sarasa, which bread, and as some died, we added a few more at a time, with other traits we want to see added to the variety of offspring. Hadn't seen babies for a year or two, so also added a few, 3 at a time to make sure both sexes were still there to breed, staying below the 20 fish max. Oldest biggest fish, is bigger than your hand. it was a few years old in 2010, when we restocked. It is the only one left from the original 5. Most of the offspring have been typical goldfish shape, or torpedo, but some in each generation were butterfly, dragon, shaped. We feed the fish only occasionally max a few times a week, or as a treat, when we want to see them. The plants, mosquito larvae, algae are plenty of food for them, in an established ecosystem pond. Just me going to the pond edge, they gather where I am. Don't have to feed constantly for them to develop that behavior. Before the lilies cover the pond, can see the fish nibbling on a variety of already in the pond options, long before We never have green water. Some years we are able to get hyacinth, and water lettuce, some years its not easy to find locally. But one plant of each quickly multiply and cover the entire top of pond, and each ones roots hang down 6" to 8" +. Water lettuce has gone from one plant to 20 to 30, in a month. Hyacinth has gone from 2 to 20, in that same time. Usually our lily pads will cover the entire pond on their own, by summer. Keeping duckweed in an above ground statue fountain, and adding it to pond a little at a time, as the fish would eat it all at once, if it was in the pond. Last year I left the pump running all winter, with the fountain tube off. Previous winter was a hard one and lost 7 fish. This year was about the same and only lost 1 over the winter. Eventually we may add another same size pond, and a bog to divide plants to, feeding it from both ponds, but keeping a bog from freezing would be a challenge. Until then, most of removed plants go to the yard waste drop off. Also considering putting a pergola over the pond, to shade it some. But the plants have been working fine for 20+ years as it is now. Shading them, would reduce their effectiveness at filtering. I prefer comet goldfish to koi, for the entire ponds aesthetic with plants, and shallow depth. To dig a deeper than 20" pond, you have to fence it in, even if its in a fenced in yard here. Even if we had a deeper pond, id stick with goldfish as my stock choice. Some years we add a few tadpoles, and have had frogs from one bunch, several consecutive years. Would like to gradually add some orandas, and see how that goes, and how they winter here. Ive had them in aquariums, and don't think putting them in with comets in a pond will be as bad of a competition issue as some experts advise. I've observed comets in the pond for decades, and don't see that being an issue. I am 200 miles south of Chicago, for climate context.

My pond is well filtered and crystal clear .. but is it necessary to run the filtration 24/7 ?? Or do you switch off at night ? I also run big airstones in there

I love the plant strawberries and cream in my pond and filters it cleans great and really looks pretty .I divided a lot of mine up and gave them away .

could you talk more about the shrimp pond ?

Do you think If i build a koi pond that is not concrete could I put rock on the walls of the liner?

@theponddigger Hi Sir, i wonder if duckweed would be also be good since these can feed from the phospate and im not sure if that includes amonia which comes from the the fishes waste. Aside from that it gives the shade and lastly it becomes fishes' food. Am I right?

I have a quesrion hope you can answer it is hydroperoxide good to kill string algae and wont kill my koi fish

Would like to know more about those floating ferns. great topic and solution as always.

Water hyacinth. I had green water, + within a day or two the hyacinth CLEARED my water, could see the fish again, and they bloom. they do grow quickly, had to keep propagating.

You mention that water lillies do not do much for water chemistry, what about Lotus?

Good day PondDigger. I was wondering I am travelling by your neck of the woods and would like to pick up some Las Vegas tolerant floating plants for my pond any thing you recommend that you stock.

What about glass on the floor? The tumbled kind with no sharp edges, the kind you put in the gas fire pit.

What about the use of Phosphate remover,and pond dye to control algae?

Would adding pleco fish in my koi pond be beneficial in controlling the algae?

#AskThePondigger I converted an above ground swimming pool into a pond and was wondering if the plastics could be harmful to the fish

Do you know how to care for a betta fish in a pond?

#askThePondDigger Eric what do you do with the old skimmers you take out? Are any of the available?

Is it humane to have to have no filtration in a pond with fish in it?

ThePondDigger , I'm all ears, Eric. Floating ferns!! What's their botanical name and where can I find them in SoCal? My supermodels need neighbors.

Hi Algae needs sun and heat for it to grow right?Can you try this please. How about if you cover the entire pond just above the pond with foil insulation that way it will reflect the sun ray away from the pond, see if its going to work. I just dont have a pond anymore for me to try it on, but I am going to build one soon. I love your advise about ponds. Michael from Australia

lilies do take nutrients out of the water once they are established.

floating ferns ?Never heard of them or seen them around here .Also there has been a lot of talk about this nualgi stuff .I wonder what your take is on this stuff .I have heard some bad some good .I am always leery about miracles for your pond

#asktheponddigger - What is the name of the large floating fern? Thank you

ok .....that was fun

i have one question. how do you not have a TV show?!

Just get a uv filter

uv sterilizer

Smart wife...

And last time I checked super models make a lot more than pond diggers. Very insulting comments about women.

i have one question. how do you not have a TV show?!