my pond water has turned a green colour ! with a lather on top any ideas to correct it ?

Question

there is no sign of blanketweed

i also have a waterfall installed

and a pump and filter

Answer 1

I suspect that one of the plants you have in the pond is a producer of saponins, a common substance produced by plants, but which has soap like qualities - the commonest being "soapwort" a common garden plant that was used as a cleanser before modern detergents came about.
If the saponin level in your pond has risen, the churning effect of the waterfall will have produced the lather. - you will often see it in fast flowing rivers and streams.
It is harmless.
The green colour will be due to unicellular algal growth, stimulated by a high nitrate content of the water, (particularly if you have fish) and sunlight, it obviously likes your pond. Most natural ponds turn green at some time in the year, and again it is nothing really to worry about, and indeed the algae is lowering the nitrate content of your water by "locking it up"
There are many suggested ways of clearing it - commercial products such as "green away" will do the job temporarily but are expensive, and I don't think adding artificial chemicals to the water does the pond life a lot of good. A net or an old nylon stocking stuffed with barley straw is also reputed to clear ponds of algal growth, but if you don't mind having a green pond for a while, it will subside as the Autumn draws on, and isn't really anything to worry about.

Answer 2

In the Middle Ages sheaves of corn were ceremonially thrown into village ponds
and wells to ensure the purity of the water. More recently farmers have found, often
by accident, that a bale of straw in the farm pond keeps it clear. Research over
fifteen years at the Centre for Aquatic Plant Management, an outstation of The
Institute of Arable Crop Research at Long Ashton, has proved the effectiveness of
barley straw in keeping pond water clear.
FROM http://www.maxgardensandponds.com/barley.html
Try reading through this site, I also use barley mats and they work great and the current one has been in place for two years without needing replacement.
A

Answer 3

The sunlight has caused this change. The answer to correct it is either by adding plants and adding fish. This will be totally corrected by the flow of water, pump and waterfall possibly.

Answer 4

I have no idea how to correct the problem.
The lather suggests fermentation.
I used to have a pond myself and I recall something about not overfeeding the fish otherwise this sort of problem will happen.
Sorry, can't offer you a cure - but can suggest that you use less food!

Answer 5

How much sunlight is it getting? I have a small 100 gal pond, one of those plastic molded ones from the store. Mine's green, and it's in the sun all day. I'm scoping out where to move it so it gets more shade.

Answer 6

get your oxygen l;evels right and your pond will be clear,
you need 3 different types of plants, oxygenators, marginal and floaters (water lily type) also some bugs and snails help, I have had a clear pond for the past 15 years, with no pump or filters.
good luck

Answer 7

Use barley mats they do work! but you could also try fitting a UV filter, your water passes through your pump and through a filter fitted with a UV bulb. I find the fishmate an excellent filter to use but you will need an extra power point.

Answer 8

hello if its really best go to the pet shop and ask about it. That would be your best bet just to be on the safe side for the sake of your fish. Some people use sucker fish r a wire to get rid of it. I would rather ask where you bought your fish just to make sure you don't do any damage to your fish are your pond. Let me know how you get on.

Answer 9

Try EcoAqualizer for Ponds (www.Ecoaqualizer.com). It Help on my salt water tank, but they do offer an option for ponds, I think it would be worth a shot.

Answer 10

trust me on this, done it myself works every time......the green film is algae, get some wheat straw tie it with wire and place it in your pond after a couple of weeks your pond will be free of algae,, just repeat it if it comes back, the wheat straw neutralises the nitrates that build up in the water, old countrymans trick around culverts.