why o why is my pond so green?

Question

i have followed all advice given to me by my local fish supplier. and yet my pond is green. any one know what to do. i have tried all the chemicals. i cant afford a ultra violet light box.

it has loads of snails

its got an antialge chemical in the water

i have a filter box and pump that is more than addiquate for the ponds size fitted!

it is also shelterd from the sun!

and it has oxogenating plants in!

Answer 1

Is your pond fairly new? This does happen until it finds the right balance. It generally settles with time.Don't be tempted to change the water!!!! Its very frustrating.Its all down to algae.Pond Algae comes in many different forms, even different colors (green algae, red algae, brown algae). The two kinds of pond algae frustrating backyard pond owners most often, though, are "green water algae" and "string algae" (also called "blanket weed" or "hair algae")
Green pond water algae are single cell plants that can make the pond look like “pea soup”. These plants are so tiny that they can pass right through a pond filter. Consequently additional forms of control have to be used. Algaecides are not a good choice in the garden pond or water garden, because they will also harm pond and aquatic plants.
It is very important to balance the pH in the pond (it should be between 6.8 and 7.4). Nothing in the pond will be very successful until this first step is taken. Easy to use test kits are available to measure the pH.
Once the pH is balanced one can introduce beneficial bacteria and lots of aquatic plants to compete with the algae for nutrients in the pond and hopefully starve the green water algae. (It is important not to clean the pond filter with chlorinated tap water - this will kill the beneficial bacteria).
Flocculants are available that are harmless to pond fish and pond plants, but make the algae clump together so it can be picked up by the pond filter. It is advisable to clean the pond filter more regularly after using the product, so the green water algae can be efficiently eliminated.
Ultra-Violet-Clarifiers are modern mechanical devices that eliminate green water algae for good. These UV lights are used in conjunction with a good pond filter to kill and then remove the algae from the water.What about a second hand one?
String algae (or Blanket Weed or Hair Algae) often grows in water with high pH values. The pH must be lowered to 6.8 - 7.4 to slow the growth of this type of algae. There are just a few products available to eliminate existing string algae safely without harming the aquatic plants in the pond.
Movement of the water is important. Fountain,waterfall ?

Answer 2

How big is your pond? Where do you live? If you don't have enough filtration, the pond will grow lots of algae. Also, if it gets lots of sunlight and you don't have any cover, like lily pads, the algae will grow more. Algae eaters are a good idea, but good filtration will help the most. A UV filter is the best, but they are expensive. If you are considering getting one, look at www.drsfostersmith.com. They have some good deals on pond supplies including filters both mechanical, biological, and UV. You might need to add some pond bacteria every week or so until you get a good balance. You can't really over-do it, but it doesn't work better if you add too much. Also, barley pellets help keep algae down, but it takes at least a month before you will notice anything. You can add it now and get it working for later. Don't add a bunch of chemicals. If you use something like Algae Fix, you need to do some major filter cleaning and add lots of bacteria to get rid of the dead algae, otherwise, it just becomes food for more algae. Also, don't overfeed your fish, if you have them. They should eat all of the food you put out within 5 minutes. If there is food left, you are overfeeding and the extra food just becomes food for algae. Clean out any leaves or debris at the bottom of the pond and any that fall in. It takes a while to get it under control, but if you just keep at it, it will go away.

Answer 3

Save yourself a fortune buying Chemicals and fork out for a UV clarifier. Not only keeps the pond clear but also destroys bacteria that attacks your fish. You will have to work out the amount of water in your pond to know what size of filter box to buy. Rule of thumb is you have to pass at least 30 - 50% through the filter an hour. You can now buy a pump / filter / UV clarifier all in the one unit.

Once you get your UV Box you have to replace the UV bulb once a year as it degrades with time.

Other than that go to your local pond supplier and buy Barley Straw. When this breaks down in your pond it attacks your algae and clears your water. Buy some Fairy Moss or get the garden centre to give you some out of their ponds. You will not need much as it spreads like wild fire to cover about 70% of your ponds surface. Handy for your fish to hide from the flying murdering B******* Herons! If there was a reason for a gun....thats it. Don't buy one of those stupid Decoy Plastic Herons. It just encourages more of them. Everybody told me they hunt alone, and if they see another Heron they stay well clear............NOT True!......Had 4 of the scum in a feeding frenzie at the same time.

You will also need a pump to keep the water moving get a fountain attachment or build a waterfall to keep up the levels of Oxygen up. If your fish are all up at the surface with frantic mouth opening and closing.....you have Oxygen depletion!

Answer 4

a cheap short term way is to buy a couple of bags of daphnia from the pet shop as they live on algae(green water) but the only answer really is to save up for a UV filter,there not that expensive. I'm sure if you look on eBay or in the ads you can pick a cheap one up or a 2ND haND one.i had the same prob once and managed to get a 2nd hand one off a guy at work,the water in my pond ended up like drinking water.there that good.

Answer 5

You could try getting an algae eater or some kind of snail. Greenness is almost certainly algae, which an algae eater or snail will eat. You could also try introducing certain small organisms such as water fleas to your pond; they will help eat the algae and your fish can in turn eat them.

Answer 6

**You don't need an algea eater. we have a pond also. you must install something to keep the water moving, circulating. we have the regular pond and a smallish pond bucket thing below. this is where small amounts of the water is emptied down into, then it is pushed back up withthe pump. the over pon placement wasn't too bad. go checkout a home depot.. err, actually home depot has horrid costomer service.

Answer 7

maybe a good idea to empty some water from the pond syphon some out and top up with fresh water a good idea is to get some old tights cut off the ends and add some charcoal which you can get from your pet shop layer up the tights with a layer of charcoal and then a layer of cotton wall and place a few of them to your pond along with you oxygenating plants this should help change them every month if poss this should help without harming your fish

Answer 8

Algae has caused your pond to turn green. It is normal though if it is too much , it can choke out aquatic life. Try to websites below for seasonal care regarding your pond. Good luck!

Answer 9

try to cover at least 75% of your pond's surface with plants and water lilies, plant small trees and shrubs nearby to shade, build a canopy over it for shade, use heavy filtration and wait for all these things to come together
I know how aggravating this can be
Good Luck

Answer 10

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