How do I remove algae from a pond?

Question

I want to get rid of blanket weed and algae from my pond. I cannot afford a sophisticated solution to clean the water. Which products can I use without harming my fish.

Answer 1

algae and blanketweed live off nitrates, nitrights, phosphates and ammonia, this mixture is the main food source for the algae and blanketweed. Removing them is the key, is you have removed all the algae and it still does not work you will have either an inbalance of natural biomass, which can remove the food source, or another source which is adding to these such as fertalizer....
During summer when the temperature rises algae can grow very quickly. IF you remove the source there is nothing left for the algae and blanketweed to grow with.

There is some very good sites which detail information.
http://www.bionetix.co.uk and also look at the koi forums http://www.koi.com.my/cgi-bin/koiforum/gforum.cgi
all give further details of the above, but a very good product to try without using chemicals is Aquaclean, you use it through the year and the bacteria removes the food source.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Go to your search bar and type in algae removal.
or just the word algae. Some where is a site to give you the information. Or try a local garden center, or a garden pond center. Even try them on line. If you had a small garden pond say 2 to 5 thousand gallons they make great UV sterilizers for just such problems. Use you computer do research on the solution. Try using pondzyme.
It works on the order of the chemical that is used in septic tanks. It's a bacteria that eats sludge etc and helps to clean up your water. Use a shade chemical for the pond it helps to keep the UV rays at a minimum. That wouldn't hurt because some fish like koi can become sunburned.


I've read a lot of your answers and there is no WAY to go cheap. Save your change buy your self a Fish Mate 8 or 16 watt UV Bio filter save yourself the constant headache of it all. But to be more specific you don't say what kind of pond.
Is it garden pond or farm pond? Makes a whole lot of difference. My personal opinion is your best source of info and help is USE YOU COMPUTER for the best results.

ONE of your answers was from a nimrod that said to use peroxide. Thinking fish won't like that one .

Answer 3

The vest way to get rid of algae without harming the fish is shade. If there is no light there is no algae. there is chemicals that kills algae, but it would kill other plants. Flocculants will temporarily remove algae. They cause the algae to clump, so you can vacuum. Planting other types of plant helps, too. It not only offer shade, but use up the nitrogen. You can buy bacteria that would help process the waste as well. There is also rumous that Irish barley hay can help control algae. I would buy them at feed store (where horse are kept) rather than a place for koi's. The feed store is a lot cheaper. Except for chemical means, all methods mentions control algae, not get rid of them.

Answer 4

This is what I did. Put on shorts, went out with a bucket and rake and pumped the pond dry after removing the fish, 80 Coi and Goldfish, some were fifteen inches long. After the pond was pumped I scrubbed it down good, all day, sore back. Refilled it. After the fish were back in we went to the store. A huge Grey Crane with a friend came in and together they ate all my fish. We came home to see what was going on, chased them away, now I don't have to worry about it 'till next year. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Dogfood will overfeed the algae causing them to over-reproduce. when they have eaten all the dog food they will starve out and almost all of the algae will die.(This works in the spring in the central mid-west, don't know what your weather conditions may be that may affect the result.)
and dogfood is essentially high-protein fishfood so as long as you only serve it to them once it won't hurt them at all.
make sure it is a good healthy dose of dogfood though, you don't want the a;gae to stop feeding until the population level is over the maximum for the size of your pond.

Answer 6

I save my corn husks and the put them in a mess bag ( from fruit or vegs) and they float on the surface. The corner veg stand saved them for me-- My pond is balanced and I don't even have a pump running. It has some algae on the sides but the tadpoles eat it.

Answer 7

Get some algae eater after you get wet and rake it out with your hands ,if you can't spend money on pros then elbow grease is the best method. check with someone like the DNR and see what they use in the state parks and such.Also if you can post this on the net,you can find out anything by using your search engine.

Answer 8

If you're keeping fish in it, you can try to add algae eaters and plecos if it's big enough. These 2 types of fish can be miracle workers sometimes...

Answer 9

block the light and the algae will die
plants trees or shrubs around pond, cover with awning
or gazebo, anything to block the sunlight, plant more waterlillies

Answer 10

You might need to drain it, scrub it away without using chemicals and refill. I think that's the safest for your fishes.