What can I do to fight and to kill the algae in my outdoor fish pond?

Answer 1

You'll have to reduce what it needs to survive: nutrients and light.

Nutrients can come from feeding any fish you've got in the pond, but also from dead leaves and aquatic plants as they die off for the winter (if your from a colder climate). You should remove as much of this as you can anytime you see something that shouldn't be in the water. As they decompose, the add nitrates and phosphates (plant and algae fertilizers) to the water. If this is a small pond, you can even do partial water changes, just as in an aquarium to reduce the nutrients.

To reduce light, use floating plants (water hyacinth or water lettuce) or plants with floating leaves (water lily) to shade the algae below them. No light, no photosysnthesis, algae dies.

If the algae is a free-floating type, a UV sterilizer will help. These use radiation to mutate and kill the cells of the algae that pass through them. If your algae are attached, UV won't help kill the existing algae (it can't go through the sterilizing unti), but it will kill spores to reduce reproduction.

Depending on climate and depth of your pond, fish or snails may be an option for attached algae, but not all types of algae are eaten. Some you might have to remove by hand.

Another option is to use bales of barley straw in the water. It won't affect attached algae that's already present, but will reduce floating algae and prevent new algae from growing. Here's some information on it: http://montgomery.extension.psu.edu/NResources/pond/straw-fs.pdf

More info and ideas about controlling pond algae: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdalgcontrol.htm

Answer 2

If the algae is suspended in the water (making the pool look 'pea soup green') you have two options.
Firstly, you could try a range of treatments which go into the water and kill the algae off - most of these are floculants - so once the algae is killed it is clumped and sinks to the bottom of the pond. There are a couple of problems with these treatments though a) some are very strong and can kill some plants such as Elodea (oxygenator) and can even affect lillies, b) not all work within certain water ranges and you'll invaribly find you have to keep changing treatments as the algae sometimes becomes 'immune' almost to what's going in there.
By far the most effective thing that you can use in there is an Ultraviolet Clarifier (UVC). This is a unit which the water passes through either before it goes through the filter or can be brought in one combined unit with a filter too. They sit at the side of the pond and the water is passed through them via your pump situated in the water. As the water passes through the UVC steralises the algae and kills it off - all these units come with a crystal clear water guarantee - and providing you buy the right size unit for your pond they are true to the guarantee.
The UV bulb needs to be replaced on a yearly basis, and most shops carry the bulbs themselves and although it is one big outlay to begin with you'll find over time that you spend far less than you would do by the time you've brought and tried the other treatments on the market.
Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

I have an outdoor pond as well and this is what I use. You can buy a pond UV filter. It goes attached to your skimmer and as the water passes through the ultra violet rays kill the algae and any other harmful bacteria. You can also keep some snails in the pond to eat up the algae and debris at the bottom of the pond. Water plants are also a good idea too. If possible add to 75% of the pond. As a last resort you can cover a part of the pond with a tarp so it doesn't get too much sun. Hope this helped.

Answer 4

Plecos are your best bet, buy them small, they'll grow really fast if you have an algae problem, i replace them with smaller ones when they get too big, snails ar not a good answer for an outdoor pond, for they will move into your garden and multiply rapidly, they are good for tanks though. Loaches are too small and not fast enough. Catfish is another option but algae is not it's primary food. you can also get an algae remover from your pet store and it'd relatively safe to your ather fishes..good luck.

Answer 5

The best way is to have as many plants as possible .Plants use the same food source as algea so the more plants you have the less food there is for the algea to bloom. I`ve looked into uv lights but really most people don't need them if you have plant friendly fish. Also Don`t add to much city water to your pond it is full of nutrients that algea loves.I have been leaving empty buckets sit out and when it rains they fill up and i then use the water to put back into my pond when it gets low

Answer 6

You could get a large pleco, most pet stores carry plecos. Some stores have superhuge plecos (though i've never asked if they're for rent or sale).

Another thing you can do is go to your pet store and buy AlgaeKill. I believe PetSmart carries it. Sometimes it takes a while for it to work. Also if you feed your fish less, they'll start eating up the algae.

Answer 7

You could get something called Phos-X.

Phosphate is nutrients that algae feeds on.

Phos-X kills all the nutrients, causing algae to die.

Or you could get a UV sterilizer. The water goes through the UV sterilizer, and it gives of ultra violet light, that kills algae.


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Answer 8

Algae eaters or a pump

Answer 9

you can go to a place and buy lime rock powder and put it in your outside auqarium

Answer 10

use AlgaeKill