2007-05-21 15:32:40 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
I have a friend who lives on a cattle farm. She has a fire pond on the property that the kids like to swim in in the summer.
So every summer her husband throws a couple of bales of BARLEY STRAW into the pond and it improves the clarity of the pond water and seems to cut down on the growth of POND SCUM.
SO I have a small fish pond in my yard, and LOW AND BEHOLD the fish pond stores carry Barley Straw Pellets! Man my pond is clean between the Barley and a light that the water runs through before it gets to the filter. The light kills the remaining algae and then the filter traps it. I can see just how many darn fish I have and what they have been doing for fun when I wasn't looking.....JUST LIKE BUNNY RABBITS!!!!!!!
Last here is the website from the bag of barley.
www.microbelift.com
2007-05-21 16:08:05 · answer #1 · answered by bugsie 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You will also need to oxygenate the water. There are air pumps on the market that can do this plus a ring type of orfice with several small holes that bubbles under water and adds oxygen.
If its a small pond, you will also need to filter the water at least thru a screen to remove algae that are circulating and keep fallen debris out of the bottom by routine cleaning.
2007-05-21 23:01:51 · answer #2 · answered by James M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get a bio filter at homedepot or lowes. They have universal ones that will fit around your pump. Also, you may want to add some sort of mosquito repellant. The above stores have some enviromentaly friendly mosquito killing rings you can just drop in the water. In my pond, I use Baquacil pool algecide. It is great but won't kill plants frogs or fish like chlorine would. Frogs are great for keep mosquitos out and they are more durable than fish. I did not even add my frogs, they just showed up one day and come back every spring.
Good luck
2007-05-21 23:10:48 · answer #3 · answered by Tincan Navy 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
you need to add good bacteria such as "cycle" (I think there is a special type for ponds). you can buy it online or at a pet store.
Also, is there runoff of some sort getting into the pond?
2007-05-21 23:02:16 · answer #4 · answered by p106_peppy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Shoot, a little dolomite lime is all ya need. It'll keep the slime down. Copper Phosphate in small quanities is good too.
2007-05-22 01:44:17 · answer #5 · answered by ☮ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ☮ 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋