what is a gd way of killing elgy in a pond without harming fish?

Answer 1

You need more plants. Fish poop, excess food, dead insects, etc., all combine to make ammonia (which is toxic to most wildlife). Fortunately, Mother Nature has created a type of bacteria that basically "eats" ammonia and converts it to nitrites. These are also toxic to fish. Mother Nature comes to the rescue again, though, with another bacteria that "eats" the nitrItes and converts them to nitrAtes. In small quantities (like less than 20-30 ppm), these do not hurt fish or animals. If they build up too much, though, not only will they smell, they will eventually build up to levels toxic to animal life and - since nitrates are basically a type of nitrogen, the main ingredient in plant fertilizers - they contribute greatly to algae growth. All algae is, is microscopic, one-celled plants that, altogether, make your water look like pea soup!

A little algae growth in and of itself is not too bad - many water creatures actually eat it, and it actually helps to oxygenate the water as it absorbs carbon dioxide during the day, and expires it at night, expiring oxygen during the day as part of the photosynthesis process. But if you don't have enough desireable plants to absorb the excess nitrates, they will act like fertilizer for the undesireable plants (the algae!) that Mother Nature provides in her attempt to balance everything out. An algae-filled pond can still be relatively healthy (remember, what LOOKS healthy to us humans, is not always what is preferred by critters!) but it could be just as healthy and look better by adding a few plants to compete with the algae, absorb some of the excess nitrates, and make for a cleaner, healthier pond.

I have about a 50-gallon pond in a half whiskey barrel on my porch, and in it I have one species water iris, one marsh marigold, a bunch of fairy fern (azolla) and four small comet goldfish. The water has been crystal clear all summer and I can see my fish just fine - no algae!

In my "big pond" (3,000 gallons) I have a 500-gallon veggie filter densely stocked with plant material to filter my pond water. Mine is separate from the main pond because it is so densely packed with water iris - it lets the main pond be free enough of plants so that I can see my koi.

However, you don't have to have your plants separate for them to act like a filter - aim for plants equal to about 50% of your pond's surface area, though not all of them need to be surface plants like water hyacinth, azolla, water lettuce, etc. You can put bog plants in like iris, water lillies, marsh marigold, etc., and raise them to the correct level on bricks; you can also try underwater oxygenators like anacharis or cabomba. Any combination of these should absorb the excess nitrates, and then there won't be enough left over to sustain any large algae population.

Feel free to contact me through my profile if you have any questions about veggie filters, etc. Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

Barley straw will kill your algae problem given some time but the best thing is to prevent it in the first place. Try not to let the pond get light all day by placing it by a fence, shed etc. Have at least half of the waters surface covered with Lily pads, doing these two will stop algae getting the light it needs to grow. Add plants to the water also, these will take up the nutrients that the algae needs. Aerate the water with a fountain and buy a good filter and pump with a U.V. clarifier, this will make any algae clump together so the filter can catch it next time it goes through. Also test your water for nitrate at least every two weeks and keep it below about 40-50ppm by doing water changes if necessary. P.S. the elgy on the side walls is good elgy and should be kept

Answer 3

You sound pretty desperate to try such a strong measure. I did have similair experience. My pond was right in the sun area, so this made algae grow and grow. This is the kind of algae that colours the water green and sticks to everything. Having a lot of algae will cause bad health in your fish in the end, due to bad balance, lack of oxygen, .... Having too much fish does not help - however I did not like the idea to get rid of some of my goldfish. Feeding them much less does help. Keeping the sun out by putting in floating plants also helps - but that also grows out of control. There are different 'medicines' that people suggested. I have tried some of them and a couple worked for a couple of weeks or so. Best try the ones that turn the algae water into flakes, which are filtered out easily (or sink to the bottom). However, this will get annoyingly expensive when you need to repeat this all the time. You can mimic the same result by draining most of the water and putting in fresh tap water. Be warned - fresh tap water will hurt your fish when they are in bad shape, but it does also clean fungi of your fish. This is probably because tap water usually contains chlorine and such. The one sure remedy that will make you happy for years to come: Put in a UV-filter. The water flows trough a compartment with a little UV lamp. The UV light’s energy collects on anything that has colour - thus the algae 'particles' are killed. Also kills a lot of other bad stuff. After a couple of days the dead algae discolours and drops to the bottom. You can get them as an attachment to your existing pump hoses, or get them built in in one of the nice water pump fountains. I hope you do get rid of your algae! Oh by the way, do use swimming pool strength chlorine only for the swimming pool. It will kill your fish first, and then only touch your algae halfway.

Answer 4

You can buy a solution to spray into your pond. I did mine with a watering can. Most garden centres which sell pond fish sell it.

Answer 5

if you have a pump and filter, fit an ultra violet light in line with them, this will kill algea as water flows through an it will be filtered out

Answer 6

Yes,barley straw or barley straw extract.You can buy it at most pet stores or garden centers.Also,adding some live plants and a few big snails will help.

Answer 7

If you have a pon, why not try getting a plecostomus catfish so you and your pleco will be happy eating!

Answer 8

barley straw comes in liquid form and straw form ask at your local fish supplier they will advise

Answer 9

to kill algae you first must know how to spell it.