Best way to control algae

[Lisak1]

Green water is not necessarily a bad thing.

I agree @MitchM - it's serving a function in the pond for sure. My comment was directed to the idea that the sunlight is what is causing the green water. That's not been my experience.

 

[MitchM]

I agree @MitchM - it's serving a function in the pond for sure. My comment was directed to the idea that the sunlight is what is causing the green water. That's not been my experience.

It really depends on the overall health of your pond water.

I posted this last year, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to post it again:

This is from the book 'Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by Diana Walstad.

Plants can get their iron from the substrate, but algae depend on free iron (Fe2 + and Fe3 +) in the water. Although iron in the water is indeed bound up, often to dissolved organic carbon, it is made transiently available by a common process called the ‘photoreduction of iron’. The reaction for the photoreduction of DOC-bound iron is: DOC-Fe3 + + light ⇒ Fe2 + + oxidized DOC This light-requiring reaction, which also applies to manganese and copper, is greatly accelerated by DOC [31,32,33]. The photoreduction of DOC-bound iron is invariably accompanied by the decomposition of DOC (see page 59). 4 The Fe2 + released may be taken up by algae or quickly oxidized to Fe3 +, which can also be taken up by algae or bind to fresh DOC, whereby the process repeats itself.

.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I agree @MitchM - it's serving a function in the pond for sure. My comment was directed to the idea that the sunlight is what is causing the green water. That's not been my experience.

Algae, because it is photosynthetic, thrives in abundant sunlight, but only if nutrient levels are sufficient to support growth. Limit the levels of these nutrients and no amount of sunlight will make algae grow.

 

[CometKeith]

I never have problems with algae. Once my pond cycles there is almost no algae... but I have small fish ie goldfish and lots of plants. I know a lot of people love Koi but it is so much easier to maintain a goldfish pond and with that type of pond it's much easier to build a ecosystem that practically maintains itself. I don't understand why more people starting out don't try goldfish first. They come in some very pretty colors and they have a nice range of behavior and are especially fun to watch in mating season.

 

[Lisak1]

I don't understand why more people starting out don't try goldfish first.

It's a sickness @CometKeith - we can't help ourselves!

Honestly though, I think koi become an issue when people get TOO MANY for their pond. The right number in a good sized pond and koi aren't any more difficult than keeping goldfish. And by right number I mean WAY LESS than what you THINK your pond can support - don't push the limit.

 

[CometKeith]

It's a sickness @CometKeith - we can't help ourselves!

Yep. I love all the beautiful Koi. Every year I go on the Koi pond tour in the Chicago area and enjoy all the beautiful ponds and fish, but know that is going to be too much work for me to handle with the other interests and hobbies I have. This year I'm planning on building a decent size pond when we move (2000-3000 gallons). I think I'm still going to stay with goldfish even though it can support Koi without a problem.

 

[barryian]

It's a sickness @CometKeith - we can't help ourselves!

Honestly though, I think koi become an issue when people get TOO MANY for their pond. The right number in a good sized pond and koi aren't any more difficult than keeping goldfish. And by right number I mean WAY LESS than what you THINK your pond can support - don't push the limit.

So true!!!

 

[CometKeith]

Honestly though, I think koi become an issue when people get TOO MANY for their pond. The right number in a good sized pond and koi aren't any more difficult than keeping goldfish. And by right number I mean WAY LESS than what you THINK your pond can support - don't push the limit.

Without kicking a dead horse to death. If most people starting out started with a small number of goldfish I feel they would stick with ponding for a longer period of time and be a lot happier and less frustrated. Also half of the threads here concerning topics such as algae, dying or sick fish etc would be unnecessary.

 

[Lisak1]

Without kicking a dead horse to death. If most people starting out started with a small number of goldfish I feel they would stick with ponding for a longer period of time and be a lot happier and less frustrated. Also half of the threads here concerning topics such as algae, dying or sick fish etc would be unnecessary.

I would agree with that - to s point. We've only added three koi to our pond via reproduction, whereas the few goldfish in our pond have multiplied by a factor of like 7 gazillion. Also I would say that many of the problems you mentioned can be attributed to koi in a pond that is too small and should never be home to koi, or, again, too many koi for the pond size.

 

[CometKeith]

Yep same with me.I think I had something like 6 or 7 goldfish 5 years ago and I have at least 50 now. I tried to count them the other day and I spotted 35 in less than a minute and didn't even see any of the dozen or more black ones I have. Most of mine are smaller like 2- 3 inches and I have a few up to about 5 inches.

If you look at the waste a 10" fish produces versus a 1" fish it's about 1000 times as much. The ten inch fish produces 100 times as much waste as a 2" fish and a 10" fish produces about 9 times as much waste as a 5" fish. So when people count how many inches of fish they have it's a totally inaccurate way of knowing how much bio-waste is being produced. I have about 70 inches of fish in my pond and when I calculate the size of each fish and add it up, they produce about the same amount of waste as one 10 or 12 inch fish. Because my goldfish do not grow as large as Koi nor as quickly it gives me a lot of time to plan for the eventuality they may get to be too much bio-load for my pond. I found this to be a nice reference guide.
http://www.russellwatergardens.com/koi-weight/

 

[tbendl]

Without kicking a dead horse to death. If most people starting out started with a small number of goldfish I feel they would stick with ponding for a longer period of time and be a lot happier and less frustrated. Also half of the threads here concerning topics such as algae, dying or sick fish etc would be unnecessary.

I tried! Lol I started with 6 in August of last year and have passed the 30 mark.
I've gotta quit playing so much Barry White apparently.

 

[CometKeith]

Tbendl that funny. If you want to slow population growth you can choose to eliminate hiding places and feed less often and then the adults will eat more eggs and fry.

 

[tbendl]

I have 0 intentional hiding spots. Just potted lilies and 3 stands for plants. I was feeding them about a tablespoon of food in the morning just to say hello....
I blame the hubby, I think he double feeds them in the morning, trying to win them over. Hehe
I have threatened him this spring though to stop for awhile since they are chasing each other around already.
*sigh* it's too early for more babies!

 

[cas]

they are chasing each other around already.

oh-oh.... going to be hard to redo the pond with all those babies!

 

[tbendl]

*sigh* I know... I am not looking forward to this rebuild.