Murky brown green water

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Hi can anyone suggest anything. I have spent a fortune on this pond trying to get the water clear. I have a pondtec 10000 press. I keep pulling the sponge leaver , have added tetra clear but there's no difference. Have used cloverleaf and there's no algae. I feel like I might as well fill in the pond as so far there is no joy from this onlu frustration
 

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Hello Pebbles- don't give up! Give us some info about your pond- size, how many gallons or liters, liner or earth bottom. If you can post some photos thats always helpful.
 

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@Pebbles
 
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There's fixes, just have some patience and describe your pond,including filtration. More than likely your issues can be solved by incorporating some up flow wetland filtration. You can get a head start by searching 'bog' filter here on the forums.
 
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In any of the fish forums fresh water salt water or even planted aquaria they all have one direction buy more to get =closer to what we all want clear water and healthy fish yet when you add up all the gizmos you end up dumping good money after bad. I would look into adding a bog to your pond . And over size it a bit and you wont be disappointed.
 

addy1

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Welcome stick around and we can help you clear up your pond.
 
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Welcome @Pebbles ! As others have said, don't give up! There is a fix and RARELY does it involve dumping bottles or powders into the water.

Start with a description of your pond - size, filtration (was that a pressure filter you mentioned?) how many fish and what kind, do you have have plants in the pond, etc. Some pictures would also be great.

You could also try this - scoop a glass or jar of water from the pond and let it sit. Does the murkiness settle to the bottom, or is the water itself discolored? That may help start to figure out how to resolve the issue!
 
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Hi thanks for all your msgs! Wish I had thought about posting my problem before spending all this money. Go answer your question it holds about 2.5 litres. All goldfish about 25 (they had babies so had to get rid of the remaining 20 off!) Must be a good sign either that or they are pretty hardy fish! I cleaned the filters in a bowl of pond water 2 wks ago. It made a slight improvement but then rtnd to murky water. I removed the water lilies as I've rd that the soil adds nutrients to the water encouraging algae. I was going to rinse the roots and weigh them down. There's 6 marginals. The liner is plastic ( I assume. This pond was here when I moved in but it looks fine. The filter is a pondtec press 10000 2 years old.
I used the press yesterday hence the reduction in water. Will fill with rain water. I've done the jar test _ no sediment but looks like a very pale lime. Pictures enclosed. With all your expertise I'm youll create the much wanted beautiful pond. Thanks again
 

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The simplest cure is a UV light. It will clear up your water in a few days. After that, you can turn it off and on depending on the condition of your water. Don't bother with chemicals or barley or anything else. Put some plants in and wait, but in the meantime, the UV light is all you need.
 
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Sorry @mgmine I don't agree with that fix. I'd rather see some quilt batting at the discharge from the pump. And filter the fines out of the water. Uv's are only a temp fix they kill live algae cells but that then becomes food for the next generation.
 
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@Pebbles it's a bit tough to tell from the photo, but your edge appears low. Could it be you are getting runoff into the pond from the surrounding landscape?

I'm not familiar with this "press" you keep referring to - is this a pressure filter that you can squeeze the sponge out?

Plants in the pond won't cause problems - in fact, just the opposite. (DO NOT release lilies into your pond without a pot, unless you want them to completely take over. They are prolific growers and need to be contained.) There may be fertilizer in some pre-potted plants that could encourage algae growth, but commercially grown and potted lilies shouldn't be an issue. If you're planting marginals directly in the pond, you can remove the dirt and rinse them off, but again - that small amount of fertilizer won't create an overgrowth of algae.
 

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Hi thanks for all your msgs! Wish I had thought about posting my problem before spending all this money. Go answer your question it holds about 2.5 litres. All goldfish about 25 (they had babies so had to get rid of the remaining 20 off!) Must be a good sign either that or they are pretty hardy fish! I cleaned the filters in a bowl of pond water 2 wks ago. It made a slight improvement but then rtnd to murky water. I removed the water lilies as I've rd that the soil adds nutrients to the water encouraging algae. I was going to rinse the roots and weigh them down. There's 6 marginals. The liner is plastic ( I assume. This pond was here when I moved in but it looks fine. The filter is a pondtec press 10000 2 years old.
I used the press yesterday hence the reduction in water. Will fill with rain water. I've done the jar test _ no sediment but looks like a very pale lime. Pictures enclosed. With all your expertise I'm youll create the much wanted beautiful pond. Thanks again
2.5 liter?? It's got to be larger than that! Don't waste anymore money on quick fixes. Pumping your water thru the quilt batting will remove any sediment and adding plants with help with the green water.
 
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Hi thanks for all your msgs! Wish I had thought about posting my problem before spending all this money. Go answer your question it holds about 2.5 litres. All goldfish about 25 (they had babies so had to get rid of the remaining 20 off!) Must be a good sign either that or they are pretty hardy fish! I cleaned the filters in a bowl of pond water 2 wks ago. It made a slight improvement but then rtnd to murky water. I removed the water lilies as I've rd that the soil adds nutrients to the water encouraging algae. I was going to rinse the roots and weigh them down. There's 6 marginals. The liner is plastic ( I assume. This pond was here when I moved in but it looks fine. The filter is a pondtec press 10000 2 years old.
I used the press yesterday hence the reduction in water. Will fill with rain water. I've done the jar test _ no sediment but looks like a very pale lime. Pictures enclosed. With all your expertise I'm youll create the much wanted beautiful pond. Thanks again
MANY of us routinely PUT fertilzer in our water lilies and still have clear water, so unless you're referring to the fish stirring up the soil/medium, the plants should not be the problem.
 

addy1

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I have around 15 lilies in my big pond. Around 6 in my 300 gallon pond. All planted in pure clay kitty litter, no additives. I add 1/4 cup of osmocote fertilizer every year under the lily, ie pick it up out of the pot toss in the fertilizer. I never have a issue with them and murky water.

I agree don't turn them loose, they will grow and grow until you have nothing but lily root and tubers in your pond. I keep mine in walmart oil pans.

Plants are your best anti murky water additive. I filter with only a bog, pea gravel and plants. Always have clear water, have never used a UV light.
 
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Sorry @mgmine I don't agree with that fix. I'd rather see some quilt batting at the discharge from the pump. And filter the fines out of the water. Uv's are only a temp fix they kill live algae cells but that then becomes food for the next generation.
Quilt batting is a good fix for dirty water but will not take care of the algae problem which is what I'm seeing. I have Youtube videos on both problems. Neither are perfect solutions. The quilt batting has to have regular cleaning or replacement. If it isn't cleaned it will clog and depending on where it is located can burn the pump out or stop the water flowing back into the pond. The UV light has to be changed and that can run into money. But the UV light will clean up the pond and will do it very quickly. Plants are needed but until then you can either suffer with green water or put the UV in and enjoy the pond.
 

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