No Algae?

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So I have had my 300 Gallon Pond running for about Three Weeks now and No Algae? It is only 10'' deep with 8 Goldfish in it and some kind of "Hydra Vine". I have No Filter, No UV Light and have not changed the water. Is it because I have a Waterfall and a fountain with a total of 850GPH which means my water rotates roughly 3 times an hour? Not complaining but just curious lol, Thanks!
 

JohnHuff

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You don't have any algae yet because the conditions for algae growth aren't there yet, i.e. not enough nutrients, light, etc. It would least have to do with flow rates.
 

crsublette

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As JohnHuff saids, it takes a while. It took a little more than a month for a healthy presence of algae to be noticeable in my little 435 gallon watergarden and I was intentially adding ammonium hydroxide to seriously jumpstart my bacteria so I could add many fish very soon. Once algae starts appearing, then it seems to take just a week or more for it to appear when there is a transition between algae species. I have not yet experienced these perfectly clear to "all of a sudden over night pond filled" algae blooms, which makes me wonder about their testimonial's honesty describing their clear water in the first place.

Your turn over rate (i.e., rotation) is just fine. I am actually using one 3630 gph pump and another 600gph pump for my 435 gallon watergarden, but only a portion of this flow is diverted to my bio-filtering.

If you want the water to mature naturally, then it is quite natural for fish to die as the water is maturing; so, prepare your self on the occasion when they do die. If you do not want to take the "all natural" approach, then when you notice your fish becoming lethargic or ill, then think about brushing up on how to conduct and understand water chemistry test kits and how to react to the results. Test strips are fine, but the more common API Freshwater Aquarium Liquid test kit is much better and can be commonly found in big pet retail stores. This API test kit does not have everything, but it contains the basics to get you started and pay attention to instruction, otherwise you risk the chance of contaminating the results. Also, there is a good chance one of the big pet retail stores can test your water for just a couple bucks; I often use them as a second or thrid opinion that is then compared to my own tests. If ya have a question, scan the forum a bit then ask away if ya can't find the answer.

Good luck. :)
 
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Hi Jason. Welcome to the forum. Your pond has not cycled yet (ammonia to nitrite to nitrate) and there is probably not much nitrates ie. nutrients for the algae to feed off of. I agree with the above comments to check your water chemistry. If the water has dangerous levels of ammonia or nitrite you will have to take immediate action either with frequent water changes or building or buying a biofilter, or you may have to do both. Frequent water changes will reduce the toxicity of these harmful elements. Your fish will tell you they are not happy with the water by developing assorted diseases such as ich disease and other problems. Usually for a new pond it is recommended just one or two small fish is okay until it has cycled and this would be for a pond that has a biofilter.
 

crsublette

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Algae is a very prehistoric, simple plant. It's not like other plants other than it takes time for it to grow. Algae is the most basic of filters. Ammonia is the most readily form of nitrogen for algae to consume. This is the main reason you will not registering much, if any, ammonia at all in ponds with pea green water, single cell algae. If you do have any algae bloom and attempt to remove it, then be prepared with some ammonia binder and pay attention to your ammonia levels since it is possible for the ammonia to suddenly spike. If your pH is high, then any ammonia spike is very very bad.

In aquaponics filtration, part of the filtration system actually may include a water tank where algae is purposely created and is allowed to flourish, is never disturbed. It acts as filtration and helps to control the algae in the fish growing tanks.
 
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Hmmm thanks for all the input guys! This really helps me get an understanding to all this! I have had my fish (13 Gold fish) in my pond for about three weeks now and they are doing great and are starting to recognize me when I walk up to feed them lol. the water is clear with a very light brownish color to it. There are maybe 3 leaves on the pond floor since i keep that sucker clean when i see any debri floating around on top lol. I have Pond Pebbles that line the bottom of the pond and they have very little (if any) residue on them, and I also have a little slime (Algae?) on the sides of rocks starting. I have one plant (some kind of Hydra vine) growing in the pond but thats it.
 

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