Plants, Bog, No Fish, Little Waste, Bene Bacteria...and Algae? (Lots of info on pond variables)

[Duxwig]

Still newer to ponding and this is the first full year of a working pond after a reconstruction.

Pond Info:
Zone 5a
No winter gear; pond will run until freezing and allowed to freeze solid. No aeration except waterfall/rapids.
Max depth: around 2.5-3’ in the water channel in middle of pond.
Liner: RPE
Filtration: no skimmer. Bog filter. No UV. In waterfall box is some media I’ve used for filter/bacteria growth (hasn’t captured much in way of particles but is a tight material?)
Pump/line: 4500gph, flex pvc. Line splits at pump into 3. End of each line has ball valve for flow control. One end goes to bog, one to the waterfall box in the bog(on right), and third is in the pond, by real log/sweet flag and pointed toward the pumo to create circulation.
Fish: None, none in the future.
Wildlife: frogs and dragonflies very prevalent and desired. Occasional turtle, otter, raccoon, ducks, deer, woodchuck, and birds upon birds who love to line up on the fence and take turns on the large driftwood taking baths by the mini cattails. Added Japanese trap door snails, haven’t seen them for a month but alive for handful of months. Added few crayfish for the kids, 4-5 died but another 5-6 still around we found at nighttime flash lighting.
Gallons: calculate its roughly 700-900 with all the weird shapes and depths.
Plants: all bare-rooted, soil washed off. Need to maybe clean up substrate better as growing in 1/2-3/4” stone. Not inside any baskets/no aquatic soil or kitty litter. Just starting to migrate over to a pea gravel base as the “main” substrate they sit on top of, with larger 1/2-3/4-1” rocks working outwards.
“First year plants” (for being in pond), but got the sweet flag and corkscrew from local nursery and was around the same size, hasn’t grown much but def alive and some thickening. 19 sweet flag, 5 micro-mini cattails, water lettuce which finally multiplied, 3 corkscrew rush, one pickerel which is starting to mature, 5-6 young pickerel starters planted in August, two inpatients, one sunpatient, 2 water lilies, 7-8 hornwort clusters (new, trying to survive). Lots of creeping Jenny growing over and into pond, but seems lots of white fluffy mold grows under the heavy crowding of leaves - seems bad? 2-3 water iris trying to launch from a single Etsy’ed plants. The large clump or partial dead iris is a versicolor. Caterpillars ruined it early in season and it didn’t rebound well. Seemed like it was dying due to crown being under water and not producing new shoots. Then I raised it and helped a bit but still not thriving (substrate issue? Or type?)
Bog: roughly 16”w x 40”l x 36”d. Planted in top is a second year water iris starting to send a few new shoots. Garden iris made it through winter and died in June. Water barely at or above crow. A second year hosta is growing insane in the corner. A random inpatient planted next to it. Random creeping Jenny patches. Large marsh marigold I got from nursery which slowly seemed to die from a fungus or humidity type issue? (Leaves blackened weirdly). Cut it back to cure fungus and it never really sprouted since. 3 first year purple flame water iris. Heard water cress was a good filter for chemicals - it’s growing insane and is taking over bog.
Sun: gets a healthy amount of Sun in summer and only the bog/start of pond get sun now w house shading it. (Water lettuce has multiplied late which gave some shade but The bend by the dying iris has the 3rd pvc line which pushes water (and water lettuce) to the pump area and thus doesn’t stay shaded.)
Clarity: it isnt horrible, but not great unless I’m expecting too much. I could generally see a coin at the bottom (only 3ft) and probably see heads/tails, but quality worsened recently.
Refills: I was having to do fill ups of an inch or two twice a week until I found the seeping/soil contact areas. Since I found the leaks, I’ve filled up every week and half to two now. Less vacuum is leading to less frequent water changes.
Cleaning: have an Oasis pond vac I suck up the algae with. Used to keep mesh bag in water to save on refilling but heard it helps stir up too many algae particles -
Now pump it out and refill with clean city tap water when I do. Not lots of debris to suck up, mainly algae.
Algae: better but still prevalent? Mix of string and blanket if I see and understand? Thought we had enough plants and system would start to see less algae but that was wrong. Also found a number of side leaks where the soil had lowered w weight of rocks, covered by plant foliage so I didn’t notice. With flowers/plants, I had been using bloom booster food on garden and around pond. Was careful none went directly in…that I could see. Totally bonked my head that algae previously was worsened due to bloom booster seeping in from the 7-8 places there was consistent soil and water contact where it could deep in. Pulled liner up and intend to do major fixes this fall and in spring to prevent this.

In August we were annoyed with amount of algae and work of doing bidaily vaccums - the string algae being fixed to the rocks and the suction not taking the algae off/“long” strands persisted so it was only getting free floats. I got API and Tetras algae killer. I tried one at low dose. Nothing. Added more. Nothing. Long story short I was adding about 2x of each, alternating, daily until it killed the algae almost entirely…..except it was still strongly attached to rocks and not entirely dead. I pumped ALL the water out of the pond and used a 0 degree nozzle - still was attached. Had to spray bleach to get it to finally turn white, die, and spray off.

I got Aquascape beneficial bacteria and started using to kick start everything since the nuke of all the algaecides. (RIP dragonfly larvae and tadpoles that didn’t make it through) Slowly increased frequency of use. Can’t say I’m seeing tons of difference and back to algae city. Read that beneficial bacteria only work when nitrate/nitrites? are present, multi fast, then die off. Not sure that’s true or not.
Was trying to maintain them and not getting slimey film on anything to say they’re established.

Haven’t fertilized much. Used 5 total aqua tabs of 10-14-8 in late may and seemed like algae bloomed (also didn’t know seeping then). After the nuke I had not added any fert tabs and algae still came back. I added two fert tabs thinking maybe it needs some food for bacteria to outmatch the algae but it hasn’t done as hoped.

Wife is not happy with the state and can’t say I’m pleased either. Plant to add more plants on the water sides next year and some other possible changes to improve as her fix is the constant addition of algaecide to nuke and keep water clarity good. I’m not that wiling with thoughts of frogs and what not (otherwise maybe). Not planning to add UV or skimmer box, but had some ideas of canister filter maybe on the third line to help balance the system.

Before vac'ing today, and and time maybe 2 weeks ago:

After vac today, and remaining attached algae:

Pond levels: was annoyed enough to purchase API pond master test kit to see if I could figure out anything else. Trying to eyeball and see - PH is high. Tested tap water, still the same. Unsure if test broke or really just stays bad?
Ammonia and nitrites appear low, and phosphate has a bit to be lowered?

I had some future ideas about taking out the real/hollow/decaying log (sweet flag inside hole) as water flows directly into it - maybe food for algae via organics and rot. Would be cool to make a concrete version to replace but whatever. Also thought more oxygen and taking third line, point up through some rocks by butterfly bush as a bubble up, water churn area.

Algae also tends to build up on the sides where the water level is “low” between rocks and guessing the temps and shallow water make perfect breeding ground for algae. Have ideas to fix this, but not the other lower/rock-attached algae.

I’m generally sticking with “patience” and “plants” and avoiding chemicals, but the wife pressure is mounting for a more algae-free pond. I’m realistic and fine with slime rocks and some low blanket weed but the string algae annoys me.

Any ideas?

 

[Mgessert]

Lovely pond! If it were me, I would make peace with the algae and stop with the vac and chemicals. Your water is beautifully clear, thanks to the bog and plants. The string algae is easy to pull out with a toilet brush and the carpet of algae on the rocks is normal and expected. If you’ve stopped the fertilizer runoff into the pond, it will find a balance over the next few years. Oh, and I would add more water plants, aiming for a 50% surface cover for shade. Full sun equals more algae. Such a pretty spot!

 

[j.w]

Algae just comes w/nature. If too much for your liking you will have to do as @Mgessert suggested and remove it manually. Many more plants will suck up those excess nutrients in the water. Sedge plants are great sucker uppers as they grow and get bigger. The plants take time to grow up nice and large.
I do like Parrots Feather as a floating plant. I did put mine in pots tho to keep them in certain areas. You have rocks so you can just stick their roots in between them to keep them where you want them.

Sweet Flag and a sedge of some sort to the left:

Parrtots Feather contained in a big pot:

The more plants the better!

 

[Tula]

A year ago we found a good home for our 4 koi. so this is our first season fishes. We have lots of string algae ! I'm guessing we always had it and the koi ate it? Not sure, but we have a lot this year. Our water is very clear and our filter is rarely dirty.....I'm Husain the algae is just part of having a pond.

I remove it manually, by hand, by net and using a telescopic brush. I think having plants on the pond's surface increases it's beauty and hides some of the algae.

If the algae continues to bother your wife, I guess you could look at the pond as a fountain and use bleach, algae removers etc, but over time it will kill your plants.

 

[Duxwig]

Trying my best to avoid all that.
Had some parrot feather but it died some how (lol)

Going to make some structural changes along with addition of my side plants (sweet flag and iris) in various areas and remove an old log I put in.
Algae holding back now but temps also only in 50s outside.

Removed rocks in prep. Can see the division of pebbles with the trough area, height of basic paver block.
Going to move the big rocks back to the side and work on smaller rocks for coverage of liner now that I know what the plant foliage looks like in full.
This gives more space for the water to flow and wider shelves.

The half dead garden iris may get replaced. The rocks were too big, didn’t do well in area.
Thinking since I need to rearrange the rocks anyway that I’d create a shallow small rock shelf and instead plant lots of starter iris plants so it could grow better vs stuck in place and growing sideways.

With flow, have a pvc line coming up the middle, laying under/behind the rocks, curving back down along the log and exiting under water. Creates some water flow. Not sure good or bad.
Thought about taking the log out as algae builds around it. Figured rotting organize material will only last so long. (Considered making my own if concrete given no fish buttttttt).
Not sure if I pull the hose up or create some other water feature / oxygenator.

Also back liner is flat with soil which allows runoff in the back from the garden.

 

[j.w]

Trying my best to avoid all that.
Had some parrot feather but it died some how (lol)

Going to make some structural changes along with addition of my side plants (sweet flag and iris) in various areas and remove an old log I put in.
Algae holding back now but temps also only in 50s outside.

Removed rocks in prep. Can see the division of pebbles with the trough area, height of basic paver block.
Going to move the big rocks back to the side and work on smaller rocks for coverage of liner now that I know what the plant foliage looks like in full.
This gives more space for the water to flow and wider shelves.

View attachment 160856

The half dead garden iris may get replaced. The rocks were too big, didn’t do well in area.
Thinking since I need to rearrange the rocks anyway that I’d create a shallow small rock shelf and instead plant lots of starter iris plants so it could grow better vs stuck in place and growing sideways.

View attachment 160857

With flow, have a pvc line coming up the middle, laying under/behind the rocks, curving back down along the log and exiting under water. Creates some water flow. Not sure good or bad.
Thought about taking the log out as algae builds around it. Figured rotting organize material will only last so long. (Considered making my own if concrete given no fish buttttttt).
Not sure if I pull the hose up or create some other water feature / oxygenator.

Also back liner is flat with soil which allows runoff in the back from the garden.
View attachment 160858

Are you having fun yet? Ponds can be challenging at times but they are so worth it when you find a way to fix whatever has been calling to you to change and make better. Your pond is so nice and clear! Oh and by the way, that tweaking this, that and the other never goes away

 

[Lisak1]

Welcome!

Your complete clean out did exactly the opposite of what you were hoping for - set you right back to the beginning. The algaecide will kill algae, but leaves you with a pond full of dead algae, which - guess what? Feeds more algae.

You need a good dose of patience. Without fish you will likely always need to feed your plants. I'd suggest you maybe reconsider that fishless plan, but if not just resign your self to a regular fertilizing schedule.

Remember - this is a pond, not a pool. Give nature a chance to do what nature does and you'll find pond keeping much more enjoyable.

 

[GBBUDD]

FROM LOOKING AT YOUR PICTURE, I SEE A POND. IF YOUI GO TO A LAKE THE ROCKS USUALY ARE NOT COVERED WITH SOME ALGae because the amount of water to nutrients is way higher . SOLUTION THROUGH DILUTION... now lets talk about PONDS small bodies of water loaded with fish, frogs, toads, salamanders, dragon flies, snakes turtles many of which in the winter dive down and find a pile of leaves or muck as we see it. THIS IS HOME it happens to be as far from what we feel home is all about. But bacteria, fish slime and slime on a frog or eel is there immune system. All to often we are way to fast to say i need chemicals to fix my lack of filtration or my overloading of fish or feeding.
I'm not saying this is you but it is all to common of a problem. The ponds we strive for here can take some time to get balanced like a couple years and even more depending on many variables as mentioned add two or three of these and you may never find the balance to where you'd like to see. One way to help the pond find balance is to add some old leaves or a twig or limb from a established pond. this can help and it can hurt don't take from a pond that does not look healthy.

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER YOUR POND IS NOT THE SAME AS EVEN SOMEONE WHOS ONLY A FEW MILERS AWAY.... SORRY FOR CAps.... they could be on a well and you with city water or even there well drains through a limestone vein and yours a shale. this will effect water chemistry. My area adds a lot of chloramine and phosphorus to my city water but i try to collect as much rain water as possible in a 3000 gallon cistern. A LOG SITTING IN WATER WILL TAKE A VERY VERY VERY LONG TIME TO ROT AWAY UNLESS IT IS ALREADY THERE when it was added to the pond. I have a slew of wood in my water.

Your Pond is extremely shallow and considering what i see of rocks with some algae on them you were doing well. i'd add a couple gold fish BUT DO NOT FEED THEM THEY WILL MUNCH ON THE ALGAE . its all they need throw a leaf or a twig in the pond every so often so bacteria will be available in different strains for them . They are not us they do not need to be fed three square meals a day.