pond algae control?

[Malak]

trapdoor snails - also no good for green water though

 

[koiguy1969]

OLDFOGIE...ah,well first...you say youve got a U.V.. but is it working? the bulb will light up long after its usefullness is depleated...bulbs are seldom good for more than 2 years. one year if you run it all year. after 8 months of use their strength is greatly hampered at 11 months theyre pretty much useless...replace the bulb, not the whole unit! sounds like youve already spent enough to replace a bulb anyways. theyre cheap on eBay, LSE inc. i get 2 bulbs for $12.00 for mine...barley takes time..it has to break down, biodegrade which produces humic acids which further break down to hydrogen peroxide. that said barley products are more for string algeas rather than single cell algeas(green water).i would never recommend a chemical remedy for use in a pond...BUT.. if you use an algecide you best use a flocculant as well so the algea cells bind together and can be filtered out. if not that dead algea turns to nutrients, possibly feeding future algea.

 

[Steve knight]

I found these fish locally they can take cold water too they eat all kinds of algae
Chinese High Fin Banded SharksThe Chinese High Fin Banded Shark is a welcome addition to any koi pond. The sharks are not captive breed. They are all wild caught from the Yangtze River Basin in China. They reach between 18-24" in ponds and feed off of string and other algae growing on rocks and logs in the pond. Lacking teeth they are a sucker fish. They can survive colder waters and take temps when it also warmer. The sharks are a schooling fish so groups of 3-6 are preferred. They are also slow growers growing 1.5-2" per year.

 

[Malak]

Hey Koiguy, that's fascinating that using barley is essentially using hydrogen peroxide in a slow release form.

 

[oldfogie]

Hi guys

Thanks for all your suggestions. I've decided I'm not going to mess about with chemicals or fit a UV thing. If I fit a UV then I'll have to replace all of my water pipe and it's well past it's best. It's gone hard and brittle and would be a big job to do at the present. All the electrics need an update as well when I''ve got time.

What I'm going to do is get some of the pond plants that have been suggested and see how it goes for a little while.

Thanks again

 

[addy1]

Give them a try, might surprise you.

 

[fishin4cars]

I found these fish locally they can take cold water too they eat all kinds of algae
Chinese High Fin Banded SharksThe Chinese High Fin Banded Shark is a welcome addition to any koi pond. The sharks are not captive breed. They are all wild caught from the Yangtze River Basin in China. They reach between 18-24" in ponds and feed off of string and other algae growing on rocks and logs in the pond. Lacking teeth they are a sucker fish. They can survive colder waters and take temps when it also warmer. The sharks are a schooling fish so groups of 3-6 are preferred. They are also slow growers growing 1.5-2" per year.

If anyone is interested in these please do your homework and research this fish. They are endangered in the wild. PLEASE don't buy them just to try one out. they get very large, need to be in a school, aren't attractive when they get big and need a lot of space.
yes they have good points too. Most of the fish that do reach us as hobbyist are captive born and raised still not a great choice for most ponds!