Pond algae problem

[Gunnitgamms]

Not it whatever op means lol. Did I do something im not supposed to do? If so im not aware of it.

 

[Gunnitgamms]

Not it whatever op means lol. Did I do something im not supposed to do? If so im not aware of it.

Sorry I did cross post I dont know how I managed to do that.

 

[Gunnitgamms]

Sorry I did cross post I dont know how I managed to do that.

I thought you were asking me how deep it was lol

 

[Mmathis]

I thought you were asking me how deep it was lol

I was asking for depth, but this is @brucen ‘s thread, therefore my confusion when you answered, LOL! “OP” means original poster.

 

[brucen]

That’s pretty! As to plants, how deep is it? There are ways to add plants.

My "pond" is about 10 ft long and about 3 ft deep, about 200-250 gal, with a concrete bottom and sides.

 

[WaterGardener]

Hydrogen peroxide will kill algae as @jw stated. Get a bottle of 3% peroxide, maybe several bottles. It's sold at most all grocery stores, pharmacies and at Walmart.

Pour the whole bottle into your pond. It may take repeated doses to clear it up. I have used it with no harm to my pump, but my pump is outside the pond. But it is not corrosive like bleach.

If you want to add plants, you can use floating plants like water lettuce and water hyacinth. Parrots feather will also grow as a floating plant as will others. You can use floating planters to plant other things. You can buy them or make your own. It's easy to do.

If you add plants, it may be necessary to decrease the dosage of peroxide. Without fish or plants, you can use a whole bottle at once. If there are plants, a large dose could damage or kill them along with the algae.

Peroxide doesn't last long, so you will need to repeat the treatment regularly. And you probably will need a few treatments in a row to get the algae under control. Then maybe add floating plants to keep it that way.

I don't know where you are located, but many of us are nearing the end of the growing season. Plants don't have a lot more time to do their thing in our ponds.

Very pretty pond.

 

[Lisak1]

You can also use sodium percarbonate, much like hydrogen peroxide. It's a powder that you can sprinkle directly on the rocks or the surface of the water. Kills algae on contact. It's sold under brand names like "EcoBlast" or "SBD" but if you can find the compound in bulk it's much, much cheaper. I buy it from a soap making supply house.

 

[brucen]

Hydrogen peroxide will kill algae as @jw stated. Get a bottle of 3% peroxide, maybe several bottles. It's sold at most all grocery stores, pharmacies and at Walmart.

Pour the whole bottle into your pond. It may take repeated doses to clear it up. I have used it with no harm to my pump, but my pump is outside the pond. But it is not corrosive like bleach.

If you want to add plants, you can use floating plants like water lettuce and water hyacinth. Parrots feather will also grow as a floating plant as will others. You can use floating planters to plant other things. You can buy them or make your own. It's easy to do.

If you add plants, it may be necessary to decrease the dosage of peroxide. Without fish or plants, you can use a whole bottle at once. If there are plants, a large dose could damage or kill them along with the algae.

Peroxide doesn't last long, so you will need to repeat the treatment regularly. And you probably will need a few treatments in a row to get the algae under control. Then maybe add floating plants to keep it that way.

I don't know where you are located, but many of us are nearing the end of the growing season. Plants don't have a lot more time to do their thing in our ponds.

Very pretty pond.

But will the hydrogen peroxide also kill all the plants surrounding the pond and other plants in the yard since, when I drain the pond for cleaning, all the water is emptied only a couple feet from the pond? Also, what about all the various birds, rabbits, and other critters who routinely drink from the top of the water fall which we love watching? Will the hydrogen peroxide affect them? I am in Arizona outside Phoenix. Our growing season is "ALL YEAR"!

 

[WaterGardener]

Hydrogen peroxide starts to work in minutes and only lasts for a few hours, so it's effects are very short lived. It oxidizes, creating more oxygen, then it's gone. The water won't harm other plants or animals.

In my opinion, draining and cleaning the pond is adding to the problem. Algae is a result of too many nutrients in the pond. There is bacteria growing on all hard surfaces of the pond and in the filter. That bacteria also feeds on those nutrients. Given time and the right conditions, enough of that bacteria will grow to outcompete the algae and the algae will die off. But every time the pond is drained and cleaned, those bacteria are being destroyed so the algae wins.

If this were my pond, I would put up a shade sail or use some other means of shading it. Algae needs sun. It doesn't grow well in the shade. I would add lots of plants to also use those nutrients. I would stop draining the pond and allow it to find it's own balance. Just my opinion.

 

[addy1]

I had a large pond in Poenix, never drained it, did treat string algae with peroxide a few times. it worked, then need to pull out the dead stuff.

 

[Rick42wood]

I have a problem with green algae in my pond (no fish, no vegetation). Twenty years ago when the company built my pond and waterfall and has been maintaining it ever since, this company recommended putting a three inch chlorine tablet in the pond to deter algae. Over time, I have had many problems with the submersible pumps which almost always did not out live their warranties (only two in 20 years ). I recently had to have a pump replaced but the replacement pump (a Superior pimp) died after only three months. The new replacement pump (Little Giant) lasted only three weeks. The company who built and has maintained the pond and waterfall replaced this last pump with another Little Giant but will not honor the warranty on the new pump because they say it was corroded from the use of the chlorine tablets which I was using at their direction. Therefore, I did not put any chlorine tablets into the pond this time and only added an algaecide. Without the chlorine tablet (and with a healthy dose of algaecide), I had a massive built up of algae in the pond and on the pools of water on the waterfall WITHIN TWO WEEKS. Therefore, today, I drained the pond, scrubbed is as best I could with an industrial broom (the most I can do since I am over 80 with a severe balance problem and cannot climb up and over the waterfall to clean every pool or scrub every rock). DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS as to how to control the algae which becomes severe within one to two weeks after draining and cleaning the pond? Friends tell me that I should "SHOCK" the pond but that involves concentrated chlorine which the company that has maintained my pond NOW tells me would ruin the pump, especially since the "SHOCK" treatment would introduce massive amounts of chlorine, far above the levels from the chlorine tablets which they say is corroding my pumps (within 3 weeks?). SO AGAIN, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS as to how to control the algae which becomes severe within one to two weeks after draining and cleaning the pond? Perhaps a better algaecide than what I now am using.

If you can find it somewhere, Potassium Permanganate will kill the algae almost instantly.

 

[j.w]

If you can find it somewhere, Potassium Permanganate will kill the algae almost instantly.

I have read that you must follow directions very close using P.P and watch your fish so no ill effects from using that stuff. It can be deadly if used incorrectly. https://fisheries.tamu.edu/files/2013/09/The-Use-of-Potassium-Permanganate-in-Fish-Ponds.pdf

 

[WaterGardener]

You do need to be careful with it and it will stain anything it touches. Wearing gloves and protective eyewear is always recommended when using it.

It also turns the pond to a nice rich purple color. But that soon changes to an ugly brown after it has done it's job. It can take a few days for it to clear again. But it can do a very nice job of clearing the water.

 

[j.w]

You do need to be careful with it and it will stain anything it touches. Wearing gloves and protective eyewear is always recommended when using it.

It also turns the pond to a nice rich purple color. But that soon changes to an ugly brown after it has done itt job. It can take a few days for it to clear again. But it can do a very nice job of clearing the water.

Myself I think I would just do the old el naturele way and allow the algae to go away on it's own somehow if I ever had that problem.

 

[GBBUDD]

If you can find it somewhere, Potassium Permanganate will kill the algae almost instantly.

HOLD ON A MINUTE Potassium Permanganate NOT ONLY WILL KILL ALGAE IT WILL KILL EVERYTHING IN YOUR POND AS WELL IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING. I WOULD REMOVE THAT FROM MATERIALS TO CNTROL ALGAE. it is a very useful product but one for those who have educated them selves in it's usage .