Our 11' x 16' pond is about 3 months old. We live in zone 5 and many of our daytime temperatures have been 100+ degrees. We are getting string algae on the 3 tiered water fall; the water is clear but the bottom has algae, so it has a greenish cast. We have about a dozen 3" to 5" fish (3 are koi's) and an unknown amout of snails. We have a good filter system, water hyacinths, 3 lillys, reeds, etc. What are we doing wrong?
Water garden problem
Linden, I've always heard that string alge is a sign of a healthy, well balanced pond. When it becomes excessive you can remove some with a rake or net or just by winding it up by hand. I put it in the compost or right in the flower beds like mulch.There is also a chemical product you can use if it's really bad. The alge coating on the liner is a normal thing too. It helps feed your fish and snails and really looks more natural than a liner.It doesn't sound as though you are doing anything wrong(except maybe worrying too much!) Relax and enjoy your pond.When the "crud" gets too bad on the floor of the pond you can scoop it with a net or use a pond-vac. This works like a siphon and draws water and crud off the bottom.You want to have it pretty clean going into winter in zone 5 so there isn't a lot of decay over winter as this produces gases that can be harmful to the fish. Good luck.MW
Thanks for your encouragement. I feel better already.
MWHIT is right. I had the same problem late in the summer. Don't panic like I did. I made the mistake of trying to keep my filters too clean. Finally I have very clear water which took almost 2 months to clear after being clear all summer. Now I too have string algae. I use a clean toilet brush to "gather" the string. Sounds gross but it definitely does work. Maybe in the spring try the barley straw. Good Luck and Happy Ponding. "T"
Hi.
Ever hear of barley straw???????? we have a 8X12 pond (second year) and we were plagued by string algae. Our local pond expert told us to get Barley straw and it would clear out the string algae. Really works great and all natural. a "Bale" is 12 X 12 inches and comes in a mesh bag.
It should be half exposed to the air. We put ours under the waterfall so the water runs through it.There is a chemical reaction when the straw starts to break down and kills the string algae.Lasts about 4 months.
There is a site www.theplantplace.com. that has great information on most everything for the pond, Also we in the southern Mich, northern Ind area have a club with our own site, www.backyardponderingsociety.com with may links to help of all kinds.
Happy pondering
annabelle15
Wow, I appreciate all of your "pond" help. Thanks!
my pond was really green once (or twice) couldnt do a thing with it. one day i accidentally left the hose on for 5 hours and total changed the water. flooded the yard a bit but when i looked at the pond it was clear as a bell. could see down all 47". think the fish were a little cold but they survived! good luck. i have also bought some farmers salt for the string algea that started taking over once. worked well.
Dear lwend5763, That's a funny story. By the way, what is farmer's salt and what does it do? Thanks, Linden
Barley straw did (and is doing) the job for me! I put up with scooping out the gunk for two summers, tried various expensive chemicals, etc. and found the only thing that works is barley straw. I didn't know you're supposed to leave it half exposed, so I weighted the bag and sunk it to the bottom. Works just fine that way too, and more attractive. BTW, a good web search will probably turn up a much cheaper source than the pre-bagged stuff you find in the stores. After all, this is stuff they feed to livestock, and no cow, etc. dines on $10.00/half pound fodder!
linden, i was told to use the farm salt by grassroots nursery. they told me that it would help in the control of the string algea and also promote health gill for my fish. i went to the web site for grassroots but they didnt have it on there. there is a place to email for information on the site. here is the address:
http://www.grassrootsnursery.com
LW
Wow! Thanks again. I will try the straw and farmer's salt.