Ewwww - green water

Well, it's that time of year for our ponds. They went from pretty clear (some nasty stuff on the bottom, but you could SEE the bottom!) to very murky green. The poor fish have to surface for us to know they're there.

My neighbor swears by Microbe-lift. But it's not cheap - $25-$30 for a quart.

Any other products that work better? Less expensive? We need to do something soon, it's looking pretty yucky.

Vols, there is a wonderful product that your local pond store should have, it's called Pond Care AlgaeFix. Works wonders in 2-3 days. I have used it for 2 years and I wont be without it.Controls regular algae blooms and string algae. Safe for your plants and fish, when used a directed.
You use it at 1 teaspoon per 50 gallons of water. I figure my gallons and then using a gallon milk jug filled almost to the top with water and add the required number of teaspoons of AlgaeFix. Then I pour into water fall and let it work.GREAT STUFF
Annabelle15

Anna...Lord knows I need it! Please tell me where you can buy it!

Rebecca

i need it too!!

I'm going to purchase some snails...apparently they can do a good cleanse of the pond. Elaine

Each year we use a handful of tied Barley straw in the Spring dropped into the water. (Lavender stalks can also apparently be used in the same way mixed with barley straw but you need to have some circulation going.) In a few weeks we have a clear pond, OK so not the quickest remedy but I'd rather not put chemicals in a wildlife pond with fish.

My water is crystal clear but the string algae is out of control.I just saw some barley pellets,a bit pricey ,but look better than the straw.Considering it.

Oh yeah...it's that GREEN time of year. I have used the Microbe Lift Autumn Prep and it works WONDERFUL. It smells like rotten eggs so if you can get past that - whew - it's great and all organic..BUT...the price is horrid when your treating 5600 gallons of water. This is what we are doing this year for the spring bloom of algae and so far so good. Dh hooked up an additional mag drive pump in pond. This pumps into a temporary chamber filled with quilt batting (I buy that at walmart). The batting "greens" up real fast. Fortunately, we have an extra washer at the barn and when it gets dirty, he washes it in the washer at the barn as I really don't want this stuff in my regular clothes washer. He hooked this up yesterday and we can already "see" about a foot further down than yesterday. Another investment he made this year but is on backorder and they just came out this year is a submersible uv light. He plans to use it only during April/May when the water turns putrid green from algae. Ditto on the temporary setup. It seems once we get a handle on it, the pond stays beautiful the rest of the season. We do, on occasion, use Accu-Clear which is made by Pond Care, the same company as Annabelle uses and it clears the pond overnight BUT, it is a chemical. Hasn't hurt the fish or plants yet but we have never used it more than twice in a season. Under normal conditions in the pond we have a pre-filter that sits on the plant shelf and the water goes from there through a uv light and then the bio filter and then on down the waterfall. That pump runs 24/7 from the time the water gets to 50 degrees until we close the pond for the season. btw...we buy almost ALL our pond products at
1-888-thatpet

This message was edited Saturday, Apr 20th 5:13 PM

Baa, your prompting reminded me that I had a "bale" of barley straw sitting in the cupboard. It's now weighted to a brick, bobbing underneath the bubbler fountain. Hopefully it'll work it's magic in a few weeks.

I just climbed out of the pond after spending an hour pulling up as much of the old "gunk" on the bottom as I could. Of course, all that agitation made the water even murkier, but I figure it's a small price to pay for hauling out the better part of a five-gallon bucket of half-rotted leaves and other nasty stuff.

Hey 1601 the snail idea didn't work for me. Kept buying and they kept multiplying also but the algae kept growing. I am adding abother pump this year and will see if that helps. I already have the pump but have been wrapped up in other chores and haven't gotten around to installing as yet. Think I'll go and do it now. Jim

This message was edited Saturday, Apr 20th 7:20 PM

AlgaeFix is avaiable from pondcare.com or your local water garden shop. I also use barley straw, the algaefix gives the pond a head start and then the barley straw kicks in, that means clear water all season. I found barley straw at Naturalsolutions.com. 8 oz bales for $4.95 (1-9)
$3.95 for case (10). sure beats $14.95 at oour water store.
Storage bags are either yellow or black.
Also check out backyardponderingsociety.com, my pond is the first picture with the statue in the pond section.
Happy pondering
Annabelle15

Annabelle, that's definitely good info to know - thanks! I just checked and Natural Solutions is in the Garden Watchdog here: http://gardenwatchdog.com/c/1728/

It looks like Pondcare http://www.aquariumpharm.com/ doesn't sell their products directly but only through other sites and/or stores.

gv...you might want to check out www.thatpetplace.com. They sell pondcare products. btw, I think we are going to cancel the backorderd uv light. The pond is clear and didn't have to use chemicals.

just found this online for 14.99. most places want 19.99


http://www.thewatergardenshop.com/algaefix16oz.html

* bump! *

Has anyone used liquid barley straw extract? Would it work in a pond with a submersed pump? http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/1484

What about barley straw pellets?

eBay has several sellers who offer barley straw. I've e-mailed our county extension office to see if they have any local sources for it, too. The local garden center charges $6 for two little bundles with cork.


This message was edited May 6, 2004 5:42 PM

I use the barley straw pellets with excellent results Gardenwife. I've also used an organic product (can't find it right now) first and then the pellets and it does a wonderful job. There is supposed to be a peat product available that will keep down the growth of string algae.

I've been looking on eBay and on vendor sites for the prices on all these forms of barley straw. Thanks for your feedback. I like the idea of the pellets if they work just as well as straw, though they'd be more expensive.

I'm interested in whatever it is which controls string algae, too. Off to search!

I just ordered Algae-Fix last night. My DH can't understand mother natures ways and he wants the green to go away.
We have barley straw and filter in pond, it just hasn't been warm enough for them to work, yet.

How do natural ponds survive?
Why do we scratch our heads to have crystal clear water in ponds?
Is not murky green water useful to plants present in the pond?
How about fish? Don't they like the natural way and survive?
(Similar to humanity swerving away from nature and suffering?)
Why should water be circulated using a pump (what is this pump and how it works?)
How about a couple of 'catfish' that cleans the pond bottoms?
Doesn't the fish that move inside circulate the water? The snails in my pond are doing a good job at present to clean the upper quarter of the level.
Do we have so much impatience to allow it time to settle?

Some silly sounding questions - but need some answers.

hey Everybody,
I go to one pet shop and buy all my fish and pond products. Yesterday, I bought Algaefix, b'cause the Green was getting bad here too, in Ga, and I bought 2 big bails of Barley straw, which I should have already put the barley straw in several weeks ago. I also bought a Big Fat Calico Angel Gold Fish. Can't remember the name, but from what she described, if all goes well, he/she will get a little bigger than an average softball just at her body, and her fins could range from 10-12 inches to soccer ball or basketball size. I know it is a fancy goldfish, Does anyone know the name? She is already bigger than a baseball!

And as for the snails, they will help, but the best one's are the Big Black Pond Snails. They only help, they are not going to get rid of the algae all by themselves.

What I do, Is get an Algae Eater, and before anyone says anything, YES, I bring him in before any chance of any cold weather, but he/she will REALLY help too! Last year, mine was about a foot and a 1/2 long by the end of the year, and so ugly!!! But , kinda cute, I guess, just scarey looking.

Dinu,
It isn't that we are impatient, and I don't have a clue as to how your ponds look there in India, but if the water has no way to circulate, it would be like a big mudd puddle. The water will stagnate and I can't see anyway for the fish to get oxygen w/o a pump or something to circulate the water. I know that the fish can live for a little while w/o a pump, but not to ever use one, I can't see them surviving. Here, if we did that, it would cause Mosquito's, and it would be just a stinky mess. That is why, I suggested a bucket contraption of some kind to fill up, and then dump over into the pond, or a pump of some kind. How big is your pond, and do you have access to lava rocks? Like you would use in a Gas Grill? If so, that is a Great way to filter the water.

Thanks,
Traci S

This message was edited May 12, 2004 6:53 AM

If your algae eater is a plecostomus, be careful. They suck on the goldfish as well as inanimate objects; they're not real discerning, LOL. If the goldfish go to the bottom of the pond to rest, they're fair game.

We were really into fancy goldfish years ago and I remember several goldfish mailing list threads in which people noticed their goldfish missing patches of scales and even an eye. Frequently, the plechy was the culprit. In an aquarium the damage would be obvious, but in a pond, you might not realize it was happening.

Dinu, the reason we want to control algae is so we can see the fish. Experienced ponders have said in other threads that a pond will clear up on its own given the correct balance of fish, oxygenating plants, sunlight, etc. Many of us have a hard time achieving that balance, though!

P.S. A good link about algae eaters & goldfish: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/gfish2.htm#story

I have had luck avoiding the murky green algae in smaller ponds where I have had only a couple of water lilies and the balance of oxygenators and floaters is achieved early on. I found I have pea soup geen water in the large pond where I have too many waterlilies and the hornwort and hyacinths haven't grown or multiplied enough to deal with the excess nutrients that resulted from fertilizing the waterlilies.

Mom has some duckweed and parrot feather that overwintered, so she'll be giving me some of them. We also went together on a 2# bundle of barley straw on eBay; including shipping it's still under $11 and more than enough for us to split between our ponds!

Any of you who have room to grow barley straw, there's a good market for it on eBay from what I've seen.

GW- I have the room- but I don't now how to get the seed!

My father's farm grows a lot of barley...I never get out there before the straw is taken off. :(

Gardenwife,
I have used an algae eater every year in my pond and haven't ever noticed anything wrong w/my Goldfish. Thanks for the info and I'll keep an eye out. Do they not bother the Koi? B'cause I haven't had a problem w/that either so far. Last year, I noticed baby koi everywhere. So, I just hope that this year, they will breed again. I have added an Imported Japanese Blue Koi, and whenever we 1st got him he had somewhat of a grey look to him, and now, he /she is looking much more blue. Do you know if an Import will breed w/ the domestic. I figure they probably will, but just thought I'd ask?

And 1 more ? What do you think about a UV Sterilizer? Are they worth it. My pond is about 1200 gallons, and I could get 1 for about $130.00. Ofcourse, the people at the pet store tell me, I'd save $'s in the long run, w/o having to buy all of the chemicals, and that it is better for the fish. Just wondered what you all thought, and if anyone has one, and I'd like to know the pro's and con's.

Thanks,
Traci S

I have no idea about the UV sterilizers; we just have a little 130 gallon preformed pond! I'm interested to hear about them, though.

From my understanding, the UV Syerilizer kills all of the algae and bad bacteria, and floating particles. And helps to produce the good bacteria and helps w/PH and by doing that, it cuts down on sludge, and all the nasty things. Our pond is 1200 gallons, and I have a 1900 GPH pump and a smaller pump running, and our waterfall is about 6 -8 ft long, and I went ahead and got the 1900 GPH pump. b'cause it wasn't that much more in price, and I figured the more circulation the better. I haven't ever had a problem w/algae until this year. We moved, and where we were before, my pond got sunlight most all of the day, and here it doesn't. It gets atleast 3/4 of shade out of the day, and I do not understand why the algae? I wonder if it can be passed from plants, that were in an algae infested pond. B'cause this didn't start until I added alot of plants, and once the weather got hotter.
I have already put in Algaefix a few days ago, and like a dummy, instead of waiting to make sure the Algaefix had worked, we had bought these blue tabs, that are supposed to filter sunlight and cut down on Algae. I wasn't sure about it, so I only added 3 tabs, unlike the 12 tabs it called for. So now, I can tell it has cleared up some, but it is gonna take a while I guess for me to really be able to tell.
I am considering the UV sterilizer so that I don't have to keep on buying chemicals. B'cause it kills the ammonia, nitrite, and all the bad stuff. And, if it is so, then it would save me money in the long run. For a 1200 Gal pond, the sterilizer is $130.00. If anyone has one please lmk, what your experience has been, and I guess I'm gonna have to do more research.

Thanks and any help would be appreciated,
Traci S

>>> Oh - The Green, Green Days of Summer - what can be done!


Well, we have waited long enough! It is getting warm (was
it just me, or did this winter seem to last forever?)!
That was the good news!
The bad news is that with the warmer weather and longer days
ALGAE can get out of hand.

Whether it is the green water kind or the stringy slimey sort,
we do not like either!

We get literally hundreds of questions dealing with this
almost universal pond problem, so here are some hints and
tips for dealing with it (this is going to be a rather
lengthy newsletter):

1) The very first thing to do is to balance the pH.
The ideal pH is 7.0, but that is often almost impossible to
achieve in a pond. Most ponds will do just fine with a pH
somewhere between 6.8 and 7.9!

2) In all but the coldest areas of the country a pond that
does not have filtration with an Ultra-Violet-Clarifier
should be 2/3 covered with plants by July 4th (general rule
of thumb). The best plants for surface coverage are
Water Lilies, Water Fringe, Water Hyacinth and Water Lettuce
(care must be taken in some of the southern areas as some
of these plants are not legal there because they can be
invasive where they do not die in the winter).

3) Establish a healthy beneficial bacteria colony!
The pond filter should have plenty of surface area for the
bacteria to grow. The filter must run 24/7 and the
biological filter media should not be cleaned with city tap
water (the chlorine in it will kill the beneficial bacteria).
Beneficial bacteria can be added to the pond!
Our favorite is "MicrobeLift!"

4) Use a flocculant when the pond first shows signs of
greening over - it is much easier to stay ahead of the
problem than to clean it up. We have found that "Accu Clear"
ist the most effective flocculant!

5) String algae loves high pH and can almost grow faster
than one can get rid of it. We use "Pond Balance" - it slowly
disolves the string algae without hurting the plants
(algaecides will kill your plants - be careful of what
products to use in the pond).

We have assembled our extremely popular "Algae Batallions"
to deal with any kind of algae, they can be found here:
http://www.pondmarket.com/store/category.cfm?Category=12

6) When all else fails, an Ultra-Violet-Clarifier will solve
the green water problem once and for all! (The bulb has
to be replaced once a year, though).

All the helpful items mentioned in this article can be found
in our online store at
http://www.pondmarket.com/store



This is a portion of a newsletter I receive. I find it usually contains helpful hints.

Pondmarket is where I ordered Algae-Fix. They sent it out quickly and I used it today for the first time. We will see if it works.

We've got the hair algae going on, and it's just going to get worse. I'd like to try the Pond Balance product. By the way, if you see the Wardley's Pond Balance for sale, it's not the same product, I don't believe. This link has a lot of information about its use: http://www.aquaart.com/PondBalance.html

Everyone, WALMART carries Algaefix at about half the price of pond supplies. Also our local WALMART is carrying a lot of pond supplies, more than they ever have had.(P.S.) they are right across from our local poond store. Also Home Depot is carrying liners etc at real good prices, check them out.