Ok I have searched and read all the posts I can find on this alto to read and try to digest here. LOL
I bought some pond starter stuff at Lowe's to use when we started up the pond and I've used that.
up until today it was fine now today it is green.
I've already cleaned out the filters to make sure they are able to filter the water.
And I know a UV light would help alot too but am trying to make it till pay day next month to get one.
what else can anyone suggest???
I've been reading about hydrogen peroxide, but I do not have any fish in the pond and don't plan on it till maybe next year if even then so it is just plants
Do I need to take the plants out and rinse them clean too???
1st Algae Bloom..help??
The algea bloom is normal and is actually a good thing, means that your pond is starting to cycle and is getting some natural "stuff" in it. I can remember when I started my first little pond (before I found Dave's) and would empty and clean it every time it turned green which meant that it would just keep turning green! LOL Barley balls are supposed to be a good natural control for the suspended algea but can take some time to work. I have heard about the hydrogen peroxide but never used it myself. As your plants grow and shade the water it will help take care of some of the suspended algea.
Last year when I started my other little pond I had the green water and tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. Purchased a UV light and it cleared up within a week and now I would not even consider not having one.They have some at Home Depot and Lowe's around here for about $50.
Thanks I just got done telling Dh we were not vacuuming the water and algae out LOL to clean it.
I saw the UV Light at Lowes for around 60 but I have to wait till pay day to get it and home depot didn't have any in their pond area.
I also read that adding coloring to the water will help filter out the sun light and help too.
It is just green water with the "slim" on the liner so far but I'll check and see if I can find the barley anyplace to help for now.
How long have you had your pond up and running? I am a new pond owner and have had my up and running since March of this year. It took 3-4 months for the pond to "mature" through the algae stage. I have 10 koi and a ton of plants. The plants use up the good stuff (nutrients) that the "algae" is using to grow (does that make sense)? I fussed a lot with my water in the beginning even though I was advised to be patient by my pond builder. He kept telling me that my filtration was top of the line and recirculated the water a couple times an hour and it will clean up itself soon. He was right (once I stopped trying to chemically treat it and fussing with it to clean it . . .). I also have the barley straw in my filter as well as carbon. My water is crystal clear now and I only take water out (a small percentage of the pond like 10%) and refresh the pond every 4-6 weeks. As a lot of other Daves Garden ponders know, I used to do a lot more water changes with larger percentage and they said it wasn't necessary and it has been about 5 weeks since I did it last. I may not do it again until the end of summer if it continues to look so clear . . . I'm learning, S L O W L Y . . .!
Linda
My pond has only been running since the 17th so only a week and we did return the pump we had originally got and went to the next size up for the waterfall..it is a 1450 for a 200 gallon.
I have a Mechanical Filter Box - Up to 750 Gallons that is attached to the pump for the waterfall plus we also have a filter/pump/fountain combo that was given to me in there running ...because Dh likes the fountain along with the waterfall *sigh*
I haven't "changed" any of the water since I knew it would do this sometime.
guess I just thought maybe it wouldn't be such a burst that it is.
I have Pickerel, Lizard Tail, EE, and Varigated Sweet Flag (grass), iris, creeping jenny(?) and ruella for plants so far.
Should I leave all the plants in the water ....not all of them have water to the top only those that are suppose to do.
I must say it is a nice green glow with the lights on in it at night LOL
When we first got a hot tub years ago I was paranoid about the water being pristine. There was a store here for spas and pools that would test the water (as I was also doing 10 times a day) for free. I almost drove that lady crazy running back and forth with a little baggey of water. We had installed every possible light and mechanical cleaner possible. I poured gallons of chemicals that was not necessary. After a couple of months I began to get over it. Kept it 14 years and it was a breeze. I messed it up with too much help in the beginning. Did the same thing when we first set up our pond last summer. Seems I am always trying to "fix" something that will do just fine left alone.
As others have said, it is normal for an algae bloom when you're first starting up the pond. If and when you add hydrogen peroxide (and I wouldn't recommend it right now, let the pond do it's thing...), you do not have to take the plants out and rinse them off.
Brenda
I haven't added any thing to it other then the stuff at the start up....I've been trying to read all the posts I an find on it so I'll understand it all LOL
I started my first pond about 2 months ago. Thanks to the helpful comments on this list, I realized the green water for the first 2 weeks was normal. It cleared up beautifully after that, without adding any chemicals. I now use liquid barley and have never had green water again.
What company makes your "liquid barley", and where did you find it? Also, would someone tell me how to use the hydrogen peroxide? Does it kill string algae? (Does ANYTHING kill string algae?)
I purchased my liquid barley from a local pond store, but you can get it all over the internet and on eBay. The brand I have is Microbe-Lift and this link has a description of it. http://store.123ponds.com/bsep08.html
And I've had good luck with hydrogen peroxide for string algae that was turning my waterfall black & yucky. I just bought the biggest bottle at the grocery store & poured in maybe 1 cup. 2 days later, I poured another cup in. Within 3 days I could see a major reduction in the algae. It didn't take away all the algae, but reduced it to the point where I could live with it. The algae did come back after a month or so, so I just repeated the treatment. Unfortunately, the liquid barley does not seem to control the string algae, but peroxide is cheap. The hydrogen peroxide did not have any effect on the fish or plants.
Thanks jomoncon! That helps alot! My pond is around 3000 gallons, does that mesh with yours and the hydrogen peroxide quantity you're giving? I don't want to over-medicate!
Oh dear! You'd have to multiply my pond by 60 to get the size of yours. (See my pond at http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/851613/)
However, in doing a DG search for "peroxide" under water gardens, I found this thread that gives some measurements.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/511567/
Just note that it will take several days to a week for the peroxide to work & it only works on string algae.
Thanks jomoncon! I'm going to give the peroxide a try.
Believe me all that algae will clean up on it own just give it time. I was so impatient with my pond in the first few months but I am so much more relaxed now. I hardly do anything except feed my fish. BTW, if you have "good plants" in your water they will take in all the nutrients that the algae is using to flourish. It sounds like you have a lot of plants already but maybe they need time to mature. A few cheap and easy plants for the pond to help with the algae are watercrest (get it at you local grocery store in the herb area). Mine covers my river and spreads nicely.
Another plant is regular hostas. Keep them in the appropriate light that they require and they will LOVE being tucked in the shallows of your pond. They look nice and do a nice job as well. I just dug some up from the yard and plopped them in-saved me money.
Barley bags - I think I have 4-5 of them at the top in my waterflow bucket. Do a google search for retailers of the bags type and the liquid type.
Linda
The various kinds of barley are usually available at the the pet stores such as PetsMart or Petco.
MY pond is 10 years old and all I use is barley straw in a net bag, changing the bag about every two months. Don't fuss so much over the water.
The pond has to go thru several stages as the water conditions itself, and one of the stages is the algae.. Mine has a coating of green on all of the walls and the fish love it..
As the garden matures it will balance it's self. Plants shade the water, fish fertilize the plants. and plants are lovely. Be patient it will come around.
The only time I have to use algaefix is in he spring before the lilies shade the pond, after that it takes care of it's self.
Good luck
oh I have tadpoles now too.I thought I had gotten all the eggs out the other day when they were strung all over everything but not so ..LOL..there are a bunch of lil black specks swimming around now rofl
If you have fish you now have "fish food", Every year I have a lot of frog and toad eggs, but the koi make quick work of a lot of them.. You will fine that nature will keep the number of them down, there is just so many that can live in a certain size area and the rest will leave to find
an other place to live.
Just be patient, I know it's hard but time will give you a great pond
Ann