Pond Algae : A Guide To Dealing With Nuisance Algae In Ponds
Nuisance pond algae is something every pond owner has to deal with on a constant basis. Pond setups are expensive, so are the required equipment that is vital to a healthy pond. After spending much money and time on the pond, along comes an algae bloom to mess things up.
Now you can barely see your fish. And it doesn’t seem like this problem is going to go away anytime soon.
Nuisance algae can be classified into three groups. They are filamentous algae (horsehair algae), microscopic algae and attached-erect algae.
There is a very simple reason why these algae are spreading through your pond like wildfire. Nutrients. Nitrates and phosphates are the two biggest culprits.
Walk into any gardening section and take a look at the fertilizer you see there. All of them will have something called an N P K rating stamped on them. N is short form for nitrogen, P short for phosphorus and K short for potassium. These three elements are fundamental to all fertilizers.
Nitrates and phosphates are the two nutrients that we are concerned with. Both nutrients act as natural fertilizers for plants and unwanted algae.
Therefore, it is important that we keep the presence of both nitrates and phosphates down to a minimum.
Similar to the way aquarium hobbyists keep down their nitrates, water changes can also be employed to export nitrates out of small ponds.
Water changes are not a viable solution for very large ponds however. Cleaning the pond should be the first thing you should do. Siphon up any fish waste, detritus and sludge from the bottom. Clean up any dirty filter pads as well as your pumps.
Lower the amount you feed your fish as well as feeding frequency. Rotting leaves and debris should also be removed as they are a great source of nutrients.
Aquatic plants compete with algae for nutrients so introduce some to your pond. You can also use shade to your advantage, floating plants like water lilies prevent sunlight from reaching plant life in the water column or at the bottom. Floating plants should be covering about 50 to 70 percent of your ponds surface.
UV sterilizers are a very effective method to eradicate phytoplankton. UV sterilizers aren’t cheap and can cost quite a bit when buying one for larger ponds.
Barley is another somewhat effective method towards nuisance algae. Barley was used in Europe for centuries and has become a common treatment in the pond hobby.
The barley is submerged completely in the pond and as it rots, it releases chemicals that are harmful towards some types of algae. These chemicals are safe and will not affect your fish.
They come in three forms, barley extract (liquid), barley straws (bundles) and barley pellets. They are cheap but not a sure way to defeat nuisance algae.
I do not recommend ever using an algaecide in your ponds. They are essentially copper sulfate which is poisonous and harmful to your pond ecosystem. It has even been frowned upon by the European Union.
They are a short-term fix. Mainly because they do not address the root cause of the algae in the first place. The cause of the problem is nutrients. Which takes us back to the beginning, nutrient control.
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