alexopolus

I have a 1200 gallons pond that is infested with hair/ slime algae! The water is actually is very clear (morning), but is infested with hair algae that is killing my water plants. The slime floating algae appears after 4 pm that is when the sunlight hits the pond.
Nitrates are Close to 0, phosphate 0 , Gh 300, KH 150, PH 8.
Any help? (pond is 4 months old)
Gracias!

Michael

Ponds go through a lot of changes in the first six months, and almost all of the changes involve some sort of algae! Try to get as much surface area of your pond covered with emergent plants as possible--water lilies or any of the legal floating plants. Hornwort helps even if it is not emergent. It is a nutrient sponge and suppresses algae by allelopathy. You can also try barley straw in your filter or just suspended in mesh bags floating in the pond. UV sterilizers are supposed to help too, but are very pricey.

I'm new to planted aquariums, but experienced with ponds. Be patient and get lots of emergent plants in there. With the change of season sunlight will be less intense and that will help too.

BTW, thanks again for the shrimp and duckweed at the last meeting!

--Michael

AquaCamp

Hey Alex - throw some of that duckweed in your pond

I put some in mine and in about 2 weeks it was 100% covered! The guppies love it and the Algae all died! Then your next post will be, "Pond Duckweed problem!"

Ric

Michael

Duckweed will work, although some will say the cure is worse than the disease, LOL.

fishyjoe24

yep, UV sterilizers and water lilies . that is what my friend did for his koi ponds in his back yard... also now that fall will be here soon. less heat and less sun, so less algae.

MacFan

I forget the name, but there is some stuff that is basically granules of hydrogen peroxide that has been used successfully to clear ponds. You should read about it a lot more before trying it though... basically you spread it onto the algae and it bubbles like crazy and burns it. Granted, if it lands on the plants, it'll burn through them too. And it's not always good for your fish... thus the need for research...

I assume your plants must be potted? Because otherwise it would be a problem to have no nitrates and no phosphates... Generally you want some of both, in a 20:1 ratio in ppm I believe... I know I dose Potassium Nitrate and Monopotassium Phosphate at approximately 4:1 by powdered volume in my tanks. With the exception of BBA, most other algaes are a sign of nutrient surplus and/or imbalance. I don't know what triggers BBA unfortunately.

alexopolus

Guys thanks for the replies!

Today the pond looks not so bad! Of course a cloudy day!
I dropped almost a pound of duck wed 2 days ago! Right now there is pretty much none left! I guess the Koi or mosquito fish are eating it!???

I should probably start dosing some nutrients... and see what other kind of algae comes out!

digital_gods

I can give you some water lettuce floating plant to help absorb the excess nutrients. Just make sure you don't let it get into the water ways. As with most of the plants in our tanks, its on the noxious list.

Phil Edwards

Alex,

Michael's hit it spot on. Get as many emergents in there as possible. Not only will they soak up nutrients in the water column, but they'll provide shade which will inhibit the algae.

It sounds like the slimy stuff is a type of cyanobacteria. When they get light and start photosynthesizing they'll float to the top. When it gets dark and they stop, they sink. Try your best to scoop them out during the day.

Also, what are your plants potted in? What's the alkalinity (KH) of your water? Ponds are different beasts than aquariums. You really don't want nutrients in the water column unless it's Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, and Carbonate. N and P in the water feed algae.

I'd be happy to come visit and give you some advice on maintenance if you'd like. I used to do pond maintenance for a living. Now I'm looking at the science of it. I like the new job better than the first.

Regards,
Phil

Aquaticz

water hycinth has not been mentioned nor has azolla.
I am a 30+ year ponder