Murky pond

When we moved in October, we inherited a lovely pond with 10 fish (we now have 8). We got a pond guy out to service it, to replace the filter, uv bulb etc and it cleared up a treat! Now however it's really murky, no algae but the lining is covered in a bottle-green 'fur' and there's a stringy weed that keeps clogging up the fountain bit in the middle of the pond. I'm loathe to keep getting the guy out as costs will soon build up. Is there anything that can be put into the water to help clear this? The uv is still working, but the only plants I have is a potted plant in the water that has lily pad-like leaves and yellow flowers. I've cut all trailing stems off in case it's rotting plant. Thanks in advance!

 

I've just recently built a pond, so I have very little experience yet.

Mine went murky after about a week. I went to the aquarium shop and bought some things that I call pond bogies (I'll nip out and have a look what they're really called in a minute). They are full of good bacteria and enzymes apparently, and you just chuck them in and they slowly dissolve. Since doing that, the water has cleared up again nicely. I have fish in there and they didn't seem to mind. I also have a few plants in the pond, which I'm told is important in order to mop up plant nutrients made by the fish, otherwise the whole thing will turn green I'm told.

 

If you could find the name of those, that'd be very welcome! I do think the lack of plants may be a factor. When we first moved in there were some floating plants that were apparently Egyptian Nile lillies or something like that, but they were only meant to last for the summer. A trip to a garden centre seems to be a plan for next week! Thank you

 

Been out and had a look at the tub. This is what I've used.

http://evolutionaqua.com/acatalog/Pure_Pond.html

I noticed just now that my pond is getting a bit murky again. Not bad yet, but not crystal clear, so maybe you have to do repeat treatments until equilibrium is restored. I'm just guessing on that point though, because I've not had a pond long enough to really know.

 

Lovely, thank you! I'll get a small tub and see if there's any improvement The nitrate/ammonia levels were checked when the guy serviced the pond and they were ok, but that was some months ago now, I guess the warmer, sunnier weather wouldn't have helped! I'm also missing a fish... He was lying on his side at the bottom but still alive, been like that for quite a while and I never have the heart to euthanise. I wonder if he's gone and the nitrate level has shot up because of that? Without being able to see the bottom of the pond I've no idea, as he'd move around on the bottom!

 

Again without being an expert, if fish are randomly getting very poorly, I'd be wondering about the water quality. Not just the nitrate and ammonia levels, but also oxygen, or lack of. Its one of the things that worries me with my pond, as i don't have a pump in it yet, I have no way of knowing how much dissolved oxygen is in the water. If it drops too low, the fish effectively suffocate. I've got some oxygenating pond weed in mine, and the fish tend to hang out in there much of the time, and a couple of times I've topped the pond up a bit by blasting the hose into it. I've noticed that in doing so huge numbers of bubbles get created, which I presume is forcing air into the water, most of which comes straight back out as bubbles, but some will be dissolved enabling the fish to 'breath'.

 

Could be blanket weed. Try "twirling" it around a stick/bamboo/long thin object and you should be able to pull it out that way (lay it beside the pond for an hour so any insects can crawl back into the pond, then ... add it to your compost bin). You may have to do this daily. If there is a lot of it, use a rake to skim over the surface instead of twirling it around a stick.

I tried barley straw (in a pouch) floating in the pond, but, it didn't have a huge affect but, if you want to try it, someone on here was saying that it may be banned under EU regs soon (but, my argument is: who is going to Police it because with Government cuts, I don't think there are funds for Pond Algae Barley Straw Police Units - PABS.PU )

Plant, plant, plant, plant, plant! That is the best way to reduce/control algae growth.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about what the EU says.

 

Thanks clueless and M I'll get a tub of the pond bogies and look at getting some new plants.
The two fish we lost were straight after the really bad winter we had. We also have no idea how old the fish are!

 

Who does?

 

Mainly just the government, but nobody listens to them either these days.

 

This is what I use, works a treat

 

Thanks Freddy It's given me a couple of options!

 

If you only buy one product, I'd say Freddy's one is probably the better choice. The pond bogies are not specifically a treatment for a specific problem, more of a general thing aimed at helping the pond to achieve its natural balance.

 

I guess it wouldn't hurt to get both? I'll pay a trip to the nearest garden/aquatic centre and see if they stock them, otherwise the internet calls! Thanks again