Advice Please

There's several chemicals on the market which will clear algae etc., it kills it off so that it sinks to the bottom. Fish don't mind green water, even when it looks like pea soup. It is essential to get the right dosage. Some fish like orfe won't tolerate it, In the past and I'm talking about fifteen years ago, I've seen them permanantly disfigured going "banana shaped" immediately they come in contact with it. Maybe they've made improvements as many firms now have their own treatments.

But with all these treatments, it's only temporary. They say you can control it all by having the right fish/volume of water/ marginal plants ratio. But if it's very hot and sunny for long periods the water will still go green.

I don't know about this one, I'd find someone who uses it. My system stays clear all the time, but it would go a bit green in the hot weather if I didn't up the rate of the water going through the UV.

 

As doghouse riley says, all it does is to coagulate the algae, causing it to sink to the bottom, it doesn't get rid of it, and will have to be repeated at some time.

 

I bought some of that a couple of years ago, it wasn't cheap for a very small sachet of whay looked like dried up tobacco.

I couldn't see any difference.

My pond has a waterfall but no UV gaget and as such it always goes a bit green in May early June, but it clears once the elodea and the waterlillies get moving.
I also have far too many fish, but they are a randy bunch.

 

Aquapure is good at clearing a pond of green water and blanket weed. The best thing though is a 10% weekly water change and running a good UV light. It took my pond about 2 weeks to go green and the same to clear up after installing a UV light. Either get one thats built into a filter box so you get the benefit of an additional filter or get an inline one that goes before your current filter.This one is mine http://www.hozelock.com/aquatics/filters-and-uvcs/above-ground-filters/ecopower-5000-1348-2.html
I bought it from Argos in the sale for 45 quid, they are usually around 60 quid but it keeps my pond immaculate.

 

I too am firm believer of a "trickle change" in the water. By that I mean turning the tap on until I get a steady stream just slightly more than a sporadic "dribble."

I've a bypass pipe from the supply to the sink in my "fish room" at the back-end of my garage, with a tap connected to one of the filter tanks. I've a "skimmer" in the pool connected to the drain, so the surplus water and some tiny leaves go down this and some of the bigger leaves that fall in the pool and float on the surface get slowly washed up against the lip of the skimmer and get trapped there between it and the side of the pool.

If the skimmer gets blocked by debris, the water in the pool and the sump will rise an inch and then flow out through a second drain connection in the sump. I clean the skimmer every time I flush out the sump.

With water changes it's best to do this very slow and continuously.

Even our little "frog pond" has an overflow, a piece of plastic conduit pipe below the edging stones. I occasionally freshen it up by trickling in water from a garden hose over night. The surface of the this pond is marginally higher than the lawn and the overflow is directed into the gully between my lawn's edging pavers and the border. But the water soaks away before it's travelled more than a few feet.

I fortunately have avoided ever having to need a bucket!

 

I use pond water to water my plants and have the hose filling the pond back up at the same time. I can fill the watering can in seconds with the pond instead of waiting for the tap to fill it.

 

I've mentioned this elsewhere, where you have a pond with fish, the water will have a degree of acidity, the result of fish poo and pee. With the latter fish excrete twice their own weight...Daily!
This water is ideal for watering acid loving plants.

 

I personally never used chemicals when I had a pond, water lillies and plenty of oxygenating plants kept the water crystal clear and a good biological filter also helps.
I couldn't honestly recommend using that aqua pond clear.

Pete

 

I never put anything in the "natural" ponds I had.

Koi keeping is a bit different. As a species "if it's goin' they'll get it."
All sorts of stuff is used. I stick to an old fashioned preventative treatment.
Once the water temperature gets to around 60F I add a dose of malachite green and formalin (I used to be able to get both from chemists, but now 'cos of 'elf 'n' safety...you have to pay silly money for it at aquarist supply shops). I repeat the treatment seven days later and I give 'em another doyble dose in the autumn. The formalin temporarily strips the mucus and the malachite then kills any parasites. The fish don't mind (or know). Makes the water a pretty shade of green for a couple of days.

 

But they are a quick fix and should not be relied upon.
Often all they do is to coagulate the particles making them heavier than they were. This then causes them to sink to the bottom. They should then be removed with a pond vac. But if you looked after the pond from day 1 you should never need to ad any chemicals just to clear the water.

 

I think we have two different forms of water gardening here, the totally artificial Koi keepers, and the natural.
I cant think of anything more un natural than a koi pond, its a kind of swimming pool for fish.
Not that I dont like them, its just that its a very much like a tank and kept clean by all kinds of artificial means.
The old fashioned garden pond is another matter and if you get the balance right it just works on its own without too much hassle.

 

Err.. Excuse me!

I went to a great deal of effort to ensure my koi pool doesn't look anything like a "tank." So do a lot of people like me.

I like to think that I those and likeminded people I know, were successful.