A nature pond

Always nice to hear, thanks lols

You need a Dutchman to find a hole in a dyke! I like the idea and look of a fountain or waterfall so may look at some low voltage ones, easy enough to fix up.

 

If you planted enough marginals and oxyenators to extract the unwanted nutrients in the water then the pond will be in balance and should remain clear because there's not enough nutrients for algae to form.

 

This is all good news Hopefully the oxygenators will cope or at least multiply until they can and all will be good. Didn't know about the 2/3 thing - will have to hope the lily fills out a bit...

 

Sounds like you need more oxygenators rather than surface coverage. I could be wrong

 

As much as it is a pain I let the duckweed stay as that really helps to keep the water clear and sweet in my wildlife pond as it stops the sunlight which makes the algae grow.. Or maybe barley straw but not sure if we are still allowed to use that.. I have plenty of oxygenators too but leaving the duck weed for me at any rate keeps the Algae away for me.. Just scoop it out every now and then on a dull wet day and it is fine.. I just part the weed to reveal clear sweet water and wildlife..

 

Is what the Duck weed keeps at bay...
Blanket weed the string algae we don't want.. Looks like wool..


Duck weed is good..

 

I threw in some elodea crispa and water milfoil but can't say whether it works well, average, poorly or brilliantly yet - I'm too new !

 

Duckweed cuts the UV down which the algae needs to thrive.. For oxygenators I have Hornwort, Milfoil, Pennywort, Quadrifolia and of course Elodea which take away the carbon dioxide that the algae need to grow and convert it to oxygen.
Then I have marginal plants too and Water mint..

 

It certainly does grow at an exceptional rate and is a pain in some ways but also helps lots too, but I scoop it over to a corner and net it out every 3 or so days.. ( always leave it at the side of the pond for 24 hrs to make sure any wildlife fished out at the same time can usually get back in again)..

A friend who has a big pond has a boom thing that goes across her pond and every couple of days she runs it across the top to skim off duckweed.. You can also buy Barley straw extract that is eco & wildlife friendly.. http://79.170.44.212/ecopond.co.uk/product-detail.php?pid=1

Lilies, Quadrifolia or Water Shamrock is a good oxygenating and covering plant I have it and it thrives as does Brooklime and water mint.. I just have to periodically manage it to keep it under control but it only takes a minute or two.. The same with a lot of them really but during the first year or so after you have planted it try and resist the urge to keep clearing and cutting back as it take a wildlife pond a couple of years to settle down and naturalise and find it's own eco system.....