A Balanced Pond is a Clear Pond: Mother Nature Does the Dirty Work
You are in your doctor's office for a terrible sore throat that has been bothering you for several days now. The doctor looks inside your throat, comments that it is indeed very red, hands you some throat lozenges and says, "OK . . . that should take care of it." You are not happy with your doctor. He seems to be underestimating the seriousness of your visit. He didn't even bother to do a throat culture or take your temperature or ask you about other symptoms. What if this sore throat is a sign of something more serious like "Strep?" If it is Strep, and it goes untreated, you could die!
What does this have to do with algae or a clear pond? Read on . . .
Our bodies are biological systems. When something is out of balance, we don't feel well. Uncomfortable symptoms are actually a blessing because they get our attention, but it is the underlying cause for those symptoms that is the real concern.
A pond is also a biological system, but many times we don't approach pond health in the same way that we approach our own health. When ugly algae takes over our pond, our first instinct is "Kill the algae, fast!" as we reach for the algaecide. It is also true that if your throat is sore, your first instinct might be "relieve the pain, fast!" when you reach for the throat lozenges and that is understandable. We want to feel better so that we can go on with our day, and we want our ponds to be clear and beautiful so that we and our fish and frogs can enjoy it again.
However, if it is not uncommon for you to wake up in the morning to a pond that is cooking pea soup or sewing green rugs (rugs are MUCH worse), it is probably trying to tell you that something is out of balance. It is time to examine your pond more closely to get to the root of the problem. What you will learn in the following article is a proven system for maintaining a clear, algae-free pond while maintaining an ecosystem that promotes fish and plant health.
A healthy pond is a clear pond that is not only beautiful, but much easier and more cost-efficient to maintain once you have Mother Nature on your side! When a pond is balanced and healthy, it is more self-sufficient. As long as you provide what it needs, occasionally making small adjustments, it does the dirty work for you (literally).
Check out the very latest from PondCare for the âGreenâ solution to Algae Control. See it here:
Dirty Work
The "dirty work" that I am talking about is the nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle is nothing more than the way toxic organic matter such as decaying leaves, fish waste, decaying algae, uneaten fish food, etc. are broken down into plant fertilizer. Nitrogen is produced by organic waste in the form of ammonia (very deadly for fish) which is then converted to extremely toxic nitrite (also deadly) by bacteria ("Nitrosomonas"), and finally converted to mostly harmless nitrate by another type of bacteria ("Nitrobacter"). Nitrate is plant food. Decomposing waste also produces phosphate which is a major culprit behind algae blooms. In order to keep this cycle functioning optimally you need:
- Enough nitrobacter present to control ammonia and nitrite levels. Get extra
- Enough plants present to control nitrate levels.
One of the most troublesome symptoms of this cycle not functioning properly is algae, as well as foul odors and fish kills. The underlying cause of these symptoms is probably either 1.) excess nutrient, 2.) too much sunlight, and/ or 3.) low oxygen levels. (It is common for there to be more than one of these causes at play, because all three tend to be connected). Once you have these parameters under control, the nitrogen cycle will become more efficient and the algae blooms will STOP!
Putting Your Pond on a Diet
When we talk about "nutrients" in this case, we are talking about nitrate, which is plant food. When bacteria break down the uneaten fish food, waste, fallen leaves, etc. nitrate is the final form. While it might seem great to have more nutrients available to your thriving water plants, keep in mind that algae is a plant, too! If your water plants can't eat all of the nitrate, then the algae get fat and happy off the leftovers. To put your pond on a diet, do the following:
- Only feed fish what they can eat in 5-10 minutes.
- Don't overstock your pond with fish. The more they eat, the more they excrete. A good rule of thumb is one 6" fish for every 100 gallons of water.
- Remove dead leaves and fallen debris with a rake, and/or brush regularly.
- Solid organic matter that has settled can be removed with a or skimmer net.
- and methods.
- Utilize a good beneficial bacteria product such as , , , or . The best thing about the nitrobacter in these products is that they will multiply and die off on their own according to the nutrient load in your pond. Read our product descriptions to decide which product fits the needs of your pond. Some products, such as , contain barley and peat extracts which further help the breakdown or organic matter. If there are not enough beneficial bacteria to break down nitrogen, phosphate levels increase and algae thrives.
- Runoff from fertilizer or nearby farms and pastures is also a source of nutrients. If this is an issue for your pond, look into methods of control such as creating a barrier or mound, or applying nonchemical treatments to the area around your pond.
- Consider adding more plants to give algae competition. (More about this in the following section.)
Providing Shade
Ponds that receive direct sunlight, especially if there are few aquatic plants, are especially prone to algae blooms. Algae needs sunlight to photosynthesize and reproduce, just like other plants. This is one of the reasons why algae problems are especially prevalent during the summer when days are longest. There are basically two ways to add shade to your pond:
- Add more plants. Water lilies, lotus, and floating plants make an excellent sun block while absorbing nutrients in the water as well. It is easiest to add plants to small pond or water garden, where they can be left in their planters to avoid overgrowth. A coverage rate of 50%-70% is generally recommended.
- Dye your pond. are available which color the water to reduce sunlight penetration, thus hindering photosynthesis in algae. However, be sure to move lilies and submerged grasses close to the surface of the water to ensure that they do get enough sun. (link here)
Water Aerobics
Nitrobacter are aerobic, so when you add beneficial bacteria into your pond they rely on oxygen to thrive and breakdown waste. Fish also need oxygen to process their food. When there is too much decomposing waste and not enough oxygen, fish kills will occur and so will algae blooms. This is very common in the summer because there is an inverse relationship between dissolved oxygen and water temperature: an increase in water temperature causes a decrease in dissolved oxygen, and vice versa. If you find that your fish are gasping at the surface of the water or at the entry point of the water, you have an oxygen problem. You will probably see this most often in the morning, because algae utilize oxygen at night. There is also an inverse relationship between oxygen and phosphate: the more oxygen, the less phosphate. Algae loves phosphate, so it hates well-oxygenated water. There are several types of aeration. Some work best in shallow ponds and others are more appropriate for deep ponds:
- : (Shallow Ponds) Mount an additional water pump just below the surface and spray the output over the surface.)
- Fountains with a Fine Mist: (Shallow Ponds) Fine mist aerates the best because it produces more turbulence than large droplets. and are both excellent choices from our store.
- Waterfalls: (Shallow Ponds) Use a or to create a waterfall that is both effective and aesthetically pleasing.
- : (Deep Ponds) Diffused aerators force air, which is generated by a compressor, to the bottom of the pond where it is pushed outward and then upward.
More Algae-Fighting Tools
If you must provide a fast, and effective algae solution then and can play a role in bringing your pond back to health. If you decide to treat your algae problem with an algaecide, be sure to use a natural, copper-free product such as . Copper and chemicals can be harmful to fish, especially if the directions are not followed very precisely.
Both algaecide and UV lamps will result in a quick kill of large amounts of algae, and it is important to remove the dead algae as quickly as possible. Decaying algae, like any decaying organic material, produces phosphate and joins the nitrogen cycle, thus becoming food for the next generation of algae. Also, this decaying algae will "hog" the oxygen from your pond, resulting in very sick and dying fish, so it is best to kill algae gradually when using these methods. Use a flocculent such as to remove the dead algae; flocculent causes these microscopic plants to clump together, making them easy to remove with mechanical filtration, a vacuum, or a net. Once you have killed the algae, take the measures described above to restore your pond's eco-balance. Once your pond is balanced and healthy, you will have a beautiful, clear pond that is much easier to maintain and more enjoyable for you and your fish!
