Summer is Algae Season

 It’s summer and your pond water is crystal clear, completely algae free, with happy fish and healthy plants - then overnight, things change, and you’re wondering: What happened to my tropical paradise? Why has my water suddenly gone cloudy?  Where did all of this algae come from?

You probably have a small pond.  Larger ponds are more prone to imitate a natural pond environment. A small pond is always more difficult to 'balance' than a large one. Small pond keeping can be blissfully easy but you’ll need the benefit of a few additional items that owners of larger ponds just don’t have to worry about.

 

But first, you’ll need to be armed with a little background information on why this is happening.

 

Algae growth

Algae are a microscopic form of plant life that lives suspended in the water.

Algae are always present in the water but they are definitely more a spring and summer problem. Two types of algae are common in most garden ponds - the free-floating green algae that give a 'pea-soup' effect to the water, and the string algae that form netted mats.

Refer to the following reasons to understand why you may be experiencing algae growth:

  • Algae need warmth and light to multiply.

  • If the pond is shallow in areas the water heats up very rapidly to the perfect algae producing temperature.

  • If the pond gets plenty of sunshine, algae will grow quickly.

  • Algae prefer still water to grow.

  • Algae thrive on dissolved mineral salts - especially the high concentration in new tap water, in which they multiply very quickly. A pond in which the water level has gotten too low will have a tendency to go 'green' rapidly when adding tap water.

  • Algae grow when leaves, pollen or sludge have been left to rot in the pond. 

  • Algae grow when fish are being overfed.

  • Algae grow if the pH level is off.

 

Being aware of all of the above will help you to determine why you’ve suddenly been hit with the green monster.

And to make it even easier I’ve included the exact questions to ask yourself!

  1. Do I have a lot of sunlight on my pond?

  2. Do I have shallow areas in my pond?

  3. Does my water have constant movement?

  4. Do I have debris and sludge in the bottom of my pond?

  5. Did I add an excessive amount of fish to my pond?

  6. Am I overfeeding my fish?

  7. Did my pond evaporate drastically before I added water recently?

  8. Are my fish coming to the pond surface and gasping for air?

  9. Have I washed out my pond filters with tap water recently?

  10. Do I check my pond’s pH levels?

 

These 10 easy questions should determine why your small pond is having problems. Once you’ve determined exactly what the condition of your pond is you’re ready with both a short term and a long-term solution. And here they are!

 

Short term solutions

For small ponds the short-term solutions are quick and easy. Jungle Laboratories offers an array of wonderful products to clear up your problem. Jungle Laboratories has been producing aquarium and pond products for over 40 years plus our products interact safely together—you don’t have to worry about unwanted chemical reactions.

 

1. Your pond has extreme sunlight hitting the water surface—your pond needs shade!

POND WATER SHADE® water treatment - creates a beautiful blue hue in garden pond water that protects plants and fish from extreme sunlight.

 

2, 3. You have algae due to shallow areas or slow water movement--you need an algaecide.

POND BLOCK® algaecide - clears pond water of algae.

 

4, 6. You have cloudy water due to adding new fish, decaying plant matter or overfeeding--you need a water clarifier.

POND GUARD® water treatment - clears pond water of cloudiness from decayed organics.

 

5, 10. Your pond water has become unsafe due to an increase in ammonia and nitrite levels.  The water should be tested to assure that it’s properly balanced.  You’ll need the following products:

JUNGLE QUICK DIP® POND TEST KIT - tests for pH, alkalinity, hardness, nitrate and nitrite.

POND pH INCREASER® or DECREASER® water treatment – raises or lowers the pH level.

 

7, 8, 9. Your pond is cloudy due to adding an excessive amount of new water and/or your fish are gasping for air. You need the following products quickly!

POND AMMONIA CHLORAMINE REMOVER - breaks the chloramine bond plus neutralizes chlorine and removes free ammonia from pond water.

POND CLEAR-ZYME® water treatment - a blend of safe bacteria and enzymes; it helps to develop and maintain the pond’s natural biological balance.

 

Long term solutions

Of course, I’m sure you would like to know of ways to keep your pond in balance to avoid these problems, so I’ve included a few ideas to help you long term.

 

1.   If a lot of sunlight is covering your pond you need to plant the pond with water lilies or deep marginal plants that grow up from the bottom of the pond and have leaves that float on the surface, creating shade. Shade reduces algae growth.

2.   If you have shallow areas in your pond you need to make sure the water has constant movement. There are many pumps available that produce water movement. Another solution for shallow water areas is to plant a medium sized shade tree to hang over it but only if the leaves of the tree can be easily removed when they drop into the shallow area. Also, research the tree carefully! The tree should have a non-invasive type root system so it will not destroy your pond. It’s no fun eliminating one problem but creating another! Algae does not easily multiply in running water, so operating a fountain or waterfall in your pond will help to reduce the problem.

3.   The pump should run 24 hours a day during the summer.  Especially at night! Many water gardeners turn their pond pumps off at night thinking they don’t need to run them then.  The opposite is true. Aeration of pond water achieves two things, both of which are very good for pond water and the fish: Oxygen levels increase and carbon dioxide is "blown" out of the water, and this tends to push up pH levels. Aeration protects against those algae blooms.

4.   If you haven’t removed the debris, do so immediately. Debris is feeding your algae.

5.   If the pond has a large amount of fish, some will need to be removed. Excessive amounts of fish will not only constantly tax the state of the water clarity; it will also be taxing for the fish.  The correct formula for big-bellied fish such as Goldfish and Koi is a bit long, but well worth remembering:

  • Figure the total inches of fish (measure from the head to the end of the tail of each fish).

  • Then square that number, multiply by 2, divide by 231, and multiply by 20 for the ideal number of gallons that will accommodate the inches of fish in your pond.

  •  Example: 2 Goldfish that are 4" and 2 Koi that are 6" => total inches of fish = 20;

  • 20 X 20 = 400; 400 x 2 = 800; 800 divided by 231 = 3.4632035; 3.4632035 x 20 = 69.26407.  So you would need a 70-gallon pond to accommodate 20 total inches of fish. 

6.   If you are overfeeding your fish, you are feeding the algae at the same time. Fish should eat everything given to them within 5 minutes.  Feed small amounts and often.

7.   Water changes are a must! Uneaten fish food and fish wastes provide a perfect fertilizer for algae. Regularly vacuuming out the sludge, about once a month, helps reduce the amount of this fertilizer, but be sure to remove only 25% of the water at a time.

8.   If your fish are coming to the surface and gasping for air oxygen is the problem. The amount of dissolved oxygen present in your pond water directly affects the lives of the fish and other water creatures. Fish absorb oxygen from the water passing through their gills. If the water does not contain enough oxygen the fish will rise to the surface and gulp for air – you may notice this on warm summer evenings - warm water does not contain as much oxygen as cold water, and the hot sun on the pond all day may have made the water too warm. If the situation does not improve, the fish will die.

9.   The chlorine in tap water can have a destructive effect on the beneficial bacteria cultivated in the filter media. Wash the filter media with pond water, not tap water, whenever you make a partial water change, but at least once a month. To counteract any loss of beneficial bacteria, treat your pond regularly with an enzyme product such as Pond Clear-Zyme® water treatment.

10. pH is important. Incorrect pH causes algae to bloom as well as fish to become stressed. pH is used to measure the degree of acidity or alkalinity of water.  It ranges from 0 (extremely acid) to 14 (extremely alkaline).  It is very important to remember that this scale is logarithmic.  Each point represents a ten-fold change! For pond fish, the ideal pH is between 7 and 8 (neutral to slightly alkaline). If a pond has algal bloom, the pH may fluctuate between 7 and 11 during a 24-hour period.  I know that this sounds serious but it’s not if it’s temporary. 

 

 

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