Combating Algae in the Pond: The Best Tips
Combating Algae in the Pond: The Best Tips
Almost every pond owner should know the problem. In spring, the water is initially clean and clear. But the warmer it gets, the more algae form in the pond. A slight greenish shimmer caused by microscopically small algae is not worse at first. This can be easily removed with water fleas, for example.
In addition, algae show that the ecosystem in your pond works. However, if the algae growth gets out of hand, it not only spoils the appearance but also the well-being of the pond fish, which in the worst case can even suffocate due to lack of oxygen.
Where algae in the pond come from and how they can best be removed is explained below.
Different types of algae in the pond
Basically, the algae in the garden pond can be assigned to two different species. On the one hand there are the slimy tufts, which can float as islands on the water surface. These are usually so-called thread algae.
On the other hand, there are also tiny floating algae that float freely in the water. In the event of a correspondingly heavy infestation, these algae ensure that the water in the pond takes on a green colour.
Causes for algae in the garden pond
The increased formation of algae can have various causes. As a rule, they grow particularly strongly in spring. This is due to the fact that during this time of the year it slowly becomes warmer again and the nutrient content in the pond water increases.
At the same time, the other pond plants and micro-organisms present in the water are only slightly active in spring, so that the algae in the pond have an excess supply of nutrients at their disposal.
Particularly if the garden pond is exposed to direct sunlight and there are too many fish living in it compared to its size, there is then a risk that algae will become a permanent problem.
At the latest when the growth does not noticeably decrease in summer, this is a sure sign that the ecosystem in your pond has become unbalanced.
Other factors that can favour the growth of algae in your pond:
- Foliage that falls and decomposes in the pond.
- Fertiliser washed into the pond by rain
- Filling with phosphate-rich tap water
- Dead pond plants that decompose in the water
- Too large quantities and poor quality fish feed
Pond plants against algae
In order to get a grip on the growth and to combat the algae in the pond, it’s advisable to rely on targeted planting with pond plants. These plants extract nutrients from the water, which are then lacking in the algae.
Experience has shown that a combination of floating plants such as duckweed and water lilies can be used to combat algae in the pond quite effectively. The leaves of the latter also ensure that less sunlight reaches the garden pond, which makes it even more difficult for the algae to grow.
Removing algae in the pond
To remove existing floating algae from the pond, the water fleas mentioned at the beginning are very suitable. If these are placed in the garden pond in spring, they usually eat up the floating algae almost completely within a few weeks, so that the pond water should soon become noticeably clearer again.
To remove filamentous algae from the pond, however, you will have to do it yourself. Experience shows that this is necessary every two to three days in spring, whereas in summer it is usually sufficient to remove the algae every two to four weeks.
Use a landing net, rake or special algae brush for this purpose. With these tools algae in the pond can be removed easily. However, make sure that you do not injure your pond inhabitants or damage the pond liner during cleaning.
Agents against algae in the pond
Another way to combat the algae plague in your pond is to use algae killers. However, you should remember that these do not eliminate the actual cause of the algae in your garden pond. Their use can therefore only be a short-term solution.
Algae in the pond and the fish food
If you want to prevent the excessive formation of algae in your garden pond from the outset, it is also advisable, among other things, to take a look at the quality of pond fish food.
Poor quality products are often less digestible for your fish, which increases the amount of excreta. This is not only detrimental to the water quality, but also promotes the increased growth of algae in the pond.
With high-quality pond fish food from Aquaris and the right amount of food, however, this can be avoided very easily. This is because the food is particularly easy to digest, so that the water in your pond is not unnecessarily polluted by the feeding.
When buying the food, pay particular attention to the composition and the bulk density. If this is very low and the feed bag is remarkably light for its size, this is usually a sure sign of poor quality.
Fighting algae in the pond - our conclusion
As you can see, algae in a pond are not necessarily a bad thing. After all, a slight growth of filamentous algae is a sign of a functioning ecosystem and a completely algae-free pond does not exist in practice anyway.
Nevertheless, you should prevent excessive growth to avoid problems for the pond inhabitants. With natural means such as water fleas against floating algae and pond plants against filamentous algae, this can be done very well in most cases.
Leave your comment