HELP: New Pond Question

K30 will be along shorty with her Algae Primer.... but I'm quite sure
you'll fall under the patience policy. Though I would like to know what
kind of plants and how many you have? You may not have near enough. Any
pictures? Post them to a website so we can take a look, we love to see new
ponds. ) ~ jan


See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website


On 16 Aug 2004 22:35:13 -0500, Otto Pylot wrote:

We just redid our landscaping which included a pond in the backyard.
The pond itself is about 8'x10', and about 3' deep in the middle with a
6' waterfall which is about 41/2' tall. It's not a pre-formed pond but
"custom" dug with a plastic liner. The skimmer has a filter (non-UV)
and the waterfall has 3 filters including lava rocks. An automatic fill
valve is in place as well. The pond is about 4 weeks old now and the
problem is this:

The water is really green and murky. We had an algae bloom at first
which seems to have gone away and settled into a natural setting. Water
flow is nice and constant, no standing water, and we have been putting
in the Microbe-Lift as instructed on a weekly basis. Oxygen-producing
plants have been added as well as other aquatic plants. However, the
pond looks like something that the Creature From the Black Lagoon would
live in. We've added mosquito fish and a couple of gold fish as well to
balance it out in preparation of adding some koi. The pond does sit in
direct sun all day. Is there anything that we can do to clarify the
water or do we just have to wait and let nature run it's course? Are we
just being impatient? I don't want to add chemicals if I can help it.

ALGAE PRIMER
~ Nutrients for all forms of algae are sun, new water, fish waste, fertilized
run off, rotting plants, blown in dirt.
~ New ponds and spring ponds need time for plants to get established, algae is
quicker at getting going.
The following is a collection of algae suggestions from many rec.ponders:
~ add plants, of any kind, in the pond. Especially underwater plants. Note -
since all plants consume oxygen at night make sure your pond has a waterfall,
fountain, spitter or bubbler to add oxygen during the hours of darkness.
~ or build a veggie filter* see below (one of the best and prettiest way to
clear a pond)
~ Shade is good - provided by lily pads, floating plants or artificial shade
for part of the day.
~ LOW fish stocking (good rule of thumb for recreational ponders is 20 gallons
per goldfish, 100 per koi after starting with 1,000 gallons) and *not*
overfeeding the fish. Too many fish and too much feeding is probably
responsible for most pea soup water, followed closely by too much decaying
plant matter, sludge and overall gunk in the water
~ clean up dead plant matter and screen for falling leaves in the fall. Clean
out pond once a year.
~ building ponds with bottom drains and skimmers.
~ do not use algaecides, they only make lots of suddenly dead algae and that
will feed the next algae bloom.
~ do not use products to dye to the water...
~ do not worry about algae that grows on things (substrate algae) this is good
for a pond
~ gently remove string algae
or read http://www.sfbakc.org/koienews/clayvsclay.html
or some rec.ponders like String Algae Buster
~ water movement and occasional water changes of 10%
~ add a sludge consumer, concentrated bacteria.
some rec.ponders use http://www.united-tech.com/m-aq4u-toc.html
~ Check your pH, too high, over 8.8, or too low, under 6.4, and most higher
plant forms can't take up the nutrients.
~ UV lights work on suspended algae (green water) - does cost some $$
~ adding a combination mechanical and biological filter to screen gunk, dead
algae and convert fishy ammonia waste for fish health.
~ some rec.ponders like barley straw
http://www.aquabotanic.com/barleyarticle.html
~ patience, more patience, remember to be patient and time
;-)
~ personally, in my experience, I can vouch for few fish, a plant filter and
patience

*Plant filter ~ running the pond's water through plants
- as easy as floating water hyacinth in top of a stock tank and planting
watercress in your waterfall (my method ;-)
or
Ingrid's post on plant filters:
"The essence of a plant filter is a water proof container with the water from
the pond
being pumped in one end flowing thru the roots of various plants and flowing
back
into the pond at the other end.
It needs to be long enough that solids settle to the bottom OR have filter
material
that will slow or hold the solids (and get rinsed out periodically).
It needs plants of different kinds to maximize removal of all wastes.
it needs sufficient amount of plants to remove in one day all the wastes
produced by
the fish load in one day. It needs plants with extensive roots and/or plants
that get big so they used up more
nutrients. It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesn't go anaerobic."
or go he
http://www.iheartmypond.com/Design/D...rs/default.asp



kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html