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In an ongoing effort to help people with green water and pond algae problems, it would be a mistake to not include the influence of fish in the equation.
In smaller ponds fish probably have more of an impact, both positive and potentially negative than anything else. On the positive side, few things can bring life and vitality into a pond any more than fish. If they’re colorful, you’ll find a rainbow of cascading colors shimmering under the water. It’s a beautiful thing.
On the other hand, fish must eat. And those that eat, must, well, get rid of what they eat. And this waste can definately increase nutrients in the water which, along with ample sunlight, can really boost algae growth along.
In this weeks video, we talk about how many fish is too many for a pond’s size and gallon amount. By knowing this information you’ll have a better chance of keeping your pond free from algae and more importantly you’ll avoid creating water quality problems (namely high ammonia levels) that can really cause problems for your fish.
[youtube width=”425″ height=”355″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwj8rRBMTho[/youtube]
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I have had a pond for about 10 years and it would always get green. I just added a number of trap door snails and my water is crystal clear. I am amazed.
Hi James,
Trap Door Snails can certainly consume organics in the pond that few other things will touch. It’s likely they went to work and reduced your organic load enough to limit the algae growth.
I think most experts recognize that the snails do eat algae, but many feel they can’t keep up if it’s a big problem. The thing is though, that if they do go to work on the organic gunk in the pond, that alone just might help enough to clear the water as it did in your case.
Well done!
I have had green water since I started my pond six years ago. I finally found the secret!!! I bought a filter pump and I can finally see all my fish. It is wonderful and I can’t believe that my water is no longer green! The filter has a backwash so I can even water my flowers and trees with it. It was a small investment but doesn’t compare with all the money I have spent on chemicals to try to control green water.
Hi Cookie,
I totally agree. If you have fish, some form of filtration is absolutely necessary. Not just to work at keeping the water cleaner, which it should do, but it also helps keep things like ammonia in check that can be deadly to fish. Glad you found the solution for your situation and now enjoy clean water…I’m sure your fish do too!
Mark