Small Ponds

Advice for small pond owners

Stacking The Odds Against Pond Algae – The Introduction

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Over the years, the use of beneficial bacteria in ponds has helped to clear up, clean up, and restore a number of ponds, and in doing so, algae has been reduced too. This has been one of the positive “side effects” of treating a pond naturally or organically.

Compared to even 10 years ago, the use of the good bugs has grown to the point where most pond owners have at least heard of some of the benefits, whether they may believe in it or not is another thing. Suffice it to say though that the commonly used chemical algaecides, so widely used in the past, are not as favorable as they once were.

There is a growing awareness (which is a good thing) that oftentimes chemicals are not the best solution to the problem, and that addressing some underlying causes may just make more sense. It’s not just in ponds where this is happening of course. Home owners are looking for more natural alternatives for lawn care, pest control, and many other things. Go to any WalMart today and you’ll find some organic produce too, which you never would have imagined seeing “back in the old days”. Sam Walton would probably be proud.

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Working Against String Or Hair Algae In A Small Pond

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String algae and hair algae are common problems in small ponds and water gardens. In the video included below, we cover the step by step process of trying to turn a pond around and clear the algae in a safe manner. A couple of things to note. When we talk about beneficial bacteria in the … Read more

Stacking For A Small Pond With Green Water Algae

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The video below will take you through the steps that we would try to remedy the problem of green water algae in a small pond or water garden. There are a couple of additional things we should mention here too. You won’t find barley or barley straw noted in the video but that’s a viable … Read more

How To Get The Most Out Of Pond Bacteria

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This is a rather lengthy article that talks in depth about how to get the best results when using a beneficial bacteria product in your pond or water garden. It’s worth taking the time to read but if you want a condensed version of the main points please watch the video below.

Of all the possible remedies that exist for restoring a pond to a better condition, there are few if any that have the power and benefits that beneficial bacteria can offer. These helpful little microbes that have existed in ponds, well, since the beginning of time or shortly thereafter, are little cleaning powerhouses.

The term “cleaning” is fairly accurate because beneficial bacteria help to reduce or clear up a number of things. Ammonia, which is deadly to fish, is broken down into harmless substances by bacteria. So are nitrites, which have their own degree of toxicity. Then there’s the nitrates and phosphates. These two types of nutrients are prime feeders of algae, and while they’re not necessarily bad, if they are high in number, your chance of having an algae bloom is pretty good.

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Pond Shading Options For Limiting Green Water Algae

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I have to admit, sunny days make me happier.

But everything comes with a price they say, and sometimes the price you pay for ample sunlight is pond algae.

In the case of green water, which is caused by numerous single cell algae, the sun can play a major role in it’s growth.

After visiting with many pond owners over the years, when we get calls about green water, one of the common questions we’ll ask is, “does the pond get a lot of sun exposure?” The inevitable answer is almost always, “yes”. Other pond owners that had several ponds were often quick to point out that the ponds in some shade, were often clearer, and the pond’s in the sun were quite green.

Now don’t get me wrong, you want your pond to be exposed to a bit of sun…that’s just a good thing for desirable plants and your fish too, but too much of a good thing can often cause some problems.

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Treating A Pond With Green Or Murky Water With A Flocculent

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One of the most common problems we hear about when pond owners call in during the summer months has to do with water clarity.

Green or murky and cloudy water tend to show up as the pond warms up and the degree of coloration can vary from a light tinting to a full blown green or brown where you can’t see your fish any longer.

Many times a good filtration system will help a lot in smaller ponds with this type of problem because depending on the color, the issue could be an actual algae issue, or it could come from a lot of suspended material in the water. As long as the filter is adequate and the particules or algae cells are big enough, they’ll get filtered out in good order. The problem is, not every filter is equal to the task, and to make matters worse, some of these cells and particles are pretty darned small. Sometimes they’re so little that they can pass right through the filter without being taken out. And when this happens you won’t see much of a change in your water quality.

If you’ve watched several of our videos on dealing with green water algae, you know that one of the useful tools for dealing with the problem is uv or ultra violet light. This device emits light which radiates the algae that passes in front of it and this damaged the algae cells to the point where they either die off and/or become damaged and clump together in larger masses which ultimately leads to better filtering.

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