Fish crap is fish crap and green water will grow in anything. The ideas
should apply to any pond. I have 2 medium sized koi and too many
shibunkin (want some?). Is it a koi pond or a fish pond?

You miss the point of where Norm is coming from, these Koi Pond people
don't put ANY plants in their ponds. They are just now coming to realize
the importance plants play to de-stress the fish, give them something to
hide under or play around. They originally didn't want any thing to
distract from the beauty of their living jewels. Can't blame them
considering the money they spend, but these fish aren't works of art, they
are living animals that deserve more than the sterile surroundings of a man
made pond of straight sides, almost flat bottom, talk about a prison cell.

You type too fast or I lost what you were trying to get at. Nobody said
string algae was pretty/fun/tasty or have any socially redeeming values.

But that's what Norm is trying to point out in his article, his hunch: it
is the inhibitor/antibodies off of the fuzz algae on the sides of the ponds
that stops the suspended algae. That is "the Component". At least that is
what I got out of his article and his tests.

I wouldn't quite say that. The algicide doesn't come from plants. It
comes from rotting algae. I.e., you could have clear water with no
plants. At least for awhile. That's what his tests showed.

Algicide in no way comes from dead algae, when algae dies it releases
almost all the nutrients it ever consumed. That's why when people use
commercial algaecides it clears the water for a day or 3 and than the
suspended algae comes back just as strong or worst than before.

(How many plants and fish do you have in your
filterless pond?).

1,000 gallons. 13 lilies, 5 marginals, 2 lotus, water hyacinths
& anacharis. 4 adult goldfish and lots of babies. ~ jan

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

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
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