Sounds like your pond is coming along really nicely...If algae scum is
your only problem, consider yourself lucky.

It sounds like your pond has alot of nutrients and with all the sun,
you have gangbuster algae growth.

You note that you fish are growing at a great clip. I wonder about how
much food your putting in. In addition to the fish growth could
overfeeding be a source of nutrient overload? With the tropical
climate, I suspect you might have to be careful with plant nutrients.

I have also found that certain plants grow faster better than others.
Lilies and certain other plants look great but don't add alot of mass
and thus I'm not sure how much of a "nutrient sink" they are. I have a
couple of pots of Elodea in my pond and they grow really quickly and
give a great bushy look. I also imagine they're really soaking up lots
of the excess nutrients. I think my papyrus is doing the same, as it
adds lots of growth.

Finally, I'm guessing that the algae, etc. might be first-year growing
pains. Once the system settles down a bit, I imagine it'll all work
itself out. However, if you're in a tropical country, you may face
different challenges than I do in Chicago.

Good luck

Kevin


Köi-Lö wrote:
"Hal" wrote in message
...
My lily pond OTOH is for viewing plant life and not fish, in this case
the fish are there for mosquito and other insect control and could be
replaced with dunks. I'm convinced the algae causes negative growth
results on water hyacinths and other plants too, so I'm using
AlgaeFix, since the label says it will kill some forms of string
algae. Not sure this is the best solution, but after a week the water
hyacinths are putting on green color on the leaves coming out of the
center.


I found that adding 1 heaping Tbs. of Potash per 1000g of water really helps
green up water lettuce and hyacinths. I read that on this NG some years
ago.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*