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28-03-2003, 08:32 PM

In article , wrote:

On 28 Mar 2003 07:28:01 -0800, (Brenda)
wrote:

Hi there my name is Taffy,

I have a garden pond of approx sizes of 8' x 10' which is full of
green slime. I need to drain the pond to refill it with clean water.
Has anyone got any suggestions and tips on how this can be achieved.
Please bear in mind that I am of a senior age and I don't want
anything too strenuous if possible.

Can anyone help!!
p.s. How can I prevent this from happening in the future.

There are many kinds of fish that will eat the algae, including
goldfish. If you clean it, the algae will just return. There are
algae removers you can get at an aquarium store too. Elodea
(anacharis) will compete with the algae. Algae is actually a good
sign of a healthy pond--just add the fish

Actually goldfish FEED the algae with their nitrogeny poops, though they
do also eat some of the hairy kinds of algae & keep them cropped down.
Algae has trouble going crazy in nitrogen-poor environment kept fairly
sterile (hence boring), but that's no fun because it is so nice to have
fish or frogs or something besides just water. A shading tree that cuts
down somewhat on the amount of sunlight on the pond can also retard algae
growth. I think one has to accomodate a certain amount of algae & just
think of it as green & nice. If it is "floater" algae that darkens the
water, that's the intolerable part. If you can have a raised planter in
the pond with lots of bog plants in it, & have a little pump continuously
cycling water through the planter, you can create a biological filter. The
planter should be deep enough to have the lower half pea-gravel & the
upper half the bogplant growing medium, & still enough of a lip for the
water to soak downward & out holes in the bottom of the planter rather
than over the rim. The roots of the bog plants use up the nigrogen that
flows through. In the peagravel there'll be healthful bacteria that breaks
down anything unwholesome in the water. It essentially works similar to a
"reverse undergravel filter" in an indoor aquarium, & is by far the best
filtering system a pond can have, besides being an attractive component
instead of a big dumbass filter box of some kind. The result of the
biological filter/planter is crystal-clear water even if some algae
continues to grow on walls & floor of the pool, but the algae oughtn't get
out of hand with bog plants using up the free nitrogen. The pool will also
practically never need any other cleaning, except for loose material that
accumulates on the bottom, the water will even then remain clear. No
drawbacks to this biological filter system EXCEPT the water must ALWAYS
circulate through the planter; if the pump comes unplugged or dies & is
not restored within a few days, the healthful backteria in the pot begins
to die, & the wholesomeness of the system sours nastily (repairs itself
when the flow is regained, but takes a few days for the bacteria to bounce
back, & the water may be toxic or smelly in the meantime).

The algae retardant chemicals sometimes retard growth of some types of
plants & especially seedlings if it splashes from the pool. Some of the
retardants use among other stuff copper which with repeat use can
eventually become toxic to birds & pets & other animals that drink from or
live in the water. And they don't work all that well if there's still
excess nitrogen in the water either from bug or fish poo or other
processes that occur outdoors. I'd go the planter/biological filter route
even if all that was in the planter was water sedge.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/