It helps to know thine enemy

Algae is normal and natural and needed by the lower
end species in your pond. One of the bulding blocks
of life. Our problem is when things get out of balance,
very easy in backyard ponds, and algae goes gonzo...


Green Water is caused by single cell free floating suspended in the
water column algae. String algae is long, flowing, likes moving water
and has some body to it. Substrate algae is like a fuzzy green
sweater
and grows on rocks, liners, plant baskets, and is considered a good
algae as it keeps the suspended and string algae at bay. It also
hosts
lots of tiny zoo plankton, insect larvae, worms and other tasties
that
are good for fish to consume along with their veggies (the algae).

All algae thrives on sun, fresh water, fish waste, fertilized run
off,
rotting plants and blown in dirt. In new ponds and spring ponds algae
is always the first thing to start growing. Backyard garden ponds are
way overstocked according to Mother Nature's formula.


The best defense against algae is to have lots of plants to compete
for
the nutrients, FEW fish, NOT overfeeding those fish, some shade,
blocking run off, not doing huge water changes and cleaning up debris.
Usually a good time to clean
out the pond is in the spring. Remove fish and plants, drain and scoop
out the bottom or (if you use the Aquascape system, follow their
directions for maintenance).


Do not use algaecides, they only make lots of suddenly dead algae to
feed the next algae bloom. Algaecides also use up oxygen in the pond
and put the fish in stress. Gently remove string algae. Don't worry
about fuzzy algae that grows on the sides of things, the fish will
eat it up if they are not overfed. Another option is using an ultra
violet
light. I don't have one but others do and can advise on them. UV
lights
as I understand them, rough up the cell wall of the single cell algae
and cause it to die. It has no effect on string algae or substrate
algae
as they don't pass under the light like the single cell suspended
algae.


Most algae blooms will pass within a couple of weeks.
Time and patience is key.
Remember patience...
and plants.

k :-)