"kathy" wrote
"a425couple" wrote ...
(basicly = two ponds, bigger bottom doing well,
smaller top is 'greenish')

Thank you very much Kathy,
-jan, Derek, and DKat.

I have read all your good comments.
(and please do not think of me too negatively
as impossibily lazy, cheap, or stupid, ,
((I think I'm only moderately the above!))
but I doubt I even could do all the suggestions.)

I've learned a lot and made some changes.

All algae thrives on sun, -- fish waste, --
Letting the frogbit expand will help provide shade
and compete for the nutrients that algae likes.

I read this on the 9th, said "this step is easy!"
That evening tried first change.
(I normally use 'cut/broken to length windfall
branches' to separate "clear viewable surface"
from "frogbit carpet".)
I grabbed a length of old damaged green garden
hose, cut off about a 2 1/2 foot length, whittled
a stick, stuck it in end, curved hose around,
stuck in other end to create a circle, put it in
'clear surface', removed the branch, let the rain
and natural 'effort to expand' happen, and by
morning the pond was mostly covered by 'frogbit'.

Through that circle/view window, it seems the
water is getting clearer.

Plants are always a good idea.

Yes. (normally each spring we buy some of
those floating plants - just failed to do so this year.)
On the 10th, tried my favorite nursery store, they were
out/done with them for year. I will try another.

Biggest culprits --- too many fish, overfeeding the fish

I'll certainly accept that my current population
(averaging about one 3 1/2" goldfish per 12-15 gallons)
is more than reccomended.
(I bought figuring on past mortality rates, and am
not going to complain that they all lived, and avoided
predation, nor will I choose to execute them for their
error of 'staying alive'.)
Also, losses will surely occur again.

Also, the reason I have the ponds is for enjoyment,
and I get pleasure from sitting by them and feeding
the colorful fish 2-3 times a day.

Biggest culprits --- accumulated gunk. --getting out gunk,

Yes, I accept that this spring's 'de-gunking' , "mucking-out"
should probably have been more through.
In the cold rainy fall and winter, huge number of leaves fall
and are blown into the ponds. They sink and degrade
into 'muck'. Often enough the ponds freeze over
(sometimes 1/4", sometimes up to 1 1/2").
As spring warms the water, I 'de-muck' and generally
find that most of the fish I'd last seen, are still present
and alive.

Most of us run our fountains and waterfalls 24/7.

That may be good, but I'm not going to normally do it.
Over the years I've had 3-4 near catastrophies from
that (critters dislodge hose or mechanical failure of
spout getting plugged - dribble outside "continential divide") .
Found it gives me a horrible feeling in morning to find the
pond sucked almost totally dry!

One thing I don't recommend is algaecides

I agree.

Thanks again to all.