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Rodney Pont[_5_] · 25-06-2010, 10:14 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:06:06 EDT, wrote:

Ok, if I don't have enough string algae to pull it out, but my water
is completly green, can't even see the fish! What is my best option.
Two weeks ago, I treated it with products, cost me 60$ and it's all
back this week. I can't keep forking out 60$ every two weeks. There
must be a better solution. I have no room to add a plant filter. My
pond is 15 by 21, 2 feet at it's deepest with a waterfall and bioball
filter.

If it killed the algae it will just rot and release nutrients back into
the pond and the algae will grow again.

How old is the pond? If it's a new one it takes time to settle down
with all of the nutrients in the fresh water. Don't change the water,
it will only add more nutrients and keep it going.

Do you have many fish and plants? If you have fish you need to change
some water, maybe 10% per week. If you don't remove some water the
hardness keeps going up as you top up to replace that lost due to
evaporation.

Plants are really the answer and you have to balance the plant growth
with the feed going to the fish so that you get a balance. Google for
nitrogen cycle if you want a more in depth explanation. Is you pump in
the deepest part of the pond so that it can remove more waste? You also
need to keep the filter clean so that what it takes out doesn't degrade
and make more nutrients to feed even more algae.

Another alternative is a UV light. They clump the algae that cause
green water together and your filter can then remove it. Again you need
the correct size bulb for your pond and the flow through the filter and
you need to replace the bulb once a year and keep it's quartz sleeve
clean so that light can get into the water. This is probably the
easiest method but if you need the UV your pond isn't in balance. Some
people are aware of that though and run their ponds like that so need
the UV to keep the water clear. Koi keepers with no plants for
instance.

--
Regards - Rodney Pont
The from address exists but is mostly dumped,
please send any emails to the address below
e-mail rpont (at) gmail (dot) com