have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small pressurised filter
bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods such as ramshorns etc, but what
does anybody recommend when it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV
filtering? The fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in a
while.
Thanks

"willsniffer" wrote in message
...
have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small pressurised filter
bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods such as ramshorns etc, but what
does anybody recommend when it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV
filtering? The fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in a
while.
Thanks


I installed a pump/filter combo, the filter contains a uv light. It
guaranteed clear water and it is now. Took about 6 weeks from about no
visibility whatsoever to fully clear to the bottom (20 in). make is hoselock
ecoclear 4500 which ois probably too much for your pond, you could get the
smallest one (my pond is about 1700 litres IIRC).

Only suggestion to you I'd make is to get the oblong gravity fed type rather
than the pressurised round canister type(which I have) as the oblong ones
are more tolerant of getting full of gunge so you can get away cleaning it
less often. Oh, one other thing, no rush to install now as the algae should
be dying off soon anyway, but as its the end of the season you might be able
to get good deals over the next few weeks on pond equipment, ready to start
next spring.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?
eweed" wrote in message
. ..

"willsniffer" wrote in message
...
have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small pressurised
filter
bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods such as ramshorns etc, but what
does anybody recommend when it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV
filtering? The fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in a
while.
Thanks


I installed a pump/filter combo, the filter contains a uv light. It
guaranteed clear water and it is now. Took about 6 weeks from about no
visibility whatsoever to fully clear to the bottom (20 in). make is
hoselock
ecoclear 4500 which ois probably too much for your pond, you could get the
smallest one (my pond is about 1700 litres IIRC).

Only suggestion to you I'd make is to get the oblong gravity fed type
rather
than the pressurised round canister type(which I have) as the oblong ones
are more tolerant of getting full of gunge so you can get away cleaning it
less often. Oh, one other thing, no rush to install now as the algae
should
be dying off soon anyway, but as its the end of the season you might be
able
to get good deals over the next few weeks on pond equipment, ready to
start
next spring.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

In article , keith
writes
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

Watercress rather than mustard and cress type cress.
The theory is that it grows very fast, taking nutrients from the pond,
leaving less for the algae causing the murk to live on.
then you chuck out most of it at the end of the season, thus losing the
nutrients permanently rather than allowing them to be put back by the
watercress rotting.

Can't comment on its effectiveness compared with anything else - our
pond where the watercress is is beautifully clear, but then so are the
other ponds.

eweed" wrote in message
...

"willsniffer" wrote in message
...
have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small pressurised
filter
bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods such as ramshorns etc, but what
does anybody recommend when it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV
filtering? The fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in a
while.
Thanks


I installed a pump/filter combo, the filter contains a uv light. It
guaranteed clear water and it is now. Took about 6 weeks from about no
visibility whatsoever to fully clear to the bottom (20 in). make is
hoselock
ecoclear 4500 which ois probably too much for your pond, you could get the
smallest one (my pond is about 1700 litres IIRC).

Only suggestion to you I'd make is to get the oblong gravity fed type
rather
than the pressurised round canister type(which I have) as the oblong ones
are more tolerant of getting full of gunge so you can get away cleaning it
less often. Oh, one other thing, no rush to install now as the algae
should
be dying off soon anyway, but as its the end of the season you might be
able
to get good deals over the next few weeks on pond equipment, ready to
start
next spring.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)






--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , keith
writes
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

I think it works on the principle that the algae that make the water
green feed on nutrients in the water and sunlight. Cress is a fast
grower so it absorbs a lot of the nutrients and provides shade over the
surface of the pond thus depriving algae from the two things it needs to
survive.

You have to keep pulling the cress out to stop it from choking the
pond!! Here is an embryonic faq on algae that never was faqed!!

------------------------------------------------

Algae, which includes blanket weed, thrives on nutrients, sunlight and
carbon dioxide in pond water. This is why blanket weed topics always
crop up on urg at the start of summer. Sunlight levels increase, pond
water starts to turn green and blanket weed grows.

For starters -

Are you sure that nutrients (compost, growmore, miracle grow, dead
vegetation, plain old soil etc) are not being washed off your garden
and into the pond when it rains?

Are you sure you are not overfeeding your fish and that the extra food
is rotting to provide blanket weed food?

Is your pond a new one? Don't keep filling it up with 'new' water to
try to clear it because if you do, you will just set yourself back to
square one every time as most tap water contains levels of Nitrate from
farmland runoff thus increasing your problem.
Take heart from the fact that it can take three or four years for
the water in a new wildlife type pond to stabilise into a well
balanced state.

Does the pond have a liner or is it a manmade 'natural' one ie a big
hole in clay ground? Nutrients may be more of a problem in a natural
pond than in a lined one - but don't quote me on that.

Blanket weed isn't killed by your pond filter.
Blanket weed will happily clog up your filter.
In fact, if your filter is a biological one, it will actually convert
toxic Ammonia waste from your fish into less toxic Nitrates again
increasing your weed problem.


To make the blanket weed disappear, find a way of reducing the
sunlight and nutrient levels in your pond and increasing the oxygen
level.

Our local pond expert says:
"Don't work against mother nature, try to work with her".

The most natural way to remove blanket weed, as it starts to grow in
early summer, is to encourage lots of tadpoles. Among other things,
they feed on blanket weed.
However if you keep fish in your pond the tadpoles will be a welcome
food for them.


Here are some suggestions
=========================


Reducing sunlight
-----------------

Reducing the sunlight entering the pond is usually achieved by making
sure the surface is half covered with leaves of lilies or other
surface hugging plants such as frog bit and aponogeton.

Some urglers have even tried:
- Azolla (fairy moss) - fast growing and can be scooped off the
surface without harming the pond creatures.
- Covering the pond with a big sheet - can be placed over the pond
when sunlight at its brightest.


Reducing Nutrients
------------------

Reducing the nutrients is achieved by continually removing the blanket
weed. That is, as the blanket weed grows it absorbs nutrients
therefore the more you remove from the pond the more nutrients are
removed.

To catch your blanket weed, you can use a tuning fork shaped
stick and twirl the blanket weed round it. You can use a plain
straight stick if you want and use the same circular action as a
candy floss catcher.

Just be careful that no little pond creatures are caught in the
weed as you remove it. In fact, leave it at the side of the pond for
a couple of days so any that are caught can crawl back into the pond.

It has also been suggested that growing water cress has the same
effect. It grows quickly therefore absorbs nutrients so that the
more you remove, the more nutrients are removed. The same can be
said for any aquatic plant, but water cress seems to be the fastest
grower therefore the fastest nutrient absorber.
***Warning***.do not eat any watercress grown in a pond because it
could give you Liver Flukes.***


Increasing Oxygen
-----------------

Well, obviously, you chuck in some oxygenating water plants.
It is amazing to watch the streams of tiny bubbles rising from
these plants when the sun shines on them!


Some things other people have tried
===================================

Barley Straw
------------

Barley straw works very well it just takes a little time. It *has*
to be barley straw and not any other kind. I have used this method
for years successfully.
[OldMolly]

I also use barley straw. Research papers that I have read suggest that
the barley straw works best when it is placed in front of moving water
and hence giving the naturally released chemical, that I believe
prevents the weed growing rather than killing it off, an opportunity
of dispersing throughout the pond.
[AndyP]

The reason that the Barley Straw works is AFIAK it absorbs the excess
nitrogen in the pond that the algae feed on. Yes it must be organic,
or bought from an aquatic shop, as the chemicals sprayed on to it by
farmers will kill the wildlife in the pond. Growing it yourself is
one good answer, if you have the space.
[Mike]


Chemical Solutions
------------------

From what I remember of a chemical solution to our small pond years
and years ago, a chemical solution to your size of pond is going
to be expensive.
[Jane Ransom]

I cannot vouch for CLAROSAN as I have never heard of it. But with
respect to harming lilies & other plants most of the other chemical
remedies do. I would check what the manufacturer has to say about it
before use.
Chemical treatments can stunt growth/or even kill plants altogether,
but usually just prevent lilies flowering for 2-3 seasons and if you
think that is OK just remember when you stop treating the water, the
blanket weed WILL come back.
Remove the nitrates/light in your pond or get a couple of million
tadpoles ;-) Tadpoles are the best bet. They will chomp away & keep
it away until the plants have time to grow.
[Andy]

If you use chemicals to get rid of blanket weed, you must make sure
to get rid of the dead weed from the bottom of the pond, or it will
clog your pump and possibly affect the water even worse than the
weed did.
[June Hughes]

I once tried some that said it didn't harm plants, but at the
recommended dose, it most definitely did, and quite badly. And after
a few months the weed came back. Cant remember the make though.
[TumbleWeed]

Funny you should mention that, this year, despite it being sunny,
we have had little trouble with Blanket Weed which normally blocks
filters, pumps etc. Three things may have affected this:
The first is that we have let our Watercress grow rampant before
removing it (and the nutrients it fed on) to the compost heap.
The second is the use of "Pond Tonic Salt" at the recommended dose
(originally introduced because of a parasitic bloom which was affecting
our fish) and
The third is that we have not changed the water in our pond as much
as normal just increased the flow rate of our filters a touch to keep
the water sweet (it's a 3,000gal Koi pond so a lot of waste matter).
[Bob Hobden]

Yes there are chemical products which remove blanket weed but,
having killed off the b'weed, the weed decomposes and eats up what
oxygen is in the water. So, the usual recommendation is to remove as
much of the weed by hand, before one treats the water. Yes, this can
be a big job. I have seen boats being used to trawl the stuff up.
However, you asked what the products might be. One was called 'Algofin
Plus'. No doubt you can buy it in larger more economic quantities but,
250ml to treat 5,000 litres used to cost £5. - No cheap option !!!
Another product was called 'Algizin P'.
I found that patience (nature is a great healer) and adding no more
tap water seems to pay off.
Don't worry about the magnitude of the problem. Just think how
satisfying it will be when you succeed. ;-))
[ned]


But always bear in mind
=======================

The root causes of blanket weed a

- nutrients
- sunlight
- carbon dioxide

in the pond water.
Get rid of them and your blanket weed D I E S ))


--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

"keith" wrote in message
...
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress
put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself
i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

Yes last year. Didnt work for me it just died!

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

In article , keith
writes
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

Watercress rather than mustard and cress type cress.
The theory is that it grows very fast, taking nutrients from the pond,
leaving less for the algae causing the murk to live on.
then you chuck out most of it at the end of the season, thus losing the
nutrients permanently rather than allowing them to be put back by the
watercress rotting.

Can't comment on its effectiveness compared with anything else - our
pond where the watercress is is beautifully clear, but then so are the
other ponds.

eweed" wrote in message
...

"willsniffer" wrote in message
...
have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small pressurised
filter
bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods such as ramshorns etc, but what
does anybody recommend when it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV
filtering? The fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in a
while.
Thanks


I installed a pump/filter combo, the filter contains a uv light. It
guaranteed clear water and it is now. Took about 6 weeks from about no
visibility whatsoever to fully clear to the bottom (20 in). make is
hoselock
ecoclear 4500 which ois probably too much for your pond, you could get the
smallest one (my pond is about 1700 litres IIRC).

Only suggestion to you I'd make is to get the oblong gravity fed type
rather
than the pressurised round canister type(which I have) as the oblong ones
are more tolerant of getting full of gunge so you can get away cleaning it
less often. Oh, one other thing, no rush to install now as the algae
should
be dying off soon anyway, but as its the end of the season you might be
able
to get good deals over the next few weeks on pond equipment, ready to
start
next spring.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)






--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , keith
writes
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

I think it works on the principle that the algae that make the water
green feed on nutrients in the water and sunlight. Cress is a fast
grower so it absorbs a lot of the nutrients and provides shade over the
surface of the pond thus depriving algae from the two things it needs to
survive.

You have to keep pulling the cress out to stop it from choking the
pond!! Here is an embryonic faq on algae that never was faqed!!

------------------------------------------------

Algae, which includes blanket weed, thrives on nutrients, sunlight and
carbon dioxide in pond water. This is why blanket weed topics always
crop up on urg at the start of summer. Sunlight levels increase, pond
water starts to turn green and blanket weed grows.

For starters -

Are you sure that nutrients (compost, growmore, miracle grow, dead
vegetation, plain old soil etc) are not being washed off your garden
and into the pond when it rains?

Are you sure you are not overfeeding your fish and that the extra food
is rotting to provide blanket weed food?

Is your pond a new one? Don't keep filling it up with 'new' water to
try to clear it because if you do, you will just set yourself back to
square one every time as most tap water contains levels of Nitrate from
farmland runoff thus increasing your problem.
Take heart from the fact that it can take three or four years for
the water in a new wildlife type pond to stabilise into a well
balanced state.

Does the pond have a liner or is it a manmade 'natural' one ie a big
hole in clay ground? Nutrients may be more of a problem in a natural
pond than in a lined one - but don't quote me on that.

Blanket weed isn't killed by your pond filter.
Blanket weed will happily clog up your filter.
In fact, if your filter is a biological one, it will actually convert
toxic Ammonia waste from your fish into less toxic Nitrates again
increasing your weed problem.


To make the blanket weed disappear, find a way of reducing the
sunlight and nutrient levels in your pond and increasing the oxygen
level.

Our local pond expert says:
"Don't work against mother nature, try to work with her".

The most natural way to remove blanket weed, as it starts to grow in
early summer, is to encourage lots of tadpoles. Among other things,
they feed on blanket weed.
However if you keep fish in your pond the tadpoles will be a welcome
food for them.


Here are some suggestions
=========================


Reducing sunlight
-----------------

Reducing the sunlight entering the pond is usually achieved by making
sure the surface is half covered with leaves of lilies or other
surface hugging plants such as frog bit and aponogeton.

Some urglers have even tried:
- Azolla (fairy moss) - fast growing and can be scooped off the
surface without harming the pond creatures.
- Covering the pond with a big sheet - can be placed over the pond
when sunlight at its brightest.


Reducing Nutrients
------------------

Reducing the nutrients is achieved by continually removing the blanket
weed. That is, as the blanket weed grows it absorbs nutrients
therefore the more you remove from the pond the more nutrients are
removed.

To catch your blanket weed, you can use a tuning fork shaped
stick and twirl the blanket weed round it. You can use a plain
straight stick if you want and use the same circular action as a
candy floss catcher.

Just be careful that no little pond creatures are caught in the
weed as you remove it. In fact, leave it at the side of the pond for
a couple of days so any that are caught can crawl back into the pond.

It has also been suggested that growing water cress has the same
effect. It grows quickly therefore absorbs nutrients so that the
more you remove, the more nutrients are removed. The same can be
said for any aquatic plant, but water cress seems to be the fastest
grower therefore the fastest nutrient absorber.
***Warning***.do not eat any watercress grown in a pond because it
could give you Liver Flukes.***


Increasing Oxygen
-----------------

Well, obviously, you chuck in some oxygenating water plants.
It is amazing to watch the streams of tiny bubbles rising from
these plants when the sun shines on them!


Some things other people have tried
===================================

Barley Straw
------------

Barley straw works very well it just takes a little time. It *has*
to be barley straw and not any other kind. I have used this method
for years successfully.
[OldMolly]

I also use barley straw. Research papers that I have read suggest that
the barley straw works best when it is placed in front of moving water
and hence giving the naturally released chemical, that I believe
prevents the weed growing rather than killing it off, an opportunity
of dispersing throughout the pond.
[AndyP]

The reason that the Barley Straw works is AFIAK it absorbs the excess
nitrogen in the pond that the algae feed on. Yes it must be organic,
or bought from an aquatic shop, as the chemicals sprayed on to it by
farmers will kill the wildlife in the pond. Growing it yourself is
one good answer, if you have the space.
[Mike]


Chemical Solutions
------------------

From what I remember of a chemical solution to our small pond years
and years ago, a chemical solution to your size of pond is going
to be expensive.
[Jane Ransom]

I cannot vouch for CLAROSAN as I have never heard of it. But with
respect to harming lilies & other plants most of the other chemical
remedies do. I would check what the manufacturer has to say about it
before use.
Chemical treatments can stunt growth/or even kill plants altogether,
but usually just prevent lilies flowering for 2-3 seasons and if you
think that is OK just remember when you stop treating the water, the
blanket weed WILL come back.
Remove the nitrates/light in your pond or get a couple of million
tadpoles ;-) Tadpoles are the best bet. They will chomp away & keep
it away until the plants have time to grow.
[Andy]

If you use chemicals to get rid of blanket weed, you must make sure
to get rid of the dead weed from the bottom of the pond, or it will
clog your pump and possibly affect the water even worse than the
weed did.
[June Hughes]

I once tried some that said it didn't harm plants, but at the
recommended dose, it most definitely did, and quite badly. And after
a few months the weed came back. Cant remember the make though.
[TumbleWeed]

Funny you should mention that, this year, despite it being sunny,
we have had little trouble with Blanket Weed which normally blocks
filters, pumps etc. Three things may have affected this:
The first is that we have let our Watercress grow rampant before
removing it (and the nutrients it fed on) to the compost heap.
The second is the use of "Pond Tonic Salt" at the recommended dose
(originally introduced because of a parasitic bloom which was affecting
our fish) and
The third is that we have not changed the water in our pond as much
as normal just increased the flow rate of our filters a touch to keep
the water sweet (it's a 3,000gal Koi pond so a lot of waste matter).
[Bob Hobden]

Yes there are chemical products which remove blanket weed but,
having killed off the b'weed, the weed decomposes and eats up what
oxygen is in the water. So, the usual recommendation is to remove as
much of the weed by hand, before one treats the water. Yes, this can
be a big job. I have seen boats being used to trawl the stuff up.
However, you asked what the products might be. One was called 'Algofin
Plus'. No doubt you can buy it in larger more economic quantities but,
250ml to treat 5,000 litres used to cost £5. - No cheap option !!!
Another product was called 'Algizin P'.
I found that patience (nature is a great healer) and adding no more
tap water seems to pay off.
Don't worry about the magnitude of the problem. Just think how
satisfying it will be when you succeed. ;-))
[ned]


But always bear in mind
=======================

The root causes of blanket weed a

- nutrients
- sunlight
- carbon dioxide

in the pond water.
Get rid of them and your blanket weed D I E S ))


--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

"keith" wrote in message
...
i read in the gardeners world mag ,tips from other gardeners that cress
put
into the water works wonders for keeping water clear ! not tried it myself
i
havent a pond but i think its worth a try! Any one else tried this?

Yes last year. Didnt work for me it just died!

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

I tried chemicals, but they were expensive, short-term and made the lillies
go spotty. Then I tried Fairy Moss to shade the pond and use up some of the
nutrients. It grows at an astonishing rate but it's not too much of a pain
to control by scooping off once a week. It has really clobbered the blanket
weed!
A side benefit - the local heron is looking a lot leaner now the pond
residents have extra shelter, and the compost heap is getting regular
supplements.

Scooping out the blanket weed was always a worrying time - it used to snare
newts and dragonfly larvae, so I had to gently check every last strand to
make sure they were all released back to the pond. The fairy moss is much
better because it has short dangly roots which don't trap wildlife.

In article , Peter Goddard
writes
I tried chemicals, but they were expensive, short-term and made the lillies
go spotty. Then I tried Fairy Moss to shade the pond and use up some of the
nutrients. It grows at an astonishing rate but it's not too much of a pain
to control by scooping off once a week.

If you mean Azolla, it isn't a moss but a fern. It is an invasive alien
species, and is already invading our wild ponds.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , Peter Goddard
writes
I tried chemicals, but they were expensive, short-term and made the lillies
go spotty. Then I tried Fairy Moss to shade the pond and use up some of the
nutrients. It grows at an astonishing rate but it's not too much of a pain
to control by scooping off once a week.

If you mean Azolla, it isn't a moss but a fern. It is an invasive alien
species, and is already invading our wild ponds.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , Peter Goddard
writes
I tried chemicals, but they were expensive, short-term and made the lillies
go spotty. Then I tried Fairy Moss to shade the pond and use up some of the
nutrients. It grows at an astonishing rate but it's not too much of a pain
to control by scooping off once a week.

If you mean Azolla, it isn't a moss but a fern. It is an invasive alien
species, and is already invading our wild ponds.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , Kay Easton
writes

If you mean Azolla, it isn't a moss but a fern. It is an invasive alien
species, and is already invading our wild ponds.

But you deliberately introduced it into your ponds to control the
algae!!!!!!!!!!! And, years ago, you advised us to do the same ))
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

"willsniffer" wrote:

Hello willsniffer

w have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small
w pressurised filter bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods
w such as ramshorns etc, but what does anybody recommend when
w it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV filtering? The
w fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in
w a while. Thanks

Oxygenators, covering plants (lilies, even duckweed) and time.

Algae blooms because of sunlight, lack of oxygen and excess nutrients.

I've got a large system of connected ponds here of about 8,000 gallons
with 8 adult goldfish and about a hundred 1st year goldfish. Water is
crystal (now, it wasn't earlier this year) and I don't have any
additional filtering systems. Just plenty of oxygenators, several
waterfalls (same function, just noisier) and coverage.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/