Green Pond problem
I know this isn't strictly a gardening issue, but the group FAQ didn't have any pointers, so I thought I'd give it a go here and see what transpired. I have a largish pond in the new garden, about 11' radius and approx 2' deep, apart from a ledge about 1' deep and wide round the circumference. By my calculations this gives me an approximate volume of 4,300 gals or 19,600 ltrs. Like the rest of the garden, this pond has obviously been neglected for at least 5 yrs before we got here, and although there are a number of goldfish (around 35 we think) and a small number of larger fish (possibly koi - I'm no expert), they're difficult to see because the water is a particularlt turgid green colour. I suspect there's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the pond which won't be helping. There's enough plant life round the edges to keep the toads and frogs happy, and a few waterlilies which bloom quiute spectacularly in the summer. Last year we tried Algo-rem from Tetra, and whilst we observed a small improvement over the summer, the pond *really* cleared up during the winter, but once the sun and any form of heat came back in spring this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. Has anyone tried any of the pond vaccuums which you see advertised? I REALLY want to get this sorted, and am willing to go to the trouble of draining the pond if neccessary, but would rather not, so am looking for other alternatives first. Cheers, and thanks for listening. If there's another group that might be more appropriate, I apologise, but I couldn't find anything from a cursory trawl of Google. Thanks again Tim |
Green Pond problem
In article , Tim Nicholson
wrote: I know this isn't strictly a gardening issue, but the group FAQ didn't have any pointers, so I thought I'd give it a go here and see what transpired. I have a largish pond in the new garden, about 11' radius and approx 2' deep, apart from a ledge about 1' deep and wide round the circumference. By my calculations this gives me an approximate volume of 4,300 gals or 19,600 ltrs. Like the rest of the garden, this pond has obviously been neglected for at least 5 yrs before we got here, and although there are a number of goldfish (around 35 we think) and a small number of larger fish (possibly koi - I'm no expert), they're difficult to see because the water is a particularlt turgid green colour. I suspect there's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the pond which won't be helping. There's enough plant life round the edges to keep the toads and frogs happy, and a few waterlilies which bloom quiute spectacularly in the summer. I think your best bet would be to install a filtration system - solids-handling pump + mechanical/biological filter + UV clarifier ....or plant some shrubs - sunlight is the main promoter of algae and you can dramatically improve the quality of your water just by increasing the amount of shade. Stan |
Green Pond problem
Stan The Man writes:
[snip] I think your best bet would be to install a filtration system - solids-handling pump + mechanical/biological filter + UV clarifier ...or plant some shrubs - sunlight is the main promoter of algae and you can dramatically improve the quality of your water just by increasing the amount of shade. To reduce the sunlight, he's probably better off using floating plants rather than shrubs. There are quite a lot to choose from at http://www.bromfieldaquatics.co.uk/ who I've heard good reports about. Stan Alan -- Alan Williams, Room IT301, Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, U.K. Tel: +44 161 275 6270 Fax: +44 161 275 6280 |
Green Pond problem
In article , Tim Nicholson
writes Last year we tried Algo-rem from Tetra, and whilst we observed a small improvement over the summer, the pond *really* cleared up during the winter, but once the sun and any form of heat came back in spring this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. Has anyone tried any of the pond vaccuums which you see advertised? I REALLY want to get this sorted, and am willing to go to the trouble of draining the pond if neccessary, but would rather not, so am looking for other alternatives first. Have you tried planting plants with floating leaves to keep sunshine way from the pond? Usual recommendation is to have half to two thirds of the pond covered. Your descriptions suggests you have a well balanced pond and it would be a great shame to disturb it. -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm |
Green Pond problem
On Wed, 5 May 2004 18:29:53 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote: Have you tried planting plants with floating leaves to keep sunshine way from the pond? Usual recommendation is to have half to two thirds of the pond covered. Your descriptions suggests you have a well balanced pond and it would be a great shame to disturb it. Yes we have - as well as the plants that are growing already, we bought another couple of lilies a couple of weeks ago, and are waiting until we see signs of life before submerging them completely (at the mo' they're just below the surface on the shallow edge rim) but I expect to get anything like 40% or so coverage I'll probably need a few more. Thanks for the advice - keep it coming! Tim |
Green Pond problem
Tim Nicholson wrote:
snips... this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. snips ... We have quite good success with barley straw. You do need a reasonable quantity and I find that it works best if put in early - begining of February. I guess this allows the bacteria to plenty of time to get to work and it starts acting before the algae have a chance to build up. -- Larry Stoter |
Green Pond problem
Tim Nicholson wrote in message . ..
I know this isn't strictly a gardening issue, but the group FAQ didn't have any pointers, so I thought I'd give it a go here and see what transpired. I have a largish pond in the new garden, about 11' radius and approx 2' deep, apart from a ledge about 1' deep and wide round the circumference. By my calculations this gives me an approximate volume of 4,300 gals or 19,600 ltrs. Like the rest of the garden, this pond has obviously been neglected for at least 5 yrs before we got here, and although there are a number of goldfish (around 35 we think) and a small number of larger fish (possibly koi - I'm no expert), they're difficult to see because the water is a particularlt turgid green colour. I suspect there's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the pond which won't be helping. There's enough plant life round the edges to keep the toads and frogs happy, and a few waterlilies which bloom quiute spectacularly in the summer. Last year we tried Algo-rem from Tetra, and whilst we observed a small improvement over the summer, the pond *really* cleared up during the winter, but once the sun and any form of heat came back in spring this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. Has anyone tried any of the pond vaccuums which you see advertised? I REALLY want to get this sorted, and am willing to go to the trouble of draining the pond if neccessary, but would rather not, so am looking for other alternatives first. Cheers, and thanks for listening. If there's another group that might be more appropriate, I apologise, but I couldn't find anything from a cursory trawl of Google. Thanks again Tim Draining your pond might be counterproductive as adding fresh water would add fresh fertilizers to your pond. Much better to add plants such as water lily or water hawthorn which will reduce the amount of sunlight entering the pond by covering the surface. You should aim to cover at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the surface. Barley straw is excellent but you need a lot of it. My pond is about 16' diameter and shelves to 2'6" deep, and I use two ex seed potato nets which each held 3kg of spuds. I weight the nets with a large stone and position them under the outfall from a filter. i.e the return from a 20 gallon filter box. Hope this helps Tony Bull www.caterpillarfountain.co.uk |
Green Pond problem
"Tim Nicholson" wrote in message ... I know this isn't strictly a gardening issue, but the group FAQ didn't have any pointers, so I thought I'd give it a go here and see what transpired. I have a largish pond in the new garden, about 11' radius and approx 2' deep, apart from a ledge about 1' deep and wide round the circumference. By my calculations this gives me an approximate volume of 4,300 gals or 19,600 ltrs. Like the rest of the garden, this pond has obviously been neglected for at least 5 yrs before we got here, and although there are a number of goldfish (around 35 we think) and a small number of larger fish (possibly koi - I'm no expert), they're difficult to see because the water is a particularlt turgid green colour. I suspect there's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the pond which won't be helping. There's enough plant life round the edges to keep the toads and frogs happy, and a few waterlilies which bloom quiute spectacularly in the summer. Last year we tried Algo-rem from Tetra, and whilst we observed a small improvement over the summer, the pond *really* cleared up during the winter, but once the sun and any form of heat came back in spring this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. Has anyone tried any of the pond vaccuums which you see advertised? I REALLY want to get this sorted, and am willing to go to the trouble of draining the pond if neccessary, but would rather not, so am looking for other alternatives first. Cheers, and thanks for listening. If there's another group that might be more appropriate, I apologise, but I couldn't find anything from a cursory trawl of Google. Thanks again Tim Draining wont do it it will just reoccur. As already posted there are several routes to clear(er) water, the one that worked for me was a filter with a UV light, plus lilies (though it was the UV light that really did it, the lilies just help to keep it clearer. IME chemicals to clear the water dont work well and do harm the plants. I have copied this to free.uk.nature.ponds. -- Tumbleweed Remove my socks for email address |
Green Pond problem
"Derek.Moody" wrote in message ... In article , Tim Nicholson wrote: Hi, I'm not really even a lurker here - just dropped in tracking someone else's x-posts but while I'm in the area... I have a largish pond in the new garden, about 11' radius and approx 2' deep, apart from a ledge about 1' deep and wide round the circumference. By my calculations this gives me an approximate volume of 4,300 gals or 19,600 ltrs. Like the rest of the garden, this pond has obviously been neglected for at least 5 yrs before we got here, and although there are a number of goldfish (around 35 we think) and a small number of larger fish (possibly koi - I'm no expert), they're difficult to see because the water is a particularlt turgid green colour. I suspect there's a fair amount of debris on the bottom of the pond which won't be helping. There's enough plant life round the edges to keep the toads and frogs happy, and a few waterlilies which bloom quiute spectacularly in the summer. Yes I have a pond vacuum, and it does a great job of removing the sludge from the bottom of the pond but it is no good for blanket weed. I only remove excess sludge as I believe that the animal life in the sludge is helpful in filtering the water. I have a UV filter which keeps the water clear without the need for large filter boxes etc. My pond is 6 meters x 4 x 1deep so large enough. hope this answers your question. Diane |
Green Pond problem
SNIP
Cheers, and thanks for listening. If there's another group that might be more appropriate, I apologise, but I couldn't find anything from a cursory trawl of Google. Thanks again Tim Google list rec.ponds and great group with plenty of advice. BTW fish don't mind green water and herons can't see them either. Paul |
Green Pond problem
"Tumbleweed" wrote in message . .. "Tim Nicholson" wrote in message ... snipped water is a particularly turgid green colour... Last year we tried Algo-rem from Tetra, and whilst we observed a small improvement over the summer, the pond *really* cleared up during the winter, but once the sun and any form of heat came back in spring this year, we're back to the same green murk once again. I also have some barley straw bundles which I was also told would help, but as yet (2 months on) they're not looking very efficient. Draining wont do it it will just reoccur. As already posted there are several routes to clear(er) water, the one that worked for me was a filter with a UV light, plus lilies (though it was the UV light that really did it, the lilies just help to keep it clearer. IME chemicals to clear the water dont work well and do harm the plants. I agree with Tumbleweed - chemicals don't seem to make much difference and I am wary of their effect on the fish. I can't confirm whether barley straw bundles work, though I did leave one in the pond last summer (the water always clears in winter as algae, etc. dies). I also have a shade which offers some protection from the sun during the summer, reducing algae growth. If your pond has been badly neglected it might be necessary to drain it and clear away all the rotting debris, and a vacuum pump might be the answer, but you should only need to do that once. Nothing beats a good filter system (left on permanently) and regular maintenance - removing unwanted leaves, algae, etc. HTH Gilbert |
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