What can I do about "green water" in a koi pond?

We have a small pond (around 1500 gallon) that has a huge problem with algae. Every year we get the spring bloom, and then in the fall we get water that looks like pea soup. Our pond doesn't get a lot of shade, but there are water lilies and floating plants to provide some shade. We have tried partial and complete water changes, chemicals, you name it. Any insight would really be appreciated. Thanks

What can I do about "green water" in a koi pond?
This is a very common problem that I have dealt with many times in my maintenance business over the years.





The fact that this is happening in the fall tells me you are getting a lot of debris in your pond too.





Floating plants are always good (they also remove nutrients), however a Veggie Filter is even more efficient and removing nutrients from the water column.





I personally have never found it necessary to use chemical (although I have tried them for experimental reasons).





Here are few suggestions that will help control green water:


*Good filtration and removal of mulm from the bottom (a veggie filter and a pressurized filter are a good combo)


Although there are other DIY bucket filters you can make.





*UV sterilization; I cannot say enough about a PROPERLY installed well made UV (be careful of Aqua Medic, Jebo and some others)





*Flow through or overflow system.





*Proper chemistry, such as a GH over 150 and a Redox potential of -300mV





*Barley Pellets





*Blue dye (not a method I really like, but it does work in a pinch)





These articles will help you with further information in green water control (there are many helpful links and DIY ideals that require little money):


http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/...


http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/...
Reply:I had the same problem with my pond. You should get some Algae eaters to help with it a bit, but mostly, there is some chemical out there that I don't think you have tried it. It puts 'good bacteria' into the water and clears up the muck.





The worst thing you can do is give up, empty the pond and try again.
Reply:get a filter, like for a pool. let it run for a few hours, clean it, and repeat until its clear.
Reply:You have too many nutrients in the water. Fish waste combines with dead leaves, water insects, etc., to decay and make ammonia. The ammonia is converted, over time, into nitrites, and the nitrites are in turn, over time, converted to nitrates. And there is nothing plants like better than nitrates, as it is basically just fertilizer. And algae is basically a plant that lives in the water!





To get rid of the algae, you can do a partial water change (no more than 50%) and that will help some, but it is not a permanent fix. You can also try adding a flocculant - it will cause the floating algae to clump together and sink to the bottom of the pond, where you can scoop it out with a fine net. You can also add some fish-safe dyes to the water - plants can't live without sunlight, so if the sunlight doesn't penetrate the water to the algae level, the algae will eventually die. All of these products are widely available in places like Petsmart or Petco, and also online.





What you REALLY need, though, are more plants! If you put in plants that you like, like water lillies, anacharis, water iris, etc., they will compete with the algae for the nutrients in the water, and they will eventually win. We have a 3,000 gallon pond with about 20+ koi, some as big as 18", and the ONLY way we filter our water is with plants. We spent many years fighting with bead filters and UV filters and all kinds of technology, only to finally give in and put in a veggie filter last year. Our water is crystal clear now, and the fish have never been happier.





Basically, a veggie filter is a separate tub or are of the pond, filled with heavy-feeding plants (we have species water iris in ours, plus some water hyacinths, but you could use cattails or whatever). You want it to be about 15% or so of the size of your main pond (ours is 500 gallons to our 3,000 gallon pond). You pipe the water into the back of the filter, allow all the sediments to settle, and slow down the flow so the plants have a chance to scrub all the nutrients (nitrogen compounds) out of the water, before allowing the water to flow back into the main pond.





Here are some links on veggie filters, but feel free to e-mail me through my profile if you have any questions: http://www.bonniesplants.com/how_to/vegg... http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/albu... http://www.koivet.com/algaefree/





Hope this helps - good luck!
Reply:how are the kois? as long as they are not gasping for air, its still ok.





sounds like your pond water is very rich in nutrients,nitrates/plant food. I am not sure of your filtration system, but a good uvc system can help clear the water. I installed the uvc in my skimmer function,





you could add photosyntetic bacterias, these bacterias are similar to the ones in your filters, they eat these nutrients in the pond, they go for the same food as these algae. but you need to add these psb s from time to time.





cheers
Reply:thiers a plant called water lettuce that reproduces quickly offering shade, this plant has 3-4 babies ever week or so and will take over the pond but as it has babies so quickly you just toss the extras in the compost pile or trash, or you might try a algae remover,
Reply:First, trying to buy a solution with store bought chemicals is not the answer. If they work at all, they only work on a temporary basis. Next, while algae may not look pretty, it is not the least bit harmful and, in fact, goldfish and koi love it. It's a treat to them to eat and it provides a lot of good oxygen to the water. But, if you feel you want to get rid of the green, the only way is to completely eliminate any chance of the sun hitting the pond water. That you have water lillies is not even a beginning for providing the kind of shade you need. The sun has already touched the water by the time the lillies ever get around to to letting it get to the bottom. All the sun needs to do is touch 1/64th of an inch of the water to be able to do its thing. You need to build some sort of cover over the pond, i.e., high fence, trellis, pergola, canopy, etc. Be aware, however, that if you plant trees over the pond or plant vines on the pergola or trellis, you will have to deal with the debris from the plants falling in the water and decaying, which is far more harmful to the fish than the algae ever could be. Bottom line, the more sun you eliminate from touching the water, the less algae you will have. Nothing else will be nearly effective enough.

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