A garden pond can make a lovely addition to any backyard. Unfortunately, when an over-abundance of algae infiltrates the water, you can be left with a murky green waterhole. There are many simple steps that can be taken to keep the water in a pond clear and healthy.
Instructions
1. Use surface plants to provide partial blockage of the sun's rays, which help green and string algae to thrive. Water hyacinths and water lilies are good choices for this purpose. Sunlight can also be blocked by using an aquatic sun blocker in the water.
2. Clean the pond with a net. Removal of decayed leaves and plant matter means fewer nutrients left behind for the algae to consume. Once the pond has been thoroughly cleaned, consider getting a pond skimmer to keep the water routinely free of debris.
3. Incorporate beneficial pond bacteria into the water. This can be found in the landscaping sections of department stores or anywhere that home pond supplies are sold. Beneficial bacteria, once in the water, break down fish waste into useful nitrates and subsist on the same nutrients that the algae consume. Essentially, adding beneficial bacteria eradicates plankton algae by consuming its food supply.
4. Remove string algae manually using a stick of rough wood. Rake the stick through areas of the water where string algae thrives and swirl, letting the algae wrap itself around the wood. Remove the stick from the water and clean off the algae. Continue until a satisfactory amount is removed.
5. Keep a modest population of fish in the pond. Vast amounts of fish produce vast amounts of waste, which can be a beneficial nutrient for plankton and string algae.
6. Avoid overfeeding the pond fish. Leftover fish food is left to decompose. Once it does so, it becomes a banquet for algae.
Tags: string algae, algae consume, keep water
