green pond.....

[sarah8]

blinkin pond just won't clear....

its 1 year old...20x6 ft approx..got a good pump and filter with uv...
its totally green.......

tried that claritin stuff as per instructions....cleaned filter twice daily...still green.....

any suggestions please???

 

[nstreet]

Green ponds are a result of algae blooms. There are a number of causes. 1. you feeding you fish too much and their waste result in upsetting the balance of the system, which results in food for the algae to feed and grow on.
2. You don't have enough oxygenating plants in the pool. Dont skimp on these, they are not very expensive.
3. Your filter isn't working correctly or is not man enough for the size of pond.
4. Your pump isn't putting enough water through the filter.
5. There is too much sunlight on the pool.
6. Too many fish.
7. Too much food.

It could be 1 or more of the above.

Can you supply more details;

Depth of pond, make of filter or type and same with the pump. Does the pump run 24 hours or do you switch it off. How many fish do you have. Type of fish and feeding regime.

 

[sarah8]

hello
thankyou for your reply...

pond is 16x6x2 ft
filter is a fishmate pressurise 5000 uv
only 11 medium goldfish in pond, with about 100 little ones about half an inch long...(don't know where they came from).frogs and newts

not hardly feeding the fish

in full sun most of the time

hardly any surface coverage from plants, they are at the sides

big fountain, less water going to filter?

thanksx

 

[breezer]

you should not have a fountain running from the same pump as that which feeds your filter /u.v. as not enough water will go through uv.(unless its a very big pump)

your pump should be able to pump whole volume of pond 1 every 4 hours

also you said pond is 1 year old, have you changed your uv lamp, average life 6 -9 mths, also have you cleaned your uv quatrz sleave?

you may also want to see this

 

[nstreet]

only 11 medium goldfish in pond, with about 100 little ones about half an inch long...(don't know where they came from)

If your married I guess your wondering why you have ten kids then

As breezer states your filter needs to be run from an independant pump, so that the water is circulating 24/7. The uv tube needs replacing regularly and keep the quartz sleeve clean, as they tend to get covered in algae, which limits the effectiveness of the unit.

Your filter is a bit small, only suitable for 1000 gallons, your pond is about 1200 and as its exposed to the sun the effective volume is nearer 1800 gallons. Consider buying a seperate bio filter, alternatively do what I do and make your own, from a platic cold water header tank. The bio media can be purchased quite cheaply from your local supplier.

Your fish level is fine as long as all the fry aren't allowed to grow to adults. Your fish will breed fairly readily each year. You will need to remove a large number once they get to an inch or so.

Consider putting in a lilly or two in the middle of the pond to give some shade from the sun, these also give a good show of flowers after a year or two. Try not to go for the common lilly that is found in uk rivers etc, this normally has small yellow flowers. Fish do like shade. You will need to cut the lilly back every few years, otherwise it may take over the pond. We had a 'dwarf' lilly and after 4 years of super flowers I thought i would move it. The tuber was the size of a man's thigh and very heavy.

 

[sarah8]

thanks for your tips....

will think about what changes to make..although didn't realise filter and fountain pump should not be connected, as it is specifically designed with 2 outlets to do both.

think we will make a change there....will consider the other points too!

ps....have 3 kids!!!

 

[2scoops0406]

Fish pie it is then.

 

[breezer]

thanks for your tips....

will think about what changes to make..although didn't realise filter and fountain pump should not be connected, as it is specifically designed with 2 outlets to do both.

think we will make a change there....will consider the other points too!

ps....have 3 kids!!!

my house has a load of electrical socket outlets (so does yours probably) doesn't mean to say you have to use them all.

bigger pumps can run both yours is too small for your size of pond
you may also want to read this

 

[Thermo]

my house has a load of electrical socket outlets (so does yours probably) doesn't mean to say you have to use them all.

tell my wife and teenage daughter that then!

 

[nstreet]

[
bigger pumps can run both yours is too small for your size of pond

Agreed breezer, but its important to stress that the bio filter needs to run 24/7 for it to work. The bacteria that work on the dirty water take approx 6 weeks to grow into large enough colonies to process the water. If you turn the pump off, they die within a matter of hours and pollute the water.

If you are going to use a single pump with multpiple outlets or a 'T' piece, you will need to install some sort of inline valve for the fountain. But remember that each time you use the fountain you will cut down the flow through the filter. If the pump is too large, when the fountain is off the flow rate for the filter could be too great.

Using a valve also means that you either get wet hands each time you wish to use the fountain or you have an ugly piece of pipe showing at the edge of the pond, but this can always be hidden with careful planting.

It all starts to get a bit complicated once you get into ornamental ponds, wildlife ponds are much easier. Hole in gound fill with water a few native plants and leave to mother nature.

 

[breezer]

. Hole in gound fill with water a few native plants and leave to mother nature.

not true.

i did that once, trouble was......... along, comes this bloke in a bowler which he lifted and scratched his head
Well we looked down the hole, poor demented soul and he said
Don't dig there, dig it elsewhere
Your digging it round and it ought to be square
The shape of it's wrong, it's much much too long
And you can't put hole wher a hole don't belong


but seriously, you can not dig a whole fill it with water and say its a pond, the water will soak away, it has to have a liner, or have puddled clay, but since puddled clay is a load of grief, go for a liner

 

[nstreet]

All this pond stuff is getting too much! goldfish bowl, fill with water, 1 fish, feed and clean regularly.

 

[breezer]

most people do not realise what is involved with a pond, ................then you have koi ponds

 

[Jasonb]

Just been to look at my dad's pond that has gone green over the last week, turns out the UV lamp had blown.

On my koi pond the filter is fed by gravity via a 4" bottom drain, the pumps are at the end of the filters therefore pumping clean water, from there I can valve the water to the pond or waterfall so no loss of flow through filters.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v156/jasonballamy/Pond/

Jason

 

[sarah8]

ok....have disconnected fountain from pump...for 2 days..no better......have just replaced uv bulb....although old bulb appeared to still be working...does it just become non effective after a length of time??