Pond algae eater

[fishb0ne]

My dad has a 6 thousand gallon outdoor pond and we're looking at the possibility of getting some algae eaters. Here's a topic about it:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?p=781411
The pond has plenty of brown algae on the bottom, rocks, everything is slimy with the stuff, to the point that the water is brown and you can't see the bottom. We're looking at also treating the water for it but we'd like to introduce some algae eaters. The pond isn't really overtaken by the stuff, it seems to stay in ballance but we'd like a tad bit clearer water.
But there's a catch. We have 5-year old koi in there that spend the winter in the pond. Is there an algae eater that can survive year-round in there? We simply don't have the means to keep them indoors, not to mention trying to catch them

I'm told the absolute minimum water temperature in the harshest winter is 38-39*F. The bottom never freezes, that's where the koi hibernate.

 

[tropicfishman]

when the winter comes and freezes over you'd have to take him out which can be qutie task even catching them lol

 

[WaterPond]

no such thing as an algea eater that will winter over in your pond.

 

[Ravn]

Fishbone,
I am having a similar problem right now. My water used to be crystal clear but shortly after the weather began warming up, the brown slimy stuff started taking over and now my water has this awful brown tinge to it. It's really aggravating. I've been racking my brain to find the best way to correct the issue and I am extremely reluctant to use chemicals. I thought about the algae eater but now I see that there is no way. I've added three more lilies and am on the lookout for every floating plant I can find hoping it will help. If you come up with any solutions would you please drop me a line and if I come up with anything I'll do the same. If anyone else has any ideas, they would be appreciated. Good Luck

 

[Fluff]

Since snails and such are out of the question (since there are none to my knowledge that would be winter hardy), you may want to consider a UV sterilizer. Or, more lilies to help shade the pond. Tadpoles will also eat the detrius/algae but, they will need replaced often since they will grow and/or become food for your koi. And those that do mature may become a nuisance down the road.

 

[fishb0ne]

Are there any safe and effective comercially available products to combat algae? I saw some liquid stuff at PetCo and PetSmart made by API. Are they to be trusted? Supposed to be safe for plants and fish.

 

[WaterPond]

I've heard good things about this product:
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA...l0/aquariumproductspondbarleystrawextract16oz

 

[fishb0ne]

The thing is, we already have a couple of clumps of barley straws and they aren't doing anything. From what I've read, barley and/or barley extract's effectiveness is debated However, thanks for the suggestion! I'll use it as a "last resort" if all else fails.

Am I not safe just buying more or less brand name stuff? I mean, I doubt they'd still be on the market if they were ineffective?

 

[Ravn]

I bought some of this stuff off this lady at bonniesplants.com called Koi Clay and used it to kill the string algae in my small pond. I used one tablespoon per something like 100 gallons and it killed all the algae in the pond in 24 hours. Just a suggestion. It's supposed to be safer than using the regular chemicals. I didn't have any fish in the pond at the time but there were lilies in the pond and the koi clay didn't hurt them.