Best Methods for Algae Control

[Umbra2002]

Hey, all!

I posted about a month ago about building my first pond and experiencing my first winter with it. All things considered, it’s been an exciting and rewarding experience so far, with no fish deaths even in the bitter Kentucky cold. The pond has frozen over three times now, once for about an entire week, so that was an interesting challenge (and worry!), but with the weather slowly changing, I’m in complete spring planning mode now.

One of the issues I did mention before was algae. In its current state, the pond is entirely in direct sunlight, so although the water started out very clear, the visibility has dropped. The winter killed much of this out, but with the pond being around 4 feet deep, the clarity still isn’t where I’d like it. This isn’t a surprising thing to me, as I knew algae would grow fast given the current sunlight conditions (I had a 75g in a sunroom, so I’ve dealt with this kind of thing in a smaller form before).

I’m planning on shading the pond all spring and summer this year with a temporary setup until landscaping and further additions can be made more permanently, but I’m worried that this won’t be enough given the current state of the pond.

What do you all suggest for controlling and killing algae most naturally?

[Alaecreaturae]

A UV sterilizer is a great non-invasive way- both a preventative and a cure. I think they make giant ones for ponds, but it worked wonders for my little 29 gallon. I think you may also dye the pond to prevent/kill algae but of course, your pond will just be blue for a while.

[Umbra2002]

I think UV is going to be the way to go in tandem with shading. Really appreciate the advice!