Cloudy green water??

[mermaidlady123]

Hi all...

I have a 55L pond with 8 goldfish in, a fountain with a built in filter that does approx 170L per hour, several artifical plants and floating lillies.

I have bought a larger pond that is 750L but am in the process of digging this in the ground (I regrettably bought the 55L pond not realising that it would not be big enough).

Initially my water looked cloudy as in white. Now it has gone green. There is no "gunk" on the surface or stringy algae(?) but you can't see my fish in the pond unless they surface. The only way really to tell it's green is to pump some of the water into a white bucket, like i did today.

I pumped most of the water out leaving just a little bit for my fish to swim in before adding new tap water. I didn't scrub the sides nor did i clean my plants (as i think i am better off leaving this kind of green, but please correct me if i'm wrong).

I've been researching ways to eliminate this, and all give contradicting answers. Some are saying i should drain my whole pond, scrub everything and refill - but i thought it is good to leave the green on the side? But forgive me as i am complete newbie!

I have been looking on ebay and found some liquids that supposedly remove of the green water - has anyone tried these? Are they effective?

I don't mind too much to have to keep emptying my current pond, but don't want to keep emptying my larger pond. Also, i'd rather find a cure than a temporary fix...as the green comes back after about a week!

Many thanks x

 

[jlk]

Hi! While these guys are still housed in the tiny pond, you should be testing your water often and doing lots of water changes as its most likely not cycled.

I do not recommend emptying or scrubbing down anything as this will interfere with the establishment of the nitrogen cycle. Algae chemicals are quite toxic and are a band aid to the issues your having. Frequent testing and water changes to reduce nutrient levels and adding some type of shade will be the most helpful. Shade can be from floating plants or some type of simple mechanical means (ie, big umbrella, pool float, white cloth, etc). Reducing nutrients with wcs and blocking the ponds sun exposure will be the most helpful. Increasing aeration will also be helpful, too. Please ask any questions!




Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[mermaidlady123]

Hi jlk, thank you for your reply.

I purchased a cheap block of foam and covered this with artificial flower heads which now looks beautiful (IMO hehe) and it does offer a lot of shade in the small pond they are currently housed in. It provides enough shade for them and i do find they are often hiding under this until i put food in.

Do you know how i can stop the green water? Many thanks x

 

[mermaidlady123]

Sorry i just re-read your post and realised you have answered that with the water changes! Apologies!

May i ask if you know how long it takes to get clear water? Many thanks x

 

[mattoid]

I had green water (algae) in my 250ltr, all LFS advice was a UV filter. It is supposed to take 5 days, mine was cleared in 2. Some run them permanently, I'm sticking to roughly every other day to save life span. Mine is an external add on to filter for up to 6000 ltr ponds. There are several options and some are cheaper than others.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[mattoid]

I tried WC's but didn't tend to work, possibly partly due to not being able to perform them everyday?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[jlk]

Ponds are a bit different than tanks in handling green water issues. Unlike tanks, ponds in seasonal areas typically encounter green water problems every spring as bacteria re-establish themselves and nutrient levels are unbalanced along with increased light intensity. Unsightly, yes, but not harmful unless the algae is killed off all at once. And fish do consume it as well.

Water changes to reduce nutrient levels, decreasing light exposure, increasing aeration and adding live plants all work together to help establish balance in a pond environment. UV is great and does work wonders on green water but it can be an expensive option. On very large ponds, dyes are sometimes used to tint the water to limit the amount light exposure. Hope this helps!


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[mermaidlady123]

Hi some very good advice there...thank you all for your input! Do any of you know if they do solar panel UV's? If so it may be worth me trying one of those. Also i have another question...as my pump only does 150L per hour approx, could i put two in at either end? Many thanks

 

[mattoid]

I've not heard of solar uv specifically, but the panels are expensive. my UV was a third/half the price of everywhere else I was looking, including online. Not sure where you are, but as you're in litres, you may be in Australia? There are some cheap options available here. Mine was $60, but there are cheaper. You'll obviously need to factor in extension cord and water proof connection cover if necessary. For the 55L, there is a 3w LED option for $30 that is specified to handle up to 200L.

If you're not in Australia (given the time of your latest post, probably not), ignore this...


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[mermaidlady123]

Haha no Matt i'm living in the UK, but thanks for your advice all the same. I' ve had a look on ebay this morning for a solar panel UV but with no luck. I just don't really want to have to connect it to the mains as it will mean drilling holes through the house. Hopefully there will be some solar panel ones i just haven't come across yet. My pump is a solar panel and to be fair does not do many litres but for £10 wasn't too bad. Many thanks