i have green stands of weed in my fish pond i cant get rid of it help
Answers:
Depends what type of weed, how much there is %26 fish levels etc. Some forms are beneficial others detrimental. Did you introduce the plant to the pond ? Did it just appear there ? If you introduced it you presumably did so for a reason, so just cut it back a little. Oxygenation %26 cover for the fish are provided by plants.
If you don't already have plants in your pond, I would suggest leaving them there - plants help by taking out a little of the nitrate buildup in your pond, and oxyginating the water. If you do have plants, but don't mind if they're eaten, you could introduce apple snails, or plant eating fish such as Amur (Ctenopharyngodon idella) to control it.
Aside from using tinting chemicals (Pond safe), removing it yourself the only other options that actually work are 1 add floating plants like water lettuce or hyciths. this will help to shade the pond and keep the algae from feeding. Also you can add phosporus pads to your filter box which will choak out the feed. If you have plants and feed them, stop. If you have no other plants, get yourself some lillies or cattails.
How to combat Blanket Weed and Green Water
Green water is caused by millions of tiny, single celled plants called Algae. Like all plants they contain a green pigment called Chlorophyll which is used in the process of manufacturing food. The sheer volume of Algae cells can turn pond water into a green, pea soup consistency.
Whilst not immediately damaging to the pond, (sudden die back of the algae can cause de-oxygenation as billions of bacteria multiply to feed off the mass of decaying cells), it is unsightly and can be contained or eliminated by implementation of one or more of the following recommendations.
Step 1. INCREASE PLANTING.
Plants in the pond compete with the Algae for the available organic food source in the form of Nitrates and Phosphates therefore the more plants there are, the lower the volumes of these chemicals. Some plants in particular are good Nitrate and Phosphate strippers such as: Tillea Recurva (Crassula), Eleocharis sp. (Hair Grass), members of the cress family such as Nasturtium Aquaticum, Hottonia Palustris (Water Violet) and all oxygenators (Elodea, Myriophyllum, etc.) As a general rule, allow for 3-4 marginal plants plus 5-10 bunched oxygenators per square metre (10.5 sq ft) of surface area. See also: 鈥樷€橧ncrease surface cover鈥欌€?below.
Step 2. INCREASE SURFACE COVER.
Increasing surface cover reduces light penetration. Algae needs light for its Chlorophyll pigment to produce food, so reducing light entering the pond reduces Algal growth rate. Surface cover should be in the region of 30% for ponds in shaded positions and up to 65% for ponds in full sun. To increase cover use deep water plants which produce surface leaf such as Water Lilies, Water Hawthorn, Nymphoides Peltata (Water Fringe), Spatterdock, Orontium. Also floating plants such as Fairy Moss (available early season), Frogbit, Water Hyacinth and Water Chestnut. Shrubs and heavy leafed plants can be planted poolside to overhang the water so providing shade.
Step 3. Check Water Ph.
The Ph of the pond water is the measure of its acidity or alkalinity. The more alkaline the water the more likely Algae is to be a problem. Ph can be checked with simple test kits and subsequent remedial action taken. A Ph over 7.5 would usually require some attention. Special pond peats made from humic materials contained in mesh bags can effect slow release treatment over long periods, gently altering the Ph naturally. These work best when used with liquid humic acid extracts. For more severe situations, buffering powders and liquids are available, although care in their use must be taken so as not to alter the Ph too quickly in a short space of time. Ph tests should be taken three times in one day (morning, mid-day and early evening) to establish an average as the actual Ph can vary due to the influence of various bio-chemical fluctuations occurring as natural processes within the pond.
Step 4. Reduce Fish Feeding.
If the pond contains fish, stop feeding them immediately during an Algae bloom. Proprietary foods should be considered as dietary supplements only, ignore manufacturer's instructions, (whose aim is to increase volume sales of their product), and feed small amounts of food two or three times per week only. Excess food either remains uneaten so decaying and releasing its nutrient value for the Algae to utilise, or is passed as waste by fish which eventually contributes to Nitrate and Phosphate build up.
Step 5. Add Water Movement and Agitation.
Small fountain pumps and waterfall features agitate the water removing surface film where the gaseous exchange occurs and liberate excess Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere. CO2 is produced by plants during darkness so water movement should be left on during the night and preferably twenty-four hours during the season. Algae blooms often occur when the first morning sun hits the pond. With this stimulation and massive amounts of CO2 present, Algae cells can, in these ideal conditions, multiply over four times an hour.
Step 6. Consider Fitting an Ultra Violet Steriliser (UV).
UV's are the only way to guarantee crystal clear water and over 80% effective more than 80% of the time. Even in the height of summer often only a slight haze is the only evidence that the UV is locked in mortal combat with the Algae cells. As a bonus for fish keepers, UV's dramatically reduce or eliminate the incidence of water borne pathogenic bacteria, parasites and fungal spores. They are best used in conjunction with a biological filter unit although they are usually effective as stand alone units as long as the pump feeding them is fitted with an intake filter over-foam. UV's must be used 24 hours a day.
UV tubes, contained within the unit should be replaced each season as their efficiency is reduced by up to 60% during a 26 week period rendering them ineffective. Contrary to popular belief, UV's will have no effect whatsoever on the filament Algae commonly called Blanket Weed.
Step 7. Algae Control Products.
A host of powders, liquids and tablets are available to control green water and Blanket Weed Algae. Whilst these can be effective if used strictly as recommended, extreme caution must be used as they can de-stabilise the pond environment if dosed incorrectly or used too often. They may also affect plant growth, lilies in particular are very sensitive to these chemicals. Three manufacturers: Tetra, Hagen and Interpet, have introduced a number of environmentally friendly Algaecides that have to be recommended above all others. In recent years barley straw products have proved to be very popular and can sometimes be very effective. How effective does, however, appear to vary considerably from pond to pond. Newest additions to the algae combat range are barley straw liquid extracts marketed under a variety of brand names which will either specifically mention barley straw or call themselves 'natural' or 'bioactive'. Initial tests on this product have been very encouraging and it may well prove to be the ultimate anti-algae remedy. (See Anti Algae products in Pond Treatments section of this website).
Latest additions in the war against algae and proving to be extremely effective are Microbial products. These consume phosphates and nitrates drastically reducing or even eliminating them entirely. With reduced levels of these organics all algae's are starved and die back. A comprehensive range of microbial products are produced by 'viresco' available on this website.
Algae problems occur at different levels and at different times in all ponds and are the manifestation of a complex bio-chemical equation. By addressing one or more elements of the equation it is possible to effect satisfactory control over it and by employing one or more of the techniques above the balance may become tipped against green water and blanket weed in your pond.
Wow, some one really went to town on the answer above! I was just gonna say, I have an amazing, extremely useful gadget to get rid of it mechanically: its called, screw in a paddle. And, it is an old paddle (as in ore), with a screw in the end of it. You put the screw end in the water in the weed, and twist the paddle - all the stringy weed comes up onto it!
But yeh, do this every so often, make sure you have adequate filtration, are not over stocked, are not over feeding, dont have tree's above (falling leaves rot and produce nitrate, which makes weeds grow), try and shade an area of the pond, grow some plants in it (and keep THEM in check), bla bla bla, your sorted.
Hope this helps!
Ashley
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