Pond algae | Prevention & treatment | My thoughts

[@davidmccrory5604]

I absolutely love your mindset and attitude towards eco systems and that you exclaim you are not an expert and that you just have an opinion this is how we learn from each other's experiences....well done to you sir 😊

[@Ozponds]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@davethebeard2706]

Never boring! You are an inspiration to me. I'm trying to build my own pond, and honestly I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.... I have to do it a little at a time because I don't have thousands of dollars to throw at it like some people do. Watching your videos have helped me learn how to do this on a serious budget in fact I'm going to do two of your big in a barrels as soon as I can get the materials for them. That said , I always look forward to your videos and get very excited when I see them in my feed. Question, is it possible to do an intake bay in a barrel? I'm hoping to try and make one if possible....

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for your kind words. I like to use a barrel to house the pump in an intake bay. 👍

[@bagsga9454]

I've found that the best tool for removing string algae is a brand-new, unused toilet brush! Buy it new, rinse it off, and keep it as your dedicated string algae "twirler." Get it in there and swirl. It's actually pretty fun! Be sure to only use a basic brush -- nothing impregnated with any cleansers!!!

[@Ozponds]

Great tip! 👍

[@beemanrunning977]

Not boring at all dude. Very informative! Love your take on keeping the ecosystem balanced. I added siberian irises and pea gravel to one of my water features that had string algae issues and it cleared up beautifully. Thanks

[@Ozponds]

Awesome to hear 👍

[@chamaradhanushka5365]

I like so much your clear water ponds.its mind blowing when you see the under water . You are the best of best... and thanks for the all advice ❤

[@Ozponds]

I hope they help you 👍

[@gushutchinson8758]

No, not boring... It's a fascinating subject. It's where humans most sharply interface with natural cycles at the micro scale. I like the way you stress each body of water is different.

[@joansmith3492]

My old small pond never had algae problems. I believe it was because it had a floating bog that shaded it and gave the fish hiding places. I also always used rain water and had a large flower pot bog filter with more plants. I used the pond water to water garden plants and rain water to replace the pond water. so in effect, I did do some water exchanging. The downside is you can't easily see your fish and the floating bog is not the prettiest thing, but I am still going to put it in my new pond.

[@Ozponds]

Very cool 👍. If something works I wouldn’t change it.

[@Vikface1978]

Great video Kev, I’ve watched all your videos as I’m a third of the way through building my own wildlife pond. Thanks

[@Ozponds]

Fantastic! 👍

[@Furley293]

Hi Kev. Thanks for being a wealth of great info. Great library of videos! Do you deal with phosphate issues where you live? If so, how do you deal with it?

[@Ozponds]

It’s been present in the tap water from time to time. You can use water conditioners and clarifiers. I don’t really bother it’s too much hassle.

[@highspiritsfarm781]

Oh my goodness Kev! I approached my almost getting to pea soup new pond syndrome as you suggested in adding beneficial bacteria etc and some happy plants….noticed not much in the first few days, but then things started to change. This morning I could see all the way to the bottom where my aerator disks live. Yay!!!! I can hardly wait to get the filter up and running when the top of the pond is finally completed! Yep string algae is in my top little pond…but with a stick twirling it out doesn’t take long to do and it pulls some of the mulm out too. I’ve been wondering about the Aquascape Maintain..so it has a binder…also a floculant?

[@Ozponds]

That’s correct I believe.

[@highspiritsfarm781]

Cool!

[@DavidM-dz7yz]

Great videos. Ever think about branching out to different items? For example, a recirculating and filtered bird bath. How to treat the water and keep clean without daily water changes?

[@Ozponds]

I love to. It’s just the money & time. So many things I’d like to create!

[@jamespayne9217]

Great advice. Always helpful and intriguing! Thanks legend🙏

[@Ozponds]

Glad you enjoyed it! 👍

[@jeremierichards8605]

Hi Kev, I built my pond after watching most of your videos. 9' x 14' 2' deep.. I used your bucket skimmer idea, and the bog in a barrel that feeds the stream back to the pond. It is a full sun pond, and I finished it back in October. It was beautiful and clear until a month ago. I haven't experienced any green water, or 'pea soup' water, but I can't seem to get the string algae in check. I have regularly dosed it with barley extract, and have even tried straight hydrogen peroxide. Nothing seems to affect it at all.. I really dont want to resort to copper algecides. I can't figure out where things went wrong.

[@Ozponds]

Could be heaps of things. I will say pond is still pretty new so it’s still finding its balance. Just keep netting out any sediments and leaf material, it should resolve on its own.

[@fossphur]

I got half way through watching this video when it first came out and got distracted - I came back to it today because I have been experiencing a bunch of string algae lately. Sure enough, it also corresponds to topping up the pond with town water after evaporation during some recent hot weather. Also there is a bit of leaf litter that I've started cleaning out but I would not have thought it was broken down enough to be contributing. Whatever is in the town water hasn't stopped my yard frogs from spawning continuously! Being mindful of evaporation concentrating the water, I pumped out a lot of water today and refilled with tap water + seachem safe, so I'm not sure if that's made things better or worse. My bacopa that I planted at the waterline has grown up the rocks and down into the water so I trimmed off the parts I could reach, there are a good amount of plants and roots at the edge of the water taking up nutrients and the fish seem to like sleeping in it!

[@fossphur]

Forgot to say, we're on treated murray water via the pipeline at Morgan so I don't tend to worry about contaminants from the local area. But the birds have been enjoying drinking at the edge of my pond so I think they've been adding their own black and white nutrients at a fairly steady rate.

[@Ozponds]

I want to know the results. My theory is you will have made it worse. The good news is that balance will return it just takes a while. Another avenue of research I’m exploring is overnight temperatures, but I don’t have enough information to form an opinion yet.

[@Ozponds]

😂

[@fossphur]

@@Ozponds here it's still swinging from high teens overnight to high 20s low 30s with a random 38 predicted today. I like making sure everything is quite full before a hot day since I don't know yet how severe evaporation from a dry northerly could be.

[@fossphur]

@@Ozponds I've given it some time and I don't think the algae got a ton worse but it certainly didn't get better, that's a job for manual removal. And getting up close and personal with those parts of my pond, I got to see 6 new baby fish including one that's big enough that he's smarter than his parents and hasn't gotten stuck in the filter. I check periodically and there's a couple of deep sleepers who seem to end up in there without waking up in time up escape, that need netting out. My water is as clear as brown lime cordial with the tannins from my neighbours Callistemon dropping leaves but the fish, frogs and snails don't seem to mind.

[@bruceclounie3716]

Thanks for the vid! Do you have any / have you ever considered getting fish that would eat the algae directly?

[@Ozponds]

Goldfish eat it in many of my other ponds but this one is all Australian natives. I’m limited in the algae eaters that are legal where I live.

[@AbandonedScoutCamp]

Hey Kev, love your pond pornos man! ;) Planning to build my first in the spring... yesterday on the Survival Podcast's episode on Biochar, Jack mentioned that adding crayfish to his pond cleared up the string algae fyi. Have you tried adding crayfish for string algae?

[@Ozponds]

😂 pond pornos! I haven’t added crayfish to my ponds. I’m too scared they would put a hole in the liner. I have one in an aquarium and it moves 4inches of gravel all over the place, most of the time right down to the glass.

[@AbandonedScoutCamp]

@@Ozponds good to know, thank you!

[@kymbo72]

great video again. you are going to need a big rainwater tank for all your ponds 🙂

[@Ozponds]

I’m hoping to get away with a 5000L slimline. When I top the dream pond up I use 400-600 litres. Probably doing a top up once a week, twice if it’s a heat wave (usually not as hot as Adelaide here). So a tank would get me hopefully 8-10 weeks of top ups without any rain. Usually we would get a rain event in that time, but if not the tank will give me a large container to fill with mains water and treat. Filling the olive barrel and treating is time consuming!

[@kevinaus6731]

Hi Kev were is the best place to buy Bulkheads in Aus Cheers Kevin

[@Ozponds]

eBay or Bunnings.

[@EyezLikaFox̌]

My koi pond is covered with string algae. Should i empty it, pressure wash it and start over?

[@Ozponds]

I wouldn’t. But then I don’t know anything about the pond. Filter, construction method, stocking densities, how often you feed, etc, etc there’s so many variables. Even then there’s lots of different algae and sometimes one cure doesn’t work it takes lots of trial and error.

[@Juveforever30]

Hello again. I'd like to add the element of branches to the pond I built a few days ago to make it look more natural and possibly render it healthier but I don't know if I should use freshly cut healthy branches or dead branches which might bring undesirable guests such as fungi, algae and all. Thanks a lot

[@Ozponds]

I don’t think it matters. I like to replicate nature and both are falling in water out there.

[@ppww6076]

@@Ozponds Unless it is a yew tree that the branch comes from! There are other woods that are also toxic so personally I'd be careful about fresh branches and go looking for driftwood that has aged.

[@StraightOtohGunga]

I think you should do away with the boring apology, this type of information is invaluable for people with ponds. You also have great visuals to go along with your points

[@francus7227]

Kevin, I have one question before tapping the thumbs up 👍 button to feed the algorithm monsters..... Good algae grows on rocks? Correct? If so, is one type of rock better than another? Is 1/2 crushed gravel just as good as 1/2" round river rock. I know crushed rock is cheaper. So if they're equally "eco-beneficial," I'd rather use the crushed rock. I am planning to use 50 cubic yards of rock with bubble filtration. Using this much volume, price can be an issue. Thanks.... BTW, I'm already subbed.

[@Ozponds]

Some people don’t like jagged rock as it can compact and make it easier to clog. As long as water can pass through I’m ok with any rock. If you are using bubble filtration I’d build it exactly like David pagan butler builds his. What size rock does he use?

[@francus7227]

@Ozponds On memory.... He used layers. Larger rock on the bottom. Then, a geo-fabric cloth. Then, a mixture of 1/4" rock and sand. I plan to skip the fabric cloth. I am using a slightly different layout. David has 1'-2' of rock close to the swim zone that is supported by a wall of sandbags and timber. The rocks are tapering from thickest to less and less rock as it nears the edge of the pond. I am inverting this. Mine will taper from zero rocks to 2 feet thick on the edge supported by a cement block wall. I am putting the corrugated tubing under the 2' thick part near the outer edges. This will give the plants on the outer edges a deeper root medium. I also plan to use concrete flooring with brick walls over the liner. Once completed, the liner should be completely protected from sunlight or puncture. Dimensions? Swim zone 45'×10'. Planted zone.... 10' wide and 2' deep.... with rocks tapering. Swim zone 5.75' deep. I hope this paints a reasonably descriptive picture. If not, sorry for taking up so much space. Thanks for the information about the "interlocking" feature. I think it won't be significant enough. But. After your reply.... I might mix 80/20 crushed rock and round. That would inhibit interlocking. Thanks again for your reply. I am about one year from breaking ground.

[@sandyl2493]

I love your very helpful videos. But seriously, will I ever be done??? There is always a rock or plant or neat find or SOMETHING to add! 😂🥰😅

[@Ozponds]

😂 it never ends!!

[@suzannemoran7281]

Hi Kev , thank you for your video . But you are not boring enough I am still awake. 🤣🤣🤣🐠🐟🐡🌴🌾🌿☘🙋‍♂️ps I love the graphics on the front picture.

[@Ozponds]

😂😂 maybe I need to make the vid longer 😉

[@suzannemoran7281]

@@Ozponds 😀😀👏👏👏

[@MrMatthewSky]

Ok so my methods could be considered controversial but it's proven to work every spring before the plants come back and string algae is abundant. I use a phosphate remover paired with hydrochloric acid (very little) my pond is only 2500 gallons so it's crucially important to dose properly. Phosphate remover is a flocculant, So it will bind all the phosphorus to the floor of the pond. I have a sand filter with no sand in it. Just bio balls and pea Gravel, So the phosphate can be backwashed. I've noticed after a couple of years. My pond was very established and never had problem with algae, This is because my beneficial bacteria was able to handle all the nutrient in the pond. I never resort to copper.

[@Ozponds]

I love hearing about different methods. I’m glad you’ve found something that works for you 👍

[@user-te7zz8mv3x]

just manually remove string algae 🤣 thanks! i created a bog filter and my patio pond turned crystal clear from the foggy pea soup. everything was fine until the string algae 🙄 so now some elbow grease 😉

[@Ozponds]

At least it’s a small pond

[@MichaelMichelmore-Fegg]

1. Remove string algae with dab net or hand. 2. Use plants to cover the pond. Comments. Through spring & summer I weekly wade and dab up algae; knowing that heaps is left behind. Fish can pull off algae growing from pond walls or from other plants; but struggle to eat long free algae. 'Our pond is covered with water plants' is my personal lie; even in the densest waterlily patch in mid-summer there is 50% of the area with free water; in the area with submerged-emergent myriophylum there is considerable string algae growing on the fine plant stems. But string algae seems to prefer direct sunlight; there is always less of a problem under any plant, rock; there is less at depth. Nearby deciduous trees - willow, ash, maples - need to have their leaves removed through autumn. Leaves of nearby evergreens - eucalypts, pines - are worthwhile chasing after windstorms. Our pond setup has 13m X 1.5m pond with overflow into a 5m X 1.5m pond; pumped water circulates over a 3m plunging waterfall which we have on while in the garden, at least an hour a day. The smaller pond does have an Oase circulating sponge filter; the water in that pond is always more clear, but there is always more string algae. The ponds are both 35cm deep, but we put 5cm of smooth pea gravel to make it within regulations if grandkids fall in [it happens], and to increase surface area for the nitrophilous bacteria. We use rainwater by preference; but are not at all concerned about chlorinated town water for the plants or the fish. But the system needs an annual cleanout. End of autumn I use high pressure water to agitate the autumn leaves, silt and mulm from the pea gravel and pump it onto the garden. 400 fish were reduced to about 100 courtesy of visiting white-faced herons; they are fine looking wildlife, but we wish they would now stop. They are too skinny to activate motion sprinklers. One heron used a decoy predator as a perch 5 minutes after we installed it.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. 👍

[@mrbanjofrog]

Lots of algae in our pond! No bonks though :(

[@Ozponds]

They’ll come when the weather cools down. I haven’t heard any since it went warm again. They did start up a few weeks ago during a cool spell.

[@buckbuckleyson2259]

Have been having great results in my pond, filtration is good, fish happy, plants growing well. Just slowly the plants and surfaces have been getting a layer of algae growing and it's starting to get thicker and thicker. Is this a problem? It's not stringy.

[@Ozponds]

There’s so many different types of algae, most are beneficial. I’d just leave it alone. 👍

[@buckbuckleyson2259]

@@Ozponds can they possibly "suffocate" plants? 😅 Otherwise I wont stress lol

[@Ozponds]

I’ve seen string algae take over plants. It certainly did in my anoxic filter trial. But you said this stuff isn’t stringy.

[@suzannemoran7281]

​@@OzpondsHi Kev , regarding your anoxic filter trial I want to have a go. Do you think pumice stone gravel would work ? Thank you for the video .

[@Ozponds]

I honestly don’t know. I didn’t have success with them and I thought I did everything right.

[@saralynostwinkle6429]

You need to stop saying, "I hope this was not too boring." U r far from boring¡!

[@Ozponds]

Your too kind! Once I put myself to sleep!

[@Lee-re1by]

🐠🐸🦞🍻👍🏻

[@Ozponds]

🐟🪷🐸🍻👍