The TRUTH about Blanket Weed (String Algae) in your Pond!

[@pearsedunne8246]

Many thanks as always Kev, your advice is very much appreciated. 🙏🏼

[@sambulate]

Kev, I have been falling down the rabbit hole with your videos lately. Thank you so much for making them, and for the (free!) information you're putting out for us. A couple of questions: I'm thinking about building a half wine barrel pond, with a bog filter and maybe a few tiny fish. Still working out details and the cash for it, but it's fun to dream about for now. Have you ever tried to grow any edible plants/veggies in your small container ponds? If you have, how do you keep undesirable insects out of them?

[@Ozponds]

You need to use natural insecticides. But like anything it’s nature and you need to share.

[@sambulate]

@@Ozponds Thanks!

[@shubunkin.goldfishtank]

Awesome video! I have some string algae in my pond as well, I'm using barley straw extract and it helps a little but after watching your video I think I'm going to give a bog filter a try and do things the natural way.

[@mercamg9312]

Thanks Kev. Relaxing viewing of nature.

[@6DOF-Films]

Love your channel and advice Kev, you've been a huge inspiration to me. Many, many thanks!

[@Ozponds]

That makes me smile. 😊👍

[@liamfinch4129]

excellent "honest" pond video - much appreciated. Thanks

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for watching!

[@liamfinch4129]

@@Ozponds almost no problem!

[@Ozponds]

@@liamfinch4129 🤣

[@Earthstein]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@chrisbaranyk5380]

Great video, and perfect timing❤

[@libormaslo9535]

Hey Kev, thanks a lot for this video. I have finally cristal clear water in my pond even with 28 deg C water. Took 3 weeks for starting bacteria to kick in and now my pond is crystal clear even in super hot weeks this summer. My pond is 9 weeks old build with your dream pond as inspiration. It is amazing to see how my lowcost pond build on my own outperform my neighbours profesional build pond with convetional filtration system where he throws each year bacteria for 400,-EUR. BTW what is the name of tha plant on 8:13 all those green moss type hills. Looks lovely and never seen such a plant in my region Czech Republic.

[@Ozponds]

Great to hear 😊👍. That plant is called scleranthus biflorus it is native to Australia.

[@bogglesbiggins1101]

Thanks Kev, your uploads always read my mind! Also, I was wondering what the green mossy looking stuff is growing outside of your pond covering some rocks? It looks great

[@Ozponds]

That’s scleranthus biflorus

[@suzannemoran7281]

Thanks for the vid Kev. 😊

[@Ozponds]

No problem 😊👍

[@NaturePondAdventure]

Nice one, patience is what I'm missing...

[@Ozponds]

😂 it’s missing for most of us, don’t worry.👍

[@Lorianix]

Hi Kev, at 6:15 the underwater shot I saw some tiny fish - what are they if you don't mind? Do small fish do well in large ponds? Also have you tried shrimp in ponds? Thank you 🙂

[@Ozponds]

In my ponds I have shrimp, rainbow fish, gudgeons, galaxias, Pygmy perch, blue eyes. Those are the natives. I also have non-native fish, rice fish, goldfish, white clouds and cherry shrimp. I need to keep mostly small fast fish as the birds visit my ponds.

[@leeannmartin1766]

I would love to know more about phosphorus binders

[@Ozponds]

I’ll put it on my list of vids to make 👍

[@BettaFishesTogether]

Nice video brother

[@mayota-hy8ty]

Hey Kev, could you do a video on how your medaka, Pacific Blue Eyes and Rainbow Fish are doing. Would be much appreiciated. Also how do you find the Pacific blue eyes and Rainbow fish manage the cold temperateures. Would be much appreiciated.

[@Ozponds]

Probably not worth a whole video. Medakas fine in the cold. Murray rainbows also fine. This is my first year with the blue eyes outside. I still see some through winter, so looking good. I do lose fish to cormorants and herons. Is there anything else more specific you’d like to know?

[@Mayotayo0017]

​@@OzpondsNo other questions it was just to see if your medakas have bred.

[@deansiddall3729]

another great video, thanks. out of interest, how many years/months do you reckon a pond wil find its natural balance?

[@Ozponds]

It’s such an impossible question to answer. Next weeks video is about adding dirt. In the video I talk about how I think the dirt helps establish the ecosystem quicker. Having said that I’ve set up pebble only ponds that were instantly pretty well balanced. All of my ponds have been different and sometimes you think they are balanced, then the season changes and they go outta whack. Generally after 2-3 years they can deal with all conditions.

[@Lorianix]

Thanks

[@Ozponds]

Thanks so much Lori 😊

[@tcericsonericson]

Are you sulfur in my filter in a bag to get rid of blanket weed or hair LG it takes a little bit for the work but once it does if you keep that sulfur up it won't come back and it doesn't affect your pH like you would think

[@Ozponds]

Interesting 🤔

[@ResellerLuLu]

Hi, can you tell me which plants i can put in my koi pond and bog filter which are not toxic to koi. I've seen some American vids but i feel those plants are usually only available in America. Im in Sydney. Thanks

[@Ozponds]

This video has some of the ones I use in Melbourne. Bog filter plants| Selecting the right ones kzbin.info/www/bejne/oparnmR4icSKqLc

[@ResellerLuLu]

@@Ozponds thanks mate! I appreciate it.

[@morpheus2573]

All of this excess algae and pond scum is a nutrient rich resource. Great to add to compost. Rinse/repeat.

[@Ozponds]

This is true 👍

[@witnessforchrist7778]

Would a large colony of cherry shrimp be affective against algae

[@Ozponds]

I’ve had tons of algae in shrimp tubs before, if the algae is out of control they alone won’t control it.

[@davidkain3555]

Please do another plant walk and talk. Talking about ground cover and weeding and prevention, would be a hot topic for me.

[@Ozponds]

I will for sure when I’m in spring. Winter here and the gardens aren’t all that nice.

[@davidkain3555]

@@Ozponds a winter walk around would be interesting as well; seeing what it looks like when most of the flora is dormant.

[@Ozponds]

@@davidkain3555 I do post a short video every Wednesday. That gives a good idea at how things look throughout the seasons.

[@MarvinBowen]

String algae is choking my barrel pond. I just keep scooping it out. I really don't know where the nutrients are coming from, though. I only have rice fish in there and feed them only enough to be alive. I'll just keep scooping rather than treat with anything.

[@Ozponds]

How old is the pond? String algae is really strange it doesn’t seem to need much to thrive but then once the balance occurs you will hardly ever see it. Different algae and biofilms show up but not string. I wish I knew more about how it works and how to speed up the process.

[@Ozponds]

I wonder..try doing some small water changes and see if that helps.

[@LewisMabel-z7y]

Harris Anna Jackson Jason Walker Kimberly

[@julian.morgan]

I've been keeping aquariums for decades but only in the last few years I have also had a small pond. The one thing both hobbies have in common is that there's a massively profitable industry behind them very eager to sell you ALL kinds of unnecessary crap, and - importantly - the amounts of money involved are so enormous these companies are not above investing large amounts of money in trying to control the narrative to their financial gain, even to the point of deliberate misinformation. Fish food manufacturers are the worst. However this also especially applies to manufacturers of water test kits and water 'treatments' applied by well-meaning hobbyists in response to test kit results. For example, the active chemical in ALL dechlorinators is called Sodium Thiosulphate. This is available to purchase by the kilo - last time I bought some, a few years ago it was about £8.00 a kilo. About 500g of Sodium Thiosulphate making about a gallon (roughly 4 litres) of stock solution. That means you get 40 litres of dechlorinator for £8.00. By comparison 100ml of Seachem Prime is also £8.00. Do the math and you realise it's a rip off of simply mind bending proportions. Of course Seachem would have you believe there's all manner of magic sauce in their secret formula, and some people are happy to pay the premium. The problem for Seachem and their like is that when you ask hobbyists who are also chemists, professional ecologists or waste water treatment engineers, they just use Sodium Thiosulphate. I'm not actually singling out Seachem - they're just one of the worst because they brand themselves as 'premium' and charge accordingly for what is, after all, mostly water! They're all just as bad because there's SO much money to be made! Lastly I also have it on good authority that unless you've spent several hundred pounds (£) on your water test equipment, you're better off NOT testing. Dechlorinate your tap water and then let Mother Nature, trillions of bacteria and archaea, and lots of plants get on with the job they've been doing perfectly well for millions of years.

[@Ozponds]

Thanks for your insights 👍 very interesting