ugly water

[2vetts]

swore i'd never post on here again but here i am . now that days are sunnier and hotter our water is getting green and yucky . i won't tolerate this again this year and would welcome suggestions . my second thought is to throw in 5 gallons of bleach . my first thought is to put about 5 pounds of c4 in pond and ignite it [ and maybe 50 pounds in house so waterfall would be more visible from the street] . .thanks .......peace

[tinkster]

well not sure why you wouldnd wanna post here but glad you did.  I dont know what your pond setup is but  I highly recommend DIY skippy biological filters.  I dont think I have ever talked to anyone that has one that doesnt swear by them.  I dont even go through the green/spring issues with  my pond and I am not a maintenance person,  never clean the skippies or do any maintenance till the leaves start fallnig and I do try to keep them out but other than that my pond keeps itself.  http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm for directions on how to build one.  Hope this helps

tink

[Julles]

Vets, do you have a filter?  That will help.  So will plants - both under water and floating.  Fewer fish, feeding them less, to reduce the amonia and bacteria load in the pond.  Also, shading my pond helped, back when I had green water problems. 

[KatFish]

I'm having an ugly water phase too - new pond and all.  I am doing the Esther route... Filter, filter, filter then filter some more.  I have about 20 furnace filters and batting stuffed into my filter until I get the new one built.  Sadly, I am NOT handy with power tools or plumbing!

[Esther]

Hopefully as you fight it consistantly, by the time it is under control, the lilies and plants will have filled in and help suck the nutrients out of the water too, besides shading it.

What kind of setup do you have? You mentioned waterfall so maybe you already have a bio filter. If so I'd add in some more layers of whatever media you use too.

I'm suspecting that as the temps have risen so quickly and it is rumored that it'll be a hot summer, we are going to have lots of struggles with our pond and pool.

[SueSTx]

I have several tanks with ugly water.  Some have pumps and filters and some don't.  I was feeding the babies yesterday and noticed...I could actually see the bottom...that is new!  Nights are still cool, plants aren't growing and fish are spawning.  It will get better.

[2vetts]

in searching the computer for a solution [no pun intended] to solve my problem i came across to many to make a wise decision , i did ,however , find a good idea . i went out and got a glass jar [uh, are plastic jars ''jars''?] of pond water and found it to be crystal clear . pond is still growing algae like it was a professional enterprise .

[2vetts]

just read you replies[thanks] . i have a ''savio'' skimmer/filter plus a savio waterfall that contains a filter and a savio pump . also use an ''oase'' vacuum [i think jerry's recommendation or maybe ''jules'' , actually i don't remember ] . 4 water lillies , 1/2 dozen boggy type plants and at last count 11 comets ,down from 16 last month due to predators . thanks again and bare with me as i have a horrible disposition . oops ! forgot the 2 or 3 frogs which appear to have moved in again . also pond is just over 2500 gallons .

[tranquility]

2 vetts how old is your pond? it may just not have cycled thru yet...also leave that carpet type algae on the sides and bottom of the pond--it too acts as a filter in its own way...
Lawanna