6 Effective Ways of Pond Algae Control

Algae appear in ponds due to excess nutrients and chemical imbalances in the water. It can appear in different forms in your pond and disturb aquatic life in the water. They can also be toxic to life in your pond; therefore, you need to remove them quickly.

The great thing is that you’ve found your way here. Here, you’ll find six effective ways to remove algae and prevent it from disturbing your pond. 

Let’s get started!

Effects Of Algae In Ponds

Algae can be good for your pond when it’s not toxic and serves as food for your fish and other aquatic life. However, when it’s neither, it can be bad for your pond.

Check out these effects of algae in ponds: 

1. More algae growth

The presence of algae can result in more algae growth in your pond. They will bloom and take over your pond if you don’t remove them. It’s not a nice sight, and you should remove them as quickly as they appear.

2. Deplete oxygen

When algae appear, they deplete oxygen in the pond. When they suck the oxygen for themselves and release carbon dioxide in the water, this can be life-threatening to gill-breathing fish, plants, and other aquatic life in the pond.

3. Cause the pond to smell

Algae exude an offensive odor that may be unbearable when they take over your tank. The smell can take over the pond area until a water change. Furthermore, you may need to remove algae entirely so it doesn’t come back or multiply.

4. Change pond water

Algae can cause the pond water to change and ruin the taste of food. This can cause your fish to lose appetite, leaving excess leftover food in your pond.

Effective Pond Algae Control

You can control pond algae either naturally or chemically. Of course, the safest way for your fish is natural, but other methods are also effective. The important thing is to choose the one your fish will be comfortable with.

Furthermore, knowing what type of algae is present in your pond can help you choose the best control method. With that said, these are effective Pond algae control:

1. Add plants

Adding plants to your pond is a natural and effective way to control and prevent algae. Algae have fewer nutrients left to use with aquarium plants in your pond. Fish release nutrients that plants take for growth, leaving nothing for algae.

However, some ponds don’t have enough plants, causing rapid algae growth. The simplest way is to increase oxygenating of plants on the water’s surface. Keeping floating aquarium plants in your pond is a long-term solution to algae control.

As a result, they can reduce the amount of sunlight that gets to the algae in the pond. Some good floating plants include:

• Duckweed
• Amazon frogbit
• Dwarf water lettuce

You can also add submerged aquarium plants to absorb nutrients and deprive algae of any. You can add the following:

• Anacharis
• Hornwort
• Parrots feather

2. Introduce algae eaters

You can also effectively execute pond Algae control by introducing algae eaters to the water. Algae eaters like fish, snails, and shrimp will help curtail algae growth. Their job in the pond is to feed on blooming algae and prevent its growth.

Algae-eating fish like mollies, plecos, Siamese algae eaters, bristlenose catfish, and others can feed on algae and prevent it from worsening. You could also get nerite snails, mystery apple snails, rabbit snails, Amano shrimps, cherry shrimps, ghost shrimps, and others to feed on algae.

However, when choosing any algae eater, consider their compatibility with other aquatic life in the pond and the pond water chemistry. 

3. Use UV clarifiers

UV clarifiers are also effective in combating algae in ponds. They’re very effective for treating green water and clearing it by exposing present algae to high-level ultraviolet light. This destroys present algae and its ability to reproduce in the water.

The light causes the algae to clump together into large particles that you can remove with filtration. Of course, you will need to match your UV clarifier with an effective filtration system since you need to remove algae from the water through the filter. 

Here are some effective UV clarifiers for your pond:

• The Pond Guy UltraUV Pond Clarifier
• TetraPond UVC-5 GreenFree UV Clarifiers 
• TotalPond Complete Pond Filter with UV Clarifier 

4. Remove with a hand

Some algae are easy to remove. You can remove algae like string algae with a hand or net. You can use your hand, a net, or a brush to remove large algae chunks visible in your water. This is one of the easiest ways to remove algae from your pond.

Furthermore, it makes further algae prevention treatment easier and more effective. Pull and remove the algae before treating the water to prevent and reduce decay. 

5. Use algaecide

You can control algae in ponds using an algaecide. This will help kill off suspended algae bloom and remove single-celled algae. 

It may also help to remove algae by hand, brush, or net, if possible, before applying algaecide to the pond. You need to choose a chemically-safe algaecide to use in your pond to protect your fish. 

6. Use barley straws

Using barley straws is an organic way to remove algae in ponds. As the water absorbs it, it creates unfavorable living conditions for algae till they slowly die off. Barley straws decay and deoxygenate the water, making it impossible for algae to bloom.

If you add them early enough, you can prevent algae in your pond. However, you should be careful with barley straws. Your fish can get overdose of it due to the deoxygenation and die. 

Pond Maintenance To Control Algae

Algae prevention is the best. Treating and removing algae doesn’t guarantee that it won’t return; you need to take some actions to ensure it doesn’t. Proper pond maintenance is necessary, and here is how you can do that:

1. Reduce nutrients

Algae is likely to appear when there is an excess nutrient in the pond. Therefore, you need to cut the nutrients in the pond. You can reduce nutrients by feeding the fish less, reducing fertilizers, introducing corbicula clams, and filtering the water.

2. Remove leftovers

Leftover foods are the starting grounds of algae and other harmful bacteria in ponds. Overfeeding fish is the major reason there are leftovers in ponds. Therefore, you should keep the food moderate and monitor how the fish eat.

Once you notice any leftovers in the pond, remove them quickly. Some bottom dwellers in your pond can also help take care of leftover food.

3. Monitor water

Ph level and other water conditions can be favorable and comfortable to algae. Therefore, you need to monitor the water condition in your pond. The water condition must suit your fish and other present aquatic life.

4. Improve aeration

With the presence of oxygen, algae can hardly bloom. You need to ensure effective aeration in your pond. Invest in a good filtration system to ensure aeration.

5. Remove decomposing algae

You need to remove decomposing algae after treatment. Algae releases excess nutrients after decomposing which may lead to more algae bloom. You can do this by draining or cleaning out the pond. However, this can be very tasking and expensive.

Conclusion

Pond algae control is effective if you choose the right method. The safest way to remove algae is by trying natural methods like handpicking and introducing algae eaters and plants. The most important thing after removing algae is to ensure it doesn’t come back; otherwise, it becomes an endless battle.

A clean pond rid of excess nutrients is no home for algae. Therefore, ensure everything you do keeps your pond clean and removes extra nutrients.

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