Home Remedy For Pond Algae

Maintaining a healthy pond is important for all aquatic life in the water. However, that health can be jeopardized when algae are present in the pond. Pond algae are something pond owners may deal with as time goes on.

You can remove pond algae through different means, whether natural, chemical, or with equipment. But it will be nice if you can use a home remedy for pond algae, and you can find some in this article. 

Learn about pond algae and how to remove them using home remedies.

Identifying Different Pond Algae Types

Water is prone to algae in ponds, aquariums, or lakes. As a pond owner, algae may disturb you occasionally, and it’s important to know which you’re dealing with. Overall, algae vary from the blue-green, green pond, chara, filamentous, bryozoan, golden, red pond, diatoms, and Nitella.

However, the worst is the blue-green algae because they’re toxic and can cause Harmful Algae Blooms (HBAs). The toxins can affect the gills, liver, and nervous system and, sometimes, cause death. 

Generally, you need to remove green pond, filamentous, golden, and red pond algae from your pond. This doesn’t give a free pass to others because, one way or the other, they affect your fish.

Why Is Pond Algae Bad?

Pond algae are bad because they cause oxygen depletion in the pond and let your fish and plant struggle for oxygen. This can affect the quality of life in the pond and cause your fish to suffer. 

Furthermore, some algae are toxic to fish and can kill them, which can be your worst fear fulfilled. Beyond these, pond algae can deprive your fish of nutrients and ruin the taste and color of the water.

Steps To Removing Pond Algae

Getting rid of pond algae isn’t difficult and requires some steps. This may help you decide which home remedy or other solutions to try. Here are what you should do if you suspect algae growth:

• Identify

First, you need to identify the algae that have plagued your pond. Check whether it’s a green pond, golden, blue-green, red dot, or other algae types.

• Choose a method

Then, you need to choose which method will most effectively remove the algae. You may need to manually remove some and then use other treatments like homemade algaecide or pond vacuum to clean up after.

• Remove algae

Ensure you completely remove algae from your pond. Leaving debris will cause algae to rot and allow algae to return.

• Prevent algae from returning

After removing algae, you must take preventive measures to prevent them from returning. Some preventive methods are discussed in the latter part of the article.

7 Home Remedy For Pond Algae

You can tackle pond algae with some home remedies. You can use some readily available or easily accessible household items to remove pond algae. How? Here’s how: 

1. Manual removal

You can manually remove pond algae. This involves using your hand, an algae net, brush, or garden rake to remove it. For algae chunks or slimy ones, you can remove them with your hand with or without wearing hand gloves, then clean your hand afterward.

Otherwise, you can use a net or rake to clear the water surface by removing algae. Do this to remove slimy algae or hair-like ones. 

You can use a brush to scrub off algae hanging on pond walls and other equipment in the water. Then, you’ll need to clean the pond to remove algae debris to prevent decay.

2. Avoid overfeeding

Another home remedy is to reduce how you feed the fish in your pond. If there’s one thing you can control, it’s this. Cut how much food you give your fish, and only feed them when necessary. 

Overfeeding results in leftover food in the pond, causing excess nutrients in the water. Algae will die if it has nothing to feed on. Furthermore, you need to clean out excess food after feeding your fish.

3. Add oxygen bleach

While this might not be a readily available household item, you can easily assess it, and it’s effective in dealing with pond algae. This is a safer option than just household bleach in your pond, which can be toxic to your fish.

Get powdered oxygen bleach and mix it with warm water till it dissolves in the water. You can pour it into a hand pump sprayer for ease of application. Then, spray it over the pond where algae are present. The oxygen bleach will soak up the algae and kill it off. 

4. Hydrogen peroxide

Another home remedy is using hydrogen peroxide in your pond. This method effectively removes algae and is relatively safe for the fish in the water. You must be careful when using hydrogen peroxide for pond algae.

First, you need to know the right amount for your pond size without jeopardizing the life there. For example, you can use ½ cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide for about 100 gallons of pond water. Then, you apply it to the affected area. However, you should be careful not to pour it directly on the fish because it can harm their gills.

In addition, you shouldn’t use more than the recommended one and cause a sudden change in the water. This is because if the algae die suddenly, it can cause ammonia to spike and put your fish at risk. Hydrogen peroxide will increase oxygen in the pond and last hours immediately after you add it to the water.

5. Baking soda

Baking soda can help combat algae in ponds. It contains sodium bicarbonate which can affect pond algae. You can use it to brush off algae hanging on the walls and equipment in the pond. Add about one teaspoon of baking soda for every 8 gallons of pond water. 

Mix the baking soda with the pond water in a bucket and leave it to dissolve before pouring it into the pond. In addition, baking soda can affect the water pH and make the condition unfavorable for algae and cause it to die.

6. Clean with a pond vacuum 

If you have a pond vacuum at home, you can easily remove algae from your pond. In fact, algae aside, it is a necessity for keeping your pond clean. The pond vacuum will suck the algae on the walls and equipment and prevent further growth.

Some vacuums can remove algae as big as 10mm, including string algae. This will also help reduce pond maintenance and effort since you can clean while removing algae. Some of the pond vacuums you can buy are:

• OASE 032232 Pondovac 4 Pond Vacuum Cleaner

• Matala Power-Cyclone Pond Vacuum with Dual Pump System

7. Clean the pond with vinegar

Vinegar is also effective in removing pond algae. You can just take out vinegar from your kitchen if algae disturb you. This method is effective after draining your pond.

The acidic content in vinegar will remove algae remains from the pond. Using it this way is safer for your fish and won’t change the water’s pH. 

How Do You Make Homemade Algaecide?

You can create algaecide in your home. Combining homemade bleach with fountain water is effective in removing algae from ponds. However, homemade bleach can be toxic to fish and plants; therefore, you’ll need to drain out the pond and remove them before using this in the pond.

Otherwise, you can replace homemade bleach with oxygen bleach to remove algae. Another way is to use organic cornmeal in your pond. 

You need organic cornmeal free from pests and chemicals and put 1 cup of it into a sock or a pantyhose foot. Seal or tie the mouth, and set it in the pond. The cornmeal will slowly dissipate in the water and destroy algae.

Tricks To Preventing Pond Algae From Returning

After removing algae, you must ensure that algae don’t return. You should do the following:

• Provide shade for your pond.

• Don’t overfeed your fish, and remove food and fish remnants.

• Add pond plants into the water to balance the ecosystem and starve algae.

• Avoid overcrowding your pond with too much fish or aquatic life.

• Ensure the pond gets adequate aeration. 

• Minimize fertilizer use in the pond.

• Carry out routine pond cleaning to remove debris and maintain clear water.

• Add pond dye.

Conclusion

You need to act fast once you start noticing algae in your pond. Don’t put your fish at risk for lack of oxygen when you can try some home remedies to destroy algae. 

You can try one or two methods consistently until algae completely leave your pond. The important thing is to keep your pond’s ecosystem balanced to prevent algae.

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