Hi all,

Have a problem now & hope to get some useful feedback and expert advice from
you guys out
there.

I have a two-month old concrete pond of approx 1500 gallons volume complete
with a 0.5 hp submersible pump, external filter, a biological filter & a
waterfall. To curb an initial pea soup problem, I have added an 18W UV
sterilizer run by a separately dedicated small pump and the water is now
crystal clear except that the walls & floor are carpeted with green & browbn
algae. However, I believe that the system has sort of settled as these days
I only have to monitor & change the filters as and when necessary.

I live in a tropical country and have no trees or shade overhanging the
pond, thus exposing it to about 6 to 8 hours of strong sunlight on an
average day. I have added quite a bit of aquatic plants and shrubs in &
around the pond and hopefully this could help improve the balance.

One problem that I face now is the emergence of numerous free-floating
clumps of green algae every afternoon (after strong sunlight) which I would
scoop out manually using a net on a long pole. It is very irritating but
strangely, if left alone these clumps of algae seem to disappear by
nightfall. Beats me. What are these actually ? Are they called algae scum
(read it somewhere) and how do they come about ? Are there anyone out there
who have experienced the same predicament & how did you deal with it ? The
filter of the UV filter gets clogged up very quickly too. Wonder if the
reason could be the size of the pump or something else.

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks & regards,
Danny

"DK" wrote:

One problem that I face now is the emergence of numerous free-floating
clumps of green algae every afternoon (after strong sunlight) which I would
scoop out manually using a net on a long pole. It is very irritating but
strangely, if left alone these clumps of algae seem to disappear by
nightfall. Beats me. What are these actually ? Are they called algae scum
(read it somewhere) and how do they come about ? Are there anyone out there
who have experienced the same predicament & how did you deal with it ? The
filter of the UV filter gets clogged up very quickly too. Wonder if the
reason could be the size of the pump or something else.

It sounds like you are doing a great job with your pond.

This is usually referred to as "fuzzy algae". Its grows on the pond
bottom walls. As it grows, the algae gives off oxygen that becomes
entrapped in the mat of strands. This gives it buoyancy and may cause
pieces to rise to the surface during the day and sink and night.

This fuzzy algae on the walls and the bottom is a beneficial algae. For
optimum health of the pond, about an inch of beneficial algae should be
present all around the pond walls. Do not remove this beneficial algae.
Just remove the floating pieces. If you have fish, they may be
disturbing the algae and breaking it off.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
18,000 gallon (17'x 47'x 2-4') lily pond garden in Zone 6
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

"DK" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Have a problem now & hope to get some useful feedback and expert advice
from
you guys out
there.

I have a two-month old concrete pond of approx 1500 gallons volume
complete
with a 0.5 hp submersible pump, external filter, a biological filter & a
waterfall. To curb an initial pea soup problem, I have added an 18W UV
sterilizer run by a separately dedicated small pump and the water is now
crystal clear except that the walls & floor are carpeted with green &
browbn
algae. However, I believe that the system has sort of settled as these
days
I only have to monitor & change the filters as and when necessary.

That's great. The algae on the sides and bottom is normal.

I live in a tropical country and have no trees or shade overhanging the
pond, thus exposing it to about 6 to 8 hours of strong sunlight on an
average day. I have added quite a bit of aquatic plants and shrubs in &
around the pond and hopefully this could help improve the balance.

One problem that I face now is the emergence of numerous free-floating
clumps of green algae every afternoon (after strong sunlight) which I
would
scoop out manually using a net on a long pole. It is very irritating but
strangely, if left alone these clumps of algae seem to disappear by
nightfall. Beats me. What are these actually ?

My 800g pond has the same problem. I've given up netting it out. Most goes
through the net anyway. It's a type of algae.

Are they called algae scum
(read it somewhere) and how do they come about ?

They're fed by nutrients in the water. I added more plants as competition
but that didn't help in my pond. Water hyacinth and lettuce may help but
then I have to constantly net out the excess. A real pain in netted ponds.

Are there anyone out there
who have experienced the same predicament & how did you deal with it ? The
filter of the UV filter gets clogged up very quickly too. Wonder if the
reason could be the size of the pump or something else.

I enclose the water pumps in those black screen plastic pond plant baskets
wired together. They don't clog for weeks. My Tetra UV lights don't have a
filter attached. Water changes don't help in my pond, they just make the
problem worse. I've learned to live with it.

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks & regards,
Danny
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

Hi there Stephen & Koi-Lo,

Thanks so much for your enlightening feedback. I did forget to mention that
I have some koi in my pond which have grown quite a bit ......about 7 to 8
inches now from about 3 to 4 inches 2 months ago. They are thriving quite
well right ? Can it be that the substantial presence of the algae has
contributed to the favourable growth rate ?

A couple of doubts still not cleared however...... should I just leave the
fuzzy algae alone doing its appearing & disappearing job or should I
continue netting it out every afternoon? It's really frustrating as it just
can never end , day in & day out ! Another thing is about the submersible
pump, do you think it is undersized for sufficient circulation? Remember I
said that the water is crystal clear and only the walls & floor are
blanketed by about half inch of algae.

Cheers & thanks again.

Danny

"Köi-Lö" $##$$@$##$$.#$$ wrote in message
...

"DK" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Have a problem now & hope to get some useful feedback and expert advice
from
you guys out
there.

I have a two-month old concrete pond of approx 1500 gallons volume
complete
with a 0.5 hp submersible pump, external filter, a biological filter & a
waterfall. To curb an initial pea soup problem, I have added an 18W UV
sterilizer run by a separately dedicated small pump and the water is now
crystal clear except that the walls & floor are carpeted with green &
browbn
algae. However, I believe that the system has sort of settled as these
days
I only have to monitor & change the filters as and when necessary.

That's great. The algae on the sides and bottom is normal.

I live in a tropical country and have no trees or shade overhanging the
pond, thus exposing it to about 6 to 8 hours of strong sunlight on an
average day. I have added quite a bit of aquatic plants and shrubs in &
around the pond and hopefully this could help improve the balance.

One problem that I face now is the emergence of numerous free-floating
clumps of green algae every afternoon (after strong sunlight) which I
would
scoop out manually using a net on a long pole. It is very irritating but
strangely, if left alone these clumps of algae seem to disappear by
nightfall. Beats me. What are these actually ?

My 800g pond has the same problem. I've given up netting it out. Most goes
through the net anyway. It's a type of algae.

Are they called algae scum
(read it somewhere) and how do they come about ?

They're fed by nutrients in the water. I added more plants as competition
but that didn't help in my pond. Water hyacinth and lettuce may help but
then I have to constantly net out the excess. A real pain in netted
ponds.

Are there anyone out there
who have experienced the same predicament & how did you deal with it ?
The
filter of the UV filter gets clogged up very quickly too. Wonder if the
reason could be the size of the pump or something else.

I enclose the water pumps in those black screen plastic pond plant baskets
wired together. They don't clog for weeks. My Tetra UV lights don't have
a
filter attached. Water changes don't help in my pond, they just make the
problem worse. I've learned to live with it.

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks & regards,
Danny
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

"DK" wrote in message
...
Hi there Stephen & Koi-Lo,

Thanks so much for your enlightening feedback. I did forget to mention
that
I have some koi in my pond which have grown quite a bit ......about 7 to 8
inches now from about 3 to 4 inches 2 months ago. They are thriving quite
well right ? Can it be that the substantial presence of the algae has
contributed to the favourable growth rate ?

It may have. They koi and their fry are growing the fastest in my 800g pond
with this floating "stuff." I don't see them eat it but it may be adding
something helpful to their diet - insects of some kind perhaps. We have no
idea since all the tubs and ponds are treated the same.

A couple of doubts still not cleared however...... should I just leave the
fuzzy algae alone doing its appearing & disappearing job or should I
continue netting it out every afternoon?

That's entirely up to you. I gave up trying to net it out. It's harmless to
ignore it.

It's really frustrating as it just
can never end , day in & day out ! Another thing is about the submersible
pump, do you think it is undersized for sufficient circulation? Remember I
said that the water is crystal clear and only the walls & floor are
blanketed by about half inch of algae.

Then it's probably adequate. I don't go by the horsepower of the pump's
motor. We don't even remember how many GPH our large Big Versa pumps. That
one is on the 2000g pond. I've got an 800 or 900 gph on the smaller pond
with a 500gph running for oxygenation and circulation. For the 680g
propagation tanks behind the house we have an assortment of water pumps,
from 500 gph to 900 gph.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

On Sun, 13 Aug 2006 18:13:24 +0800, "DK" wrote:

One problem that I face now is the emergence of numerous free-floating
clumps of green algae every afternoon (after strong sunlight) which I would
scoop out manually using a net on a long pole. It is very irritating but
strangely, if left alone these clumps of algae seem to disappear by
nightfall. Beats me. What are these actually ? Are they called algae scum
(read it somewhere) and how do they come about ? Are there anyone out there
who have experienced the same predicament & how did you deal with it ? The
filter of the UV filter gets clogged up very quickly too. Wonder if the
reason could be the size of the pump or something else.

I've converted a hot tub to a lily pond with a few small goldfish for
mosquito control and have the same problem. Almost every year I have
an algae bloom (the microscopic kind that in the billions turns the
water green.) in my 1500 gallon pond and my solution is to use
aluminum sulfate to kill the algae and remove the dead stuff with a
shop vac and pond filter. The aluminum sulfate doesn't always get rid
of the string algae (the floating scum.) Most people here advise to
take it out manually and that is probably a good idea in most
instances, since killing all the algae that forms on the sides and
bottom removes a plant that consumes ammonia without it having to be
converted to nitrates.

My lily pond OTOH is for viewing plant life and not fish, in this case
the fish are there for mosquito and other insect control and could be
replaced with dunks. I'm convinced the algae causes negative growth
results on water hyacinths and other plants too, so I'm using
AlgaeFix, since the label says it will kill some forms of string
algae. Not sure this is the best solution, but after a week the water
hyacinths are putting on green color on the leaves coming out of the
center.

I hope you the best of luck with your pond and would like to suggest
an article about green water by a member of the San Diego Koi Club.
http://www.koiclubsandiego.org/library/green_water.php

Regards.

Hal

"Hal" wrote in message
...
My lily pond OTOH is for viewing plant life and not fish, in this case
the fish are there for mosquito and other insect control and could be
replaced with dunks. I'm convinced the algae causes negative growth
results on water hyacinths and other plants too, so I'm using
AlgaeFix, since the label says it will kill some forms of string
algae. Not sure this is the best solution, but after a week the water
hyacinths are putting on green color on the leaves coming out of the
center.


I found that adding 1 heaping Tbs. of Potash per 1000g of water really helps
green up water lettuce and hyacinths. I read that on this NG some years
ago.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

Sounds like your pond is coming along really nicely...If algae scum is
your only problem, consider yourself lucky.

It sounds like your pond has alot of nutrients and with all the sun,
you have gangbuster algae growth.

You note that you fish are growing at a great clip. I wonder about how
much food your putting in. In addition to the fish growth could
overfeeding be a source of nutrient overload? With the tropical
climate, I suspect you might have to be careful with plant nutrients.

I have also found that certain plants grow faster better than others.
Lilies and certain other plants look great but don't add alot of mass
and thus I'm not sure how much of a "nutrient sink" they are. I have a
couple of pots of Elodea in my pond and they grow really quickly and
give a great bushy look. I also imagine they're really soaking up lots
of the excess nutrients. I think my papyrus is doing the same, as it
adds lots of growth.

Finally, I'm guessing that the algae, etc. might be first-year growing
pains. Once the system settles down a bit, I imagine it'll all work
itself out. However, if you're in a tropical country, you may face
different challenges than I do in Chicago.

Good luck

Kevin


Köi-Lö wrote:
"Hal" wrote in message
...
My lily pond OTOH is for viewing plant life and not fish, in this case
the fish are there for mosquito and other insect control and could be
replaced with dunks. I'm convinced the algae causes negative growth
results on water hyacinths and other plants too, so I'm using
AlgaeFix, since the label says it will kill some forms of string
algae. Not sure this is the best solution, but after a week the water
hyacinths are putting on green color on the leaves coming out of the
center.


I found that adding 1 heaping Tbs. of Potash per 1000g of water really helps
green up water lettuce and hyacinths. I read that on this NG some years
ago.
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

"Kevin" wrote in message
ps.com...

Sounds like your pond is coming along really nicely...If algae scum is
your only problem, consider yourself lucky.

It sounds like your pond has alot of nutrients and with all the sun,
you have gangbuster algae growth.

* Yes. It's been unusually hot here as well. And all the fry are adding to
the nutrient load. There are only 4 semi-adult koi in the pond with all the
algae problems.

You note that you fish are growing at a great clip. I wonder about how
much food your putting in. In addition to the fish growth could
overfeeding be a source of nutrient overload? With the tropical
climate, I suspect you might have to be careful with plant nutrients.

* Overfeeding? No. All the food is gone in under 10 minutes. This 800g
pond has had algae problems for the last few years, even after we drain it,
hose the liner and plants and wet-vac the bottom, then refill. Last summer
we did it twice and the algae was back in no time. We have no idea what's
causing it. We even rebuilt the berm thinking it was a runoff issue. It's
not. I have a 1200gph pump in the lowest part to suck out what settles
there every week - that hasn't helped at all.

I have also found that certain plants grow faster better than others.
Lilies and certain other plants look great but don't add alot of mass
and thus I'm not sure how much of a "nutrient sink" they are. I have a
couple of pots of Elodea in my pond and they grow really quickly and
give a great bushy look. I also imagine they're really soaking up lots
of the excess nutrients. I think my papyrus is doing the same, as it
adds lots of growth.

* Some are better than others for sucking up the nutrients that's for sure
but koi will destroy some plants. We're starting to think maybe the Tetra
filter we have on this pond is inadequate. But that can't be the whole
problem. There's always bits of black stuff floating in both ponds that the
pumps aren't picking up. The fish stir it up into blackish clouds at
feeding time. That's another problem. When looked at under the 'scope they
appear to be parts of decaying plants that settle everywhere.

Finally, I'm guessing that the algae, etc. might be first-year growing
pains. Once the system settles down a bit, I imagine it'll all work
itself out. However, if you're in a tropical country, you may face
different challenges than I do in Chicago.

* I'm down here in zone 6 and this pond is now 11 years old. The 2000g one
is 9 yrs old.

Good luck

Kevin
--
KL....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö ~~~~ }((((({*

On 15 Aug 2006 08:33:11 -0700, "Kevin"
wrote:

It sounds like your pond has alot of nutrients and with all the sun,
you have gangbuster algae growth.

Exactly! Thanks for your help. I'm about 100 miles South of Atlanta
and it is sunny, but that is the purpose of lilies, to shade the pond,
not as a nutrient sink. That was my reason for adding water
hyacinths.

It seems every year I have a bout with some form of algae, but it
just makes life interesting.

Regards,

Hal

Köi-Lö wrote:
Hey Carol,

We all know your husband is into porn...

You know child porn is illegal in the states


Your doomed. You know it. I know it. And your sheriff dept can not do a
single thing.
Your upset because your husband downloads porn.

Right he


http://tinyurl.com/r5lex


We all know that any man who reads porn, well also view porn, and porn
is a plague.
Yet Carol call JW immoral and critize them all.

Carol should worry about what happens in her house before she starts
yapping about how sex-crazed JW are.

Finally, I'm guessing that the algae, etc. might be first-year growing
pains. Once the system settles down a bit, I imagine it'll all work
itself out. However, if you're in a tropical country, you may face
different challenges than I do in Chicago.
Kevin

I agree, growing pains. This algae will settle down as the pond matures.
The difference from a tropical area verses Kevin's area, it probably mature
faster, imo.

Continue to scoop out the loose stuff, and don't disturb the stuff on the
sides. If any has sunk to the bottom and is loose, remove it. ~ jan
--------------
See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us
-----------------

Also ponding troll free at:
http://groups.google.com/group/The-Freshwater-Aquarium