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Pond Algae Control

Pond Algae control, what are the methods used to rid your garden pond of algae?
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Reduce the sunlight that your pond receives.

Reduce the sunlight by adding shade to your garden pond. A fifty to sixty five percent degree of sunlight will clear up the pond water. This may be accomplished buy adding shade trees or an ardor to the landscape surrounding your pond. But this may not be practical or desirable for your pond or the landscape. These degrees in sunlight may also affect your aquatic plants or the overall look of the pond.

Pond algae control by reducing the nutrients.

By reducing nutrients in the water you will reduce the food source for algae to bloom. But when you feed the fish or fertilize your aquatic plants this will also feed algae that is in the pond water as well. A biological filter will have no effect on the level of nutrients in the water. A biological filter is not capable of removing nutrients it only converts ammonia to nitrate, which is still nitrogen: a good food source for algae.

Controlling pond algae with aquatic pond plants.

Aquatic pond plants will also reduce algae in your pond. Pond plants act as natural oxygenators and submerged aquatic plants can be the best at this. Plant life converts carbon dioxide into oxygen and submerged aquatic plants are very good at competing for carbon dioxide and providing oxygen rich water that starves algae. Not only do they provide oxygen to the water, they will also compete with the algae for nutrients. Garden ponds need aquatic plants for a healthy balance.

Chemical treatments such as pond algaecides.

Pond algaecides are expensive and potentially lethal to your plants, fish and other aquatic pond life like frogs and even birds if the wrong dosage is administered. In the right dosage algaecides can selectively kill the algae without harming the other plants or animals. However the effect that you are looking for may be short lived and algae may “bloom” again.

Pond algae control with natural algaecides.

Barley straw is a recommended natural algaecide for use in garden ponds. The straw will not kill the algae already in the water but it will prevent the growth of new algae. The amount of straw needed is based on the surface area of your pond and not its volume of water. You will need .5 - 1.5 oz. of barley straw for every 10 square feet of surface area of your pond. Too much straw will deplete the oxygen in the water. The straw is best applied to your pond in a wire cage equipped with some floats to keep it on the surface of the water and filled loosely with straw. Once active the straw will remain effective for about six months. Barley straw is also very good at ridding your pond of blanket weed.

Pond algae control with a UV sterilizer.

A UV sterilizer will stop planktonic algae from reproducing keep your pond clear. This is the best way to rid your pond of green water. It is best to pass the entire pond's volume through the UV sterilizer at least six times per day for clear water. Blanket weed or other algae can't be removed with a UV sterilizer because they may be anchored or float in your pond and won't pass through the unit, but planktonic algae or green water floats in the water as a single cell plant and will pass right through the unit.

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