Choosing the Right Algae Control Products for Your Pond: Factors to Consider

Aglae is every pond owner’s bane. There are few sights less welcome than your water turning green or something building up around the rocks of your waterfall. Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to realize you have algae before it starts to bloom, which means you need to understand your options to remove pond algae to prevent overgrowth from damaging your water feature’s healthy ecosystem.

In this guide, we’ll cover varieties of pond algae you’re likely to encounter, your options for pond algae control, and some preventative steps to avoid another bloom.

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Pond Algae Types

Once you notice algae starting to bloom, the first step is to identify which algae you’re dealing with. There are three algae you can encounter in your water:

• Green algae: Green algae grow in water that has become too nutrient-rich and creates murky, dark green water. Green algae use up oxygen, harming fish and aquatic plants.
• Cyanobacteria algae: Also called blue-green algae, cyanobacteria form a thick layer on your pond’s surface and produce toxins harmful to humans and aquatic life.
• Filamentous algae: Filamentous bacteria form a dark green layer made up of long, stringy bunches of algae. They block sunlight from penetrating the water, killing aquatic plants.

Understanding which organisms you have growing in your water will determine how you approach to removing it.

Options for Pond Algae Control

Chemical Pond Treatments

Chemical pond algae control involves using a type of product called an “algaecide”. These chemicals kill off blooms by preventing photosynthesis, stopping reproduction, or killing the algae entirely.

For green or blue-green algae, liquid algaecides are typically the answer. Filamentous algae typically require a powdery or granular chemical to treat your pond.

The exact form is less important than choosing a chemical treatment designed to treat the specific algae growing in your pond. You must also choose a product that won’t harm the plants or fish living in the pond. When in doubt, seek a professional opinion to determine your exact needs.

Chemical-Free Algae Control

While algaecides kill off blooms quickly, you risk damaging the ecosystem further. Chemical-free algae control deals with blooms without harming plants or fish.

• UV pond clarifiers: Clarifiers attach UV lights to your pond filter, killing algae by breaking down its cell walls. The pond’s mechanical filter catches the dead material, removing it from the water. UV clarifiers won’t work with all ponds as large pumps circulate too much water to effectively expose algae to UV rays. Upkeep is another consideration as you’ll need to replace the bulbs every year.
• Bacteria or enzyme treatments: Introduce beneficial bacteria or enzymes to break down nutrients before algae can absorb them.
• Plants and animals: Plants absorb nutrients and sunlight so there’s nothing to support algae blooms while certain snails, fish, or tadpoles feed on algae.
• Physical removal: You can remove blooms using rakes, nets, or floating booms. This is an effective method to remove algae but isn’t really feasible for large ponds.
• Ionizers: Copper pond ionizers release copper into your pond water. Ionizers have small copper anodes that release the element into pond water to prevent algae from growing. You can install ionizers within your pond’s filtration system or by using a model that attaches to your pond skimmer.
• Pond dying or shading: Block algae from absorbing the sun’s rays by shading your pond from the sun. You can further reduce light by dying the water. It’s best to use this method as a complement to one of the other algae removal strategies.

How to Prevent Agale Blooms

Algae blooms form when water has too much nitrogen or phosphorous, doesn’t get enough oxygen, or built up leaf debris.

Monitoring and Regular Testing

Monitor and test your water at regular intervals to make sure things like nutrients and Ph levels are at healthy levels. Sudden changes in your water quality can serve as an early warning system for algae blooms and give you important insight into what’s feeding the algae growth.

Add Aquatic Plants

One of the most effective ways to prevent algae bloom is to use up nutrients that feed algae such as phosphorous and nitrogen. Aquatic plants will outcompete algae for these nutrients so there won’t be enough food to feed a bloom.

Plants also provide the added benefit of shading your pond from the sun. Since algae require sunlight to grow, this will further prevent green, blue-green, and filamentous algae growth. Aim to shade right around half of your pond’s surface area with floating plants such as lilies, hyacinths, or water lettuce.

Additionally, floating plants protect your pond’s fish from sun exposure and predators. Since photosynthesis puts oxygen back into the water, healthy plants act as an additional source of water aeration.

Aerate Your Pond Effectively

Good water circulation prevents dead spots from forming and maintains recommended oxygen levels in your pond. Dead zones can cause nutrient levels to build up and feed algae blooms. Good circulation also keeps water moving through the pond’s filter, which will remove leaf matter and other debris, which is a leading cause of blooms.

Which exact water aeration system is best for your pond will be decided by factors such as pond size, depth, and shape.

Use a Mechanical Filter System

As mentioned above, a mechanical filter keeps ponds clean and healthy by physically removing algae food such as leaves, grass clippings, and fish waste from the water. There are many options when it comes to pond filters:

• In-pond systems
• Pond skimmers
• Waterfall filters

The best filter units include biological filters and UV lights to further clean water. In these units, water is passed over a UV light bulb to kill algae and then exposed to helpful bacteria in the unit’s reservoir. These bacteria break down algae as well as its food source before returning the clean water to the pond.

Don’t Let Debris Build Up

Organic matter from plants and animals is one of the most common food sources for algae blooms, especially as trees drop their leaves in the fall. Remove branches and leaves at regular intervals to prevent build-up that will be difficult and time-consuming if left till the last minute. Use a pond vacuum to clean up any errant leaves flowers, or grass clippings during the summer.

Get your pond ready for the season each spring by removing the water (and any fish), cleaning the lining, cleaning and replacing the filter, dividing any plants that have overgrown, and seeding the water with friendly bacteria. A proper spring cleaning will set up your pond to stay clear and algae-free the whole summer.

Manage Your Fish Population

Along with leaves and grass clippings, fish are one of the leading causes of algae bloom. The reason for this is twofold: fish food and fish waste. To combat this, only feed your fish once per day and limit the food to what they can consume in two or three minutes to prevent algae from feeding on leftover foods. Find a balanced fish food to provide the necessary vitamins, minerals, fat, and protein while limiting waste production.

Don’t add more fish than your pond can handle. Overcrowding can lead to disease for your fish while overwhelming your filter with fish waste. Either of these outcomes can be devastating for your pond’s ecological health ad balance.

Add Barley Products

It might sound strange to add barley since leaves can be such a problem for ponds. However, barley is a great product for maintaining a clear pond through the winter weather when other chemical and biological algae control products are rendered ineffective.

Add barley straw, barley straw pellets, or barley straw extract to your pond every six months to combat algae. Each form of barley is effective, so which you end up using is mostly up to your personal preferences.

Maintaining Overall Pond Ecology

While controlling algae is important for your pond’s overall ecological health, it’s just as important not to overdo it with the pond algae control products. Healthy ecosystems contain and support a diverse array of life, and that can sometimes mean at least some algae is a good thing. Ultimately, balance is the key to a thriving pond ecosystem.

To maintain biodiversity, choose carefully when it comes time to remove algae. Find a product or strategy that doesn’t harm helpful incense or bacteria. Preserving inviting environments for wildlife such as amphibians, bird life, and fish can create a stable system that requires very little intervention.

For this reason, view chemical algae control products as a last resort. Overly aggressive treatments can harm helpful bacteria, insects, or aquatic plants, or impact water quality. On the other hand, algae blooms can be equally disturbing to your pond’s balance. So you must thread a rather tight needle.

Managing your pond’s algae level is vital to keep it healthy and looking good all year long. However, blooms are still likely to happen. But by knowing what algae you’re dealing with and which products are right for you, you’ll have your water clear and sparkling in no time.