Massive amounts of thick algae

[robje29]

Hi my pond nearly 2 years old is suffering from massive amounts of thick algae in the shallow end of the pond, see pics

There are alot of plants and wildlife love the pond attracting many species for breeding

Any advice you can give will be a gr8 help

thx Rob

[artdemole]

Skim it off.Use of barley straw may help.Circulation and maybe some small filtration would be helpful..

[Kayleigh]

Don't bother with filtration fish out the leaves as these cause nutrients that feed the blanketweed..
Get a garden cane and twirl it in the water this will remove some of it, throw in some watercress and stop using tap water to top it up..
This is normal and the wildlife actually like it so don't worry too much.

[Billabong Karen]

Also the cold weather will help to keep the blanket weed down. But too many nutrients in the water will certainly encourage algae growth, and it could be that nutrients are running off the bank at the side of the pond... Not sure what you can do about that - perhaps a small drainage ditch to carry seepage away from the pond?

[robje29]

Hey thx for replies so far

I never have or will use tap water, i have a divert from a gutter that i can use to top up if lvl goes to low.

There are alot of decaying water soldiers in the deep end but few leaves to my knowledge as most blow down into back garden and not into the pond.

I will try twisting out some of it but it would be nice to be clear of it as this is where the frogs and toads lay thier spawn in the spring, (jan this year)

Thx Rob

[lfphotography]

Hi Please can some one tell me how i can post my photo on a forum topic like this.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by lfphotography

Hi Please can some one tell me how i can post my photo on a forum topic like this.

You need to resize them on your computer then go into the image Gallery for forum pics as they can be posted straight away the main Gallery has to be moderated for quality..

here is more info..

How To Upload Photos - (INFO)

[King Edward]

Hi Rob,

Interesting looking pond - if you have one, it would be good to see a closer general view of the pond e.g. from the path on the right, with the shallow & deeper areas.

If you've only every used rainwater, is there any other likely source of nutrients into the pond? Soil for planting, fish food, runoff from surrounding bare earth? If you think the water quality's good, and there's plenty of wildlife, then perhaps the algae isn't too much of a problem except aesthetically.

You could try more adding emergent plants to the shallows, although you seem to have quite a range already. E.g. Watercress, Fool's Watercress, Lesser Water-parsnip, Creeping Bent Grass, Sweet Grass (Glyceria fluitans/notata/x pedicellata).

I don't think the algae will bother the amphibians, so I wouldn't worry about it from that point of view. As the plants grow more and get established, the algae may well diminish over time anyway.

[robje29]

Hi,
The shallow end of the pond is emergent from the water, ie; the soil line does desend into the water for ease of access and exit for all wildlife was my idea, tbh the seapage of nutrients was not something i really considered when doing this, so i guess this could account for the algae, also when the pond was made i used 1 bag of aquatic soil so there would be something for the plants to take to when i planted then.

Drainage off the back bank is unlikely, when i made the pond the liner at the back is higher than the ground lvl of the bank behind and under the slate i used the ground falls back about 4" so seepage there is highly unlikely i think.

It certainly would seem to be the consensus that excess nutrients may be problem, although how to alter the shallow end for entry and exit i am unsure about how to do, any suggestions maybe?

Thx Rob

[Billabong Karen]

I shouldnt worry too much at this stage. Just remove what you can, and wait until spring. With any luck, the plants you put in will remove some of the nutrients.

Several people on this forum swear by watercress as a means of removing excess nutrients. I have never tried it myself, but those who do think it is great.

That said, I think almost all pond owners have to deal with the dreaded blanket weed from time to time. My pond has very clear water, but I do spend time in the summer (quite a lot of time, tbh) pulling blanket weed out, examining it carefully for wildlife, and then putting it on the compost...