Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment newbie question

I bought and live on a propoerty that has a small spring fed pond. The size is about a 25' diameter and about 4' deep. It is completely covered in what I believe to be duck weed. I bought the property last October and since then the appearance has not changed. The water is crystal clear below the duck weed and there are turtles, frogs and possibly fish. The water level changes by 18" or so depending on how much rain we get.

My desire is to not have the duck weed. Is it reasonable to get rid of it or is it a sign of a healthy pond? Thanks.

Considering the substantial water level changes due to rain, there must be significant runoff into your pond? The runoff is likely high in nitrogen and or phosphorous which stimulates duckweed growth.

The benefit of duckweed is, it is literally cleaning your water, leaving it "crystal clear". Duckweed also inhibits mosquito larvae, in extreme cases.

The bad, it depletes oxygen and sunlight, which disrupts the pond ecosystem. Depending on how extensive the cover is, you probably have very few fish or none?

If you remove all of the duckweed, your pond won't be as clear and you will notice a rise in nitrogen and phosphates. In the end, it all depends on what you want to do with the pond, long term.

Thanks for the info Joey. The point about mosquitoes is helpful as the pond is 30 yards from the house.