Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Bright green algae overgrowth in smaller pond

I work for a Hospital, and we have two ponds. The smaller of the two is electric green right now. It does not have the slimy algae in the middle...just bright green water. I wanted to do the permit and get grass carp...but one of our Einsteins this morning said no....get small Koi instead. They say there are no bass in the ponds just catfish...but I have no clue. We have those white egrets too....are domestic Koi not more susceptable to these types of predators?

Thanks so much....Lisa

Can you pot a pic? It sounds like a bloom issue, fish won't fix it..

I agree about the bloom. I go past our local hospital several times a week and it drives me crazy. They have a number of beautiful ponds -- and golf-course quality lawns. More than likely all of the fertilizer that is keeping the grass beautiful is keeping the pond very green, and frequently full of filamentous algae. The only real way to control this is to limit the fertilizer runoff into the pond, or to get lots of plants in the pond to take up the fertilizer nutrients.

Or add dye and throw expensive chemicals at the pond that may not be conducive to fish and just treat the symptoms. At least that is what I see a lot of corporate ponds do.

Try adding a bunch of inert substrate to produce the bio film to eat up all the excessive nutrients. Feeds the fish then start culling them like crazy.

OK here it is....PLEASE HELP!!! We are a non profit and have not a big budget.

Ok I see, we got a small pond.. There's some guys on here that can definitely fix that.. I'm not one of them lol..

Welcome to PB. Which Hospt. in NO ?

Are there fish in the pond ? If not there are lots of possible fixes.

You have a planktonic algae bloom which means that nutrients primarily nitrogen and phosphorus esp dissolved phos are in high concentrations. Somehow the fertilizer / nutrients got into this pond. Does someone feed the fish? Stop feeding if they are fed. Lots of fish biomass will also contribute to green water esp in a small pond. Maybe get rid of some fish if the pond has lots of fish. Fish food results in fish manure and manure grows plants. It can grow higher level plants or without higher plants it grow microscopic plants i.e. green water. Consider getting some water hyasinth for this green water pond. The hyasinth from local water garden place or the wild will use the nutrients instead of the microalgae. Number of plants will depend on size of pond. Plants will multiply quickly so if patient, in several weeks the water should begin to clear. It will probably take quite a few hyasinth to clear the water quickly. The chemical approach is to use Cutrine-plus liquid. Buy a gallon abt $32-$38, read the instructions and apply accordingly. It will be helpful if someone can calculate or measure the gallons of water in this pond. I or someone can help calculate amount of Curtine if needed. Cutrine is a copper based chemical similar to copper sulfate which could be used but it is easier to kill fish with copper sulfate.

Touro Hospital Woldenberg Village on the West Bank. Ok, we tried the first fix we were advised about....I will keep eveyone posted we just made the slurry and put it in the pond this morning.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR HELPING US!!!!

Lisa Myers