Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 1/2 acre alge factory!

My pond is in it's third year now, stocked with CNBG, HSB, and FHM. The pond is healthy, the fish eat twice a day and are growing like weeds, I aerate 12 hrs. per day from 7pm to 7am and check water chemistry and O2 levels regularly, We will harvest a couple hundred CNBG this fall. My problem lies in the fact that I have so much life in the pond that apparently the pond produces so much DOC the algae growth is excessive. I control algae in my Salt Water Aquarium with a protein skimmer, reducing the amount of DOC available for algae growth, but I do not know how to limit DOC in my 1/2 acre pond. I obviously have too much life for a small pond, but the rate at which CNBG spawn, controlling their numbers is difficult. The HSB get their share, they are growing like weeds, however adding more will only add to the bio load, not really solving the problem. I need to remove DOCS as I really have no way to reduce DOCS. Any Ideas? ............Budster

Get some aquatic plants growing in there to utilize the nutrients.

The plants have to be the right type or you will trade one problem with another.
A few things:
Make sure you feed a little less than they can consume so there isn't waste on the bottom.
Choose plants as suggested in other threads here.
Make sure you cut back on feed after harvest.
Maybe a couple of catfish to eat excessive feed?
You could treat with an algaecide giving planted plants a leg up. Not sure how...
Cut down feeding to once a day until under control.

If your having problems keeping your CNBG in check if you can do it put about 5 or 6, 10 inch female LMB in the pond. HSB cannot control your CNBG good enough. A 2 pound large mouth can eat up to a 4 inch or so CNBG a 2 pound HSB will not there mouth just isn't big enough.

And like you said CNBG spawn way to fast!

RC

I guess I will check on the availability of female LMB, I don't feed to much, they clear up what I feed in minutes, and I have excessive aquatic vegetation, a constant battle keeping it in control, unless there is a specific plant or plants that will assimilate nitrate (i.e. macro algae in salt water). Don't need cat fish, no excessive feed available, will just add to the problem.... Thanks Budster

Lots of aquatic plants usually take care of the algae problem but it's usually too many or the wrong kind that one wants. Even if you put the so called right kind of plants in you pond it will most likely change over time into the wrong kind with the plants that are the most aggressive. Even the wrong kind of plants will take out the nutrients of the pond and cut down algae and plants oxygenate, add food and structure.

So to keep the plants down to the level you want add grass carp but you have to get the amount right for what you want by starting slow and watching the results.

With less plants you will have more algae but this can be taken care of with a combination of channel catfish, KOI and Israeli carp. To control these fish from getting out of hand you need some predators.

The other way to achieve the same results as above is using chemicals, airators, artificial structure and feeding.