Pond Boss Forums AERATION Systems questions Algae

We have a 1/4 acre spring fed pond in New York. It’s about 8 feet deep in the middle. We’re adding beneficial bacteria, pond dye, we have a fountain and 2 bottom aerators and the algae problem this year is the worst it’s ever been. The pond is about 5 years old and last year we suddenly had a bunch of tall stringy grass growing in the pond which we tried to manually remove. I suspect part of our pond’s current algae problem is from decaying grasses and leaves from last year. I did my best trying to remove leaves in the fall and treating the pond but I’m at my wits end as to how to clean this up. It’s back breaking labor trying to manually remove the algae. I keep thinking there has to be a better way to do this. I don’t think you can purchase algicides in New York, at least the companies I’ve tried to order from say they cannot ship to NY. Are there professionals that can do this or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Many of the ponds around here are covered with the mats of algae too and the general consensus on many of the threads is that the pond is just consuming the nutrient load built up in the pond. There have multiple threads on FA but this might help a little:

1. It won't grow or grow as much in the dark. Dye and/or fertilizer my help darken the water enough to slow it down.
2. Chemical treatment
3. Tilapia

For options 1 and 2 you will still need to remove the mats. If you don't, as the algae breaks down the nutrients are returned to the pond and thus restarting the process.

Option 2 has a couple of choices. You can chemically treat and kill the FA or you can lock the nutrients up with a product called phosloc. Alum sulfate might also bind the phosphorus as well. There may be other chemical treatments as well. Those just seem to be pretty common thread suggestions.

Option 3 converts the FA to flesh of the fish and will remove the nutrients but they will likely die every fall and you will need to net them out or their nutrients will be converted back into the pond. The good news is that you can net these guys in the fall, clean them and eat'em. Same stuff they sell at the store and they love to eat the green stuff.

I'm not sure what type of algae you have. A pic would be very helpful for the pros to help answer questions and provide some advice. Might be enough above to start reading to looking for threads to get you started. Hope it helps.

Keep in mind that not all the algae consumed by tilapia is converted to fish flesh. Tilapia do a lot of pooping (aka manure) that contains nutrients i.e. fertilizer. It would be very good to know the nutrient content of manure of tilapia that were eating nutrients. Anyone????

Ponds are big bath tubs with no drain. Everything organic entering the pond plus water shed nutrients, plus fish manure all contain nutrients of various types that stimulate plant growth. The only main thing IMO that removes the nutrients from the "bathtub" is harvesting something that grew in the pond. Someone needs to invent a nutrient vacuum cleaner. Mother Nature has them and they are called water plants.

Did you just add the bottom aeration last fall? If so, you may have stirred up some organic material from the bottom and some of that is now suspended in the water column. As that material now starts to break down, you have suddenly added even more nutrients to your pond water.

If true(?), you have made things worse in the short term. However, the good news is that your pond will be healthier in the long term getting some of that muck off the bottom.

Are there any "outside" sources of fertilization to your pond? Such as ag fertilizer, neighborhood lawn fertilizer, or ducks or geese on your pond. Those things can add a lot of fertilizer!

Bill Cody did mention one of your best solutions - water plants! Read some of the threads on Pond Boss about beneficial plants. Some can really enhance the look of a pond. As you get those types of plants established, they will start to steal some of the nutrients, and that much less will be available to the algae.

Bah...I forgot the pond plants. Good catch BC