Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New large pond owner - Help!!

Hey there everyone!
I recently moved into a property with a large pond in it. It seems to have some sort of growth covering the top of it like a carpet. I dont have experience with ponds so I have been googling trying to figure out what it is but i am still unsure! I thought perhaps chara but im unsure and wouldnt want to treat it or anything without proper identification! I have not seen any fish in the pond(possibly due to all the growth) but there is TONS of frogs and I have seen one turtle.
Can anyone help me identify what this is?
And if So, how to treat it safely without harming the frogs/turtles?
Also I should mention we haven't had a rainfall in a bit so the pond is lower then usual.
Some pics of the pond & stuff growing in it :
http://imgur.com/a/NIV1F
http://imgur.com/a/bMvCR
http://imgur.com/a/xcK04

Thanks for reading!:)

Hi Nicole, you have filamentous algae and some type of milfoil it looks like. Obviously you are concerned about the wildlife, and plants are part of the ecosystem. You need to think about what your goal for the pond is, then decide what to do. If you want a frog pond then you already have it. If you want fish, or want a swimming pond then things are done differently. I'm willing to bet there are some type of fish already in the pond unless its really shallow. You can get a minnow trap and bait it and see if you catch anything.

Do you know how deep the pond is? If not you need to find that out first. If you can find a row boat paddle out and drop a weight on a string down then mark and measure the string.

Secondly study aeration here on this site. That is the best thing you can do for a pond in my opinion.

Congrats on becoming a "Pond Boss" its going to be fun!

Thanks so much!!
I've always loved ponds and had them growing up but my parents always took care of them so despite always being around them im pretty clueless when it comes to knowing much about them.
I will definitely going read up on aeration like you said and everything else I need to know
Good to know what it is. So this is normal for a frog pond? Makes sense since there's more then I can even count. I just wish there were some clear spots cause I would love to add some lily pads and pond plants but im afraid they will just get lost!
Pond is only about 3ft deep so I'm not sure if that's deep enough if I even wanted to add fish?
Previous owners didnt give much info other then it was a former 'cooling' pond for a brick yard.
Thanks again for your help!!

3 foot in Canada isn't deep enough for fish to survive the winter, or for swimming. You can kill the FA ( filamentous algae ) to improve the amount of clear water surface. Getting the plants you want to grow and not the plants you don't want is a challenge.