Find here the essentials and best sellers for our pond owners.
Find here the essentials and best sellers for our pond owners.
There are over 150,000 types of algae in the world. They can live, depending on the species, in different environments and under various and varied conditions. It is necessary to dissociate the floating algae (treated by a good lagooning or a UV), and the filamentous algae which can be treated with different solutions.
These filamentous algae exist in different forms in your garden pond. They can make filaments over 2M long. These algae are not always pretty but did you know that koi carp love to spawn in string algae?
In ponds, there are several groups of algae. We thus distinguish between microscopic algae, which float freely in the water and color the water green, as well as filamentous algae, which form long streaks.
As their name suggests, thread algae form filaments. These are long green threads that first cling to walls and plants. From a distance, they look a bit like clouds. In a later stage of their growth, they detach and drift in the form of plates. Their color ranges from khaki green to brown to yellow, eventually forming a kind of disgusting mush. When thread algae are present, the water is often clear or very clear.
Unlike floating algae, string algae is not a bad sign. They are satisfied with a very small quantity of nutrients (phosphates). After winter, there are inevitably nitrate residues in the pond water. Filamentous algae take advantage of this to proliferate until there are no more nitrates. They then stop growing, break off and form slippery yellow-brown-green balls that float on the surface of the water.
Algae growth occurs because aquatic plants are not able to completely remove nutrients from the pond. A surplus of nutrients appears from which the algae benefit.
The microscopic algae are always present in a latent state and grow very quickly. Unlike other plants, they are not demanding on water quality.
There is nothing more annoying than excess algae in the pond. A basin is a closed ecosystem. Biological waste is converted by bacteria into nutrients for aquatic plants, which in turn release oxygen into the water for a healthy pond environment.
Even when the pond has been properly designed, problems can arise that upset the biological balance. With an unwanted proliferation of algae as a consequence.
We have some tips to counteract the formation of algae.
The first step to having an algae-free pond is to test the water and based on the result, we can make a diagnosis and a plan to remove the algae.
For the middle of the pond a knowledge of the pH value is essential because it tells us what the CO2 content of the water is. If early in the morning the pH value is relatively low (pH 7-8) and in the evening it is relatively high (pH 8-9), then the middle of the pond works, the plants will grow well and the water will be clear .
The use of peat granulate can accelerate the reduction of the pH value. A pH value that is too low (pH 6 and below) indicates that the environment is acidifying and threatens all the inhabitants of the pond. It is especially during the winter that too low pH values can occur under certain conditions.
The general hardness of water is determined by calcium and magnesium. This becomes the GH value of water. A good GH value for pond water is between 8° and 12° dH. Most pond plants grow optimally in these values and the development and activity of microorganisms are optimal in this moderately hard water.
The carbonate hardness (KH value) is an important pillar in the pond environment. The KH value is also called temporary hardness. Also referred to as antacid strength.
The aforementioned measures aim to biologically reduce the proliferation of filamentous algae and ultimately to eliminate them. The whole process will take months. This period can be shortened by following a cure with an anti-algae product. Remember that this type of product fights the algae symptom but does not eliminate the cause.
Devices have also been developed to permanently solve the problem of algae in garden ponds. They work on the principle of mineralization. This mineralization prevents the proliferation of filamentous and beard algae while stimulating the growth of aquatic plants.
A lasting solution to the problem of floating algae (green water) is the use of a UV filter. Ultraviolet radiation kills floating algae, pathogens and fungi.
The installation of a suitable filtration system is also a solution to the problem of algae. On the one hand, the water is kept clear by water filtration, on the other hand, the water circulation ensures sufficient oxygen. Filtration filters the pond water both mechanically and biologically.
A excess nutrients in the water can have several causes:
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