Pond Water Clarity
There are a number of philosophies as to the best methods for keeping pond water clean and healthy. We would love to hear your experiences in this endeavor, and it can be grueling. From our perspective, here in South Orange County California, the use of chemicals is not necessary and does not, in fact, contribute to better living in the pond. As you always hear, your results may vary…
First, there is a difference between what is ideal and what is realistic, and healthy. Everyone wants to have a pond with crystal clear water and a pristine bottom with beautiful rock, etc. When we built our pond, we went to great lengths to arrange different colored rock along the sides and bottom. It was a thing of beauty indeed. And, it was visible for about as long as it took to place all of that beautiful rock. Now, after 3 years, it is mostly covered with fluffy algae of more or less thickness. The fish really like to munch on that stuff, but it doesn’t go away.
Also, on a nice sunny day, the water sometimes will experience an algae bloom, where the suspended algae reproduces and mirks up the water quite nicely. Not the most visually appealing, but certainly a sign of a healthy pond. Again, the fish don’t seem unhappy about it.
So, what is the problem? It’s a matter of aesthetics actually. One can go to great lengths to have clear water at all times, and that certainly is beautiful. Realistically, it is a lot of work and frustration, and it may not be the best habitat for fish and plants. Our pond has a primary and a secondary filter. At the collection point, the skimmer, there is a debris net and a filter mat. We find our water stays mostly very clear if we clean the debris net and rinse this filter mat each week. The suspended algae is thereby nicely managed without chemicals, UV lights or other additives.
String algae is a different challenge, and we rely mostly on manual removal, which can be a daily task part of the year. We all know how fast strings will grow if they are left unchecked. Barley logs and plants compete for oxygen, surely keeping the algae count lower than it may otherwise be, but if you have a well aerated pond, there is plenty of O2 to go around. In retrospect, we may have installed a UV light in the return line (if we had known about them), but we opt not to use “chemicals”. There are some natural additives with which we have had good luck from AquaScapes Designs. Find their link in our “Products” list (none of the products listed are ours, nor do we profit from their sales; we just like them). We occasionally use SAB as a water additive if the suspended algae count seems to defy our weekly rinse off. And, using their Eco-Blast on the waterfall rocks, from whence the string algae seeds, helps keep it controlled. We have read a couple of posts on Amazon from people who say these products killed their fish, and don’t know what to make of that, other than to be concerned that the directions were not followed exactly. NEVER add anything to the pond without knowing exactly the intended application and without following the directions precisely! If you don’t know the volume of your pond, a necessity when using these additives, figure it out! Don’t guess. Here is a link to help:
http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/pondcalc.asp
In sum, we are happy, as are our aqua kids, with a relative state of water clarity. Not everyone would be.
So, what do you think?