Algae: Basics of Pond Algae

First by reducing the direct sunlight that hits the pond we can help by stopping the sun's rays from hitting the nutrient rich pond bottom which, especially when low in oxygen, can release algae causing substances. How can you reduce sunlight? Adding aquatic plants like water lilies and hyacinths or by installing a floating islands can provide shade to help cool the water and dramatically reduce the harmful effects of the summer sunlight.

Treatments with a professional grade aquatic dye can also radically assist in the demise of phytoplankton. Adding vegetation, floating islands, and treating with aquatic colorant can provide rapid, almost instant aesthetic improvements to a pond and often should be looked on as the first-step, along with aeration, at improving the condition of the pond.

Often, the pond owners I have helped, decide to start treating their pond with a bit more respect only after they are in a near panic-state because the condition of things has gotten so worse that they are seeing fish at the surface gasping for air or frogs literally standing on vast expanses of algae!

Whether you are starting a new pond or have inherited an old pond or are contemplating the step-by-step approach of a do it yourself pond building project it is never too late or too early to start taking care of the pond; I have seen some literal swamps that were rejuvenated over a few seasons with the proper techniques and all for a lot less money than was anticipated!

With an existing pond the first step is to clean as much muck and organic material from the pond as possible. While this is often done the traditional way of draining and excavation, or in small ponds with nets and shovel; it is also possible to treat with specific bacterial cultures that feed on nutrients in pond muck and reduce the available nutrients in the water column.

Of course smaller backyard ponds and water gardens can be easily drained and washed and it is a good idea to skim off leaves and other debris daily on your daily inspection of the pond and it never overfeed your fish by using an automatic fish feeder if required.

In both large and small basins that use of beneficial bacteria must be considered as a regular part of your pond care program! These friendly cultures do no harm to natural organisms. There are many misconceptions people carry when they hear the word "bacteria" and while there are bacteria that are unwanted and dangerous such as those that can cause illness in fish skin and gills that can kill fish, the good bacteria that we introduce into a natural living pond can break down toxic ammonia, reduce nitrites, control phosphates and literally digest organic muck!

These marvels of nature can reduce the amount of pond maintenance that we need to perform by providing a constant cleaning action on the side, bottoms and even the water and plants of the pond or lake.

The beneficial bacteria will basically out-compete the algae for nutrients. If you are adding bacteria and seeing no results you may have a poor culture set or the dosage may not be high enough; I've found it is better not to be cheap and look for cheap bacteria because you really will get what you pay for…that being said…you should not have to spend more than a few hundred dollars for a season's worth of bacteria.

Shock-treatments of double or triple the maintenance dosage is sometimes recommended and as in many forms of health-care early prevention is the key to keeping algae under control; start earlier rather than later in the season. Often, like a runaway train, once the momentum builds up the algae will really become incredibly resistant to treatment.

Remember that adding an aerator, not just a nozzle splashing water from a submersible pump or a small waterfall but a real bottom mounted diffuser system with air stones, aeration discs or diffuser bubble tubing, you will enhance the effectiveness of your added cultures by up to 30% so don't neglect the fundamentals!
 More Basics of Nuisance Algae Control
All living aquatic algae are actually primitive plants! The main difference from other aquatic plants is that algae are defined as having no stems, leaves, or having no real root structures as they commonly exist. There are thousands of species but typically they are found either floating on or near the surface or actually attached to other plants, bottom sediments or debris and even to other real plants! While scientifically speaking there is upwards of 10,000 varieties of aquatic algae, they can all be separated in three fundamental categories: attached-erect algae, microscopic algae and filamentous algae. Most pond owners I know can only separate all the species of algae into two different groups: The algae the ruins their pond and the other stuff they don't care about!
 
The microscopic algae that are sometimes referred to as phytoplankton are free-floating, extremely tiny creatures that give pond water a greenish tinge, or, in the case of a full out bloom, a dark opaque green color. Naturally, a balanced pond is alive and so the existence of the proper levels of such algae is beneficial as they can be the primary dissolved oxygen factories that produce life giving oxygen for other organisms and fish in the pond. Sometimes during warm summer days, especially in midsummer when heat and windless days abound, major algae blooms can occur that rise to the surface and can appear as green or or reddish or even yellow scum. When there is a rapid kill-off of these microscopic algae caused by abrupt changes in water temperature for example, the ensuing death can lead to severe depletion of dissolved oxygen levels and cause severe damage or elimination of other species including fish. Keep a watchful eye on the pond and be prepared to react whenever the lovely pale greenish water tinge, the natural healthy state, suddenly changes into a bright pea-soup! This is a warning sign!

In most healthy ponds you should be able to see a fairly bright object clearly to a depth of at least two feet and if a secchi-disc or similar homemade device is not visible before a 24 inch depth is reached it could signify that the pond is suffering from or preparing for an algae event. This is when seeking advice on treatments is mandatory, and, as I stated above, is likely to start with treatments of bacteria, dyes and of course the all-important proper aeration device.

What are known as attached-erect algae are not as big nor as common a problem in ponds in Canada or the United States but nonetheless, when blooms of these attached-erect species occur it definitely makes life miserable for swimmers and anyone interested in fishing without losing their lures on the thick mats of submerged weeds. This algae is sometimes referred to as muskgrass, stonewort or sometimes even pond weed, although that is actually a misnomer because even though they do resemble an advanced plant with veritable leaf-like structures spaced plant like on a common stem structure. Before starting any treatment targeting these algae it should be positively identified especially if you are considering a chemical treatment. Again, reducing nutrients and increasing circulation while manually removing the algae is the most natural approach to control.

The hair like, filamentous type of aquatic pond algae is the ultimate headache causing nuisance for pond owners in almost all areas of the country as this type of algae is extremely tolerant to cool water temperatures and blooms can begin in early Spring, just when the pond has cleared of ice and the pond owner starts to dream of swimming in crystal clear waters so when this messy muck floats to the surface the effect can be absolutely discouraging. The blooms of filamentous algae are fundamentally born in shallow water areas when waters are clear and sunlight can penetrate and reach the nutrient rich soil of the pond bottom.

The conditions of light and food cause cells to rapidly grow and multiply and these cells actually clump together in long strands that resemble green hair, or witch hair as some will refer to it. These hairy masses also grow in almost furry clumps on the bottom of the pond and often break apart and drift to the surface of the water in dense gelatinous mats. These floating algae blooms are very unattractive and can be smelly; not to mention that a sudden die-off of the masses of algae can lead to serious issues within the pond due to the sudden drop in oxygen levels related to the death of the algae.


1 - The Natural Way
Natural bacteria for ponds
If the pond is small enough just the best way to remove the weeds or plants is to manually remove it day by day, hour after hour, until there is none left. Of course it is really tough to completely eradicate the problem but you can keep it under control just like keeping the dandelions out of the vegetable garden!

You need a net with a long handle or a good quality aquatic rake to harvest this pond weed if you want to deal with this problem naturally or you can look into some carp species that will eat aquatic plants.

2 - The Chemical Way
Aquatic herbicides and pond weed killers
Aquatic algaecides and herbicides are very effective at controlling unwanted invasive pond species. You should understand that such algae problems, well...it's not really an algae but an aquatic weed plant, if they are treated with herbicides can lead to a dependency or resistance and scientists generally agree that chemical selection pressure that is applied applied to aquatic weed populations for a long enough period of time eventually leads to resistance. This means that while the chemical pond weed killer may work quickly and effectively for the first few years, unless you are adding a positive treatment with aeration and natural beneficial bacteria you will just be "chasing the dragon" so to speak!

Algae Control
A search on the Internet for algae control methods can bring up a panoply of companies claiming to have the miracle product that will eliminate algae forever! Such claims should be taken with suspicion as many treatments suggested by pond supply companies or pond management companies will often try and attack the symptom only and not the root cause of the algae problem.Because it is a combination of light and nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon that can stimulate algae growth these are the fundamental causes that must be addressed. Reduce the nutrients in the pond and limit the sunlight that reaches the pond bottom and algae blooms can often be kept at bay.

If at all possible, try and deepen shallow areas of the pond because when the edges of the pond can be steep sloping with depths of three feet the sunlight reaching the bottom is significantly reduced. Avoiding the use of fertilizers near the pond is crucial as only small trace amounts of any sort of fertilizer can lead to a huge problem. Try and maintain a strip or buffer zone around the pond where high grass or shrubs are left to thrive; this barrier will prevent erosion but also help absorb nutrients. When a pond is edged with a trimmed lawn or decorative rocks there are often problems. Grass clippings enter the pond and sink and decay and create algae food! The rocks can heat up the water and create ideal conditions for further blooms. Keeping a natural, wild looking shoreline is a key to reducing nutrients; changing your habitual use of fertilizers and phosphate enriched products like soaps is also a good idea. If keeping a wide strip around the pond in a natural state is not really an option for whatever reason then drainage ditches and diversion trenches can be installed to redirect any run-off away from the pond.

Ultrasonic Algae Control
Does it work? Our client feedback says it does.
Recently new technologies for algae control have emerged especially within the last five years. Ultrasonic devices claim to be simple inexpensive devices that can control algae in ponds with ultra sound waves that basically destroy the living algae cells. The data on these systems is being gathered and interested clients may find ultrasonic devices existing under many brand names like LG Sonic or Sonic Solutions or other variations. Care should be used when choosing an ultrasonic system for algae control as some devices seem to be designed cheaply of inferior quality leading to complete ineffectiveness or sometimes total failure. Our testing has shown that ultrasonic algae killers are not all created equally and some caution should be used when purchasing these units as there seem to be many knockoff versions flooding the market.

One ultrasonic device is from SonicSolutions LLC who have ultrasonic algae control devices installed in a variety of environments including lakes and pond. While the materials of the product may be uL listed and the units NSF rated there is little proven documented science from reputable studies that conclude with certainty that any of this is anything more than "snake oil". Just because SonicSolutions ultrasonic devices require only 24 volts DC to operate and are therefore considered intrinsically safe by the manufacturer doesn't mean that rigorous scientific testing has stated this. These units, because of their mechanical ratings, are installed in ponds and lakes teeming with wildlife as well as wastewater facilities, drinking water reservoirs (they are also NSF61 Certified for their SS-400, SS-500 and SS-600 models) and golf course ponds, just to name a few.

Often sonic algae control companies also suggest using their products in tandem with chemicals or bacterial additives. There is the chance that this could confuse the issue of which treatment is actually working. With little empirical proof or publish literature from respected experts it should be a technology to be looked at with some doubt. Ask your ultra sonic dealer for scientific proof of effectiveness and and don't just listen to the sales pitch or read the glowing reviews off of the promo literature the salesman pitches to your Lake Association.

Their systems are even used at a number of U.S. government installations including a Navy Base and physics laboratory. One of the unique features of their ultrasonic technology is that, unlike chemicals or bacteria, clients do not need to continually manually reapply our technology. Contact SonicSolutions directly and they can can share with you a number of reports from their customers which include: The West Virginia Environmental Training Center (a division of the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources) who conducted tests this summer and can testify to the effectiveness of the ultrasonic device in reducing algae in a wastewater environment. One of their first customers is Marlin Dise at Winterthur Gardens in Winterthur, PA who has more than 4 years of operating experience proving the effectiveness of the SonicSolutions devices which have completely eliminated the need for any copper based products.

Be careful of sonic systems which claim great results. We have seen bad reviews from clients who have seen algae literally grow on the transducer! Just like the SolarBee which relies on intense marketing to promote the product you should beware of the claims of solar bee and ultra sonic devices as they have been showing poor algae killing results. The solarbee system has been touted as a cure for aquatic weeds and many municipalities use the solarbee system based on marketing of the system but the results have been poor and we do not recommend these systems.

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