Everything About Algae

Mother Nature's Design

Each pond ecosystem possesses its own qualities, conditions and characteristics, as do ponds in nature.  All ponds have some algae because algae is natural, and is part of an ecosystem, just like everything else in the pond.  The key, however, is to find the balance that Mother Nature intended and algae will stay under control. 

Algae is a sign of a healthy pond.  The conditions favorable to string algae are limey water with a high pH - run off from concrete slabs, cement, soil and even lime in tap water if you top off the pond frequently.  Topping off the pond with tap water also feeds it the nitrates and the phosphates which are a great food source for algae.  Phosphates also come from water running off of surrounding soil.  String algae can grow at much lower temperatures than most of the competing plants in the pond and so it gets a head start on all of them.

The most natural form of treatment is to harvest as much string algae from your pond as possible.  With persistence, the other pond plants will compete for the same nutrients and starve out the string algae provided the proper amount of pond plants are in place.  The general rule of thumb is to cover 50%-75% of the water surface with aquatic plants such as floating pond plants and water lilies.  This will help to reduce to photosynthesis capability of the string algae as well.  There becomes a point where the most prevalent sources of food (sun-light, nitrate & phosphorous) are depleted and the string algae starves.  Oxygenating/Submerged pond plants also compete with string algae for food.

If you don’t have the proper plant coverage, you will need to use products for routine pond maintenance to help get a handle on the problem of string algae.

There are two orientations of algae control - synthetic and naturalistic.

Synthetic Control

We are all well aware of the popular UV sterilizer and chemical treatment methods of algae control.  These methods will clear up the green, pea-soup looking water. For starters, UV sterilizers kill a variety of things in the pond including micro-organisms that are highly beneficial to the ecosystem.  Theywill only kill floating algae since string algae will never pass through the sterilizer.

Chemicals, on the other hand, can be detrimental to the pond system over time. After the algae gets "nuked" by chemical treatments, it falls to the bottom and disintegrates.  In the disintegration process, all previously stored nutrients that the algae possessed are released back into the system, feeding the next algae bloom.  A cycle can be created that often becomes bigger the more you treat it.

Naturalistic Control

Don't underestimate the power of Mother Nature. She has the simplest solution that suggests algae problems are most likely the result of an unbalanced ecosystem. That being the case, the imbalance problem can easily be resolved by creating balance. In order to understand this, one needs only to understand that a water garden is an ecosystem of interrelated elements which all play an equally important role in its function.

The parts of this ecosystem include:

· A good, solid circulation system including pump and connective pipes

· A good, solid filtration system including both mechanical (skimmer) and biological (BIOFALLS®) forms of filtration

· Aquatic plants

· Aquatic animals

· Rocks and Gravel

Top Algae Control Methods

Aqua Clearer TM Bacteria: Bacteria should be added regularly throughout the season. It competes with the algae for available nutrients, starving the algae and its food source.

S.A.B.TM: String Algae Buster is effective against string algae only. It is formulated to "lock up" all available calcium in the system. Since algae is dependant upon calcium to crate its structure, the algae buster prevents the algae from absorbing calcium and forces it to become brittle and fall off the rocks.

Barley Mats: When it comes in contact with water, barley begins to decompose. One of the by-products released into the pond from this decomposition is a series of natural peroxides which have been scientifically proven to break down the cell walls of algae. Scientific studies have also proven these peroxides reduce the capability of algae to form new cell growth. The beauty of barley mats is that the peroxides work with a slow-release mechanism, eliminating the possibility of an overdose. Although the barley straw may take between four to six weeks to decompose, it is sure to make a significant dent in algae growth. Note: These peroxides are not to be confused with hydrogen peroxide which is actually a strong oxidizer. High levels of it will kill the beneficial bacteria, as well as the algae.

Other Algae Control Methods

Don't Overfeed the Fish: This is very common among homeowners. Fish are not human and they do not need three meals per day. Fish should only be fed what they can eat within a few minutes. Fish food that is not eaten will add more nutrients to the pond and feed the algae. When fighting algae, fish feeding should be reduced or eliminated until the algae is under control. This will also force the fish to consume the algae.