Pond with aquatic plants and fish

Green Pond Water, Cloudy Pond Water - What should I do?

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Perfect Pond

As fish and plants are introduced into the pond, almost instantaneously a serene and natural-looking environment is created.

There are various reasons for algae growth within your pond. Below is a checklist of how to assist you with getting rid of algae in your pond.

  1. Test your pond using API® brand TEST KITS. Does the water test show you have high ammonia? High nitrite? High nitrate? High Phosphate? A 25% water exchange will help fix these high water parameters. It’s best to fix any water issues first and foremost. Another method to help reduce elevated levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate is dosing with API AQUA ESSENTIAL™ all-in-one water conditioner. Why does this matter? - If bacteria within the pond is not doing their job (either there’s not enough bacteria or it’s not established yet), this will give algae the opportunity to use ammonia and nitrite as a food source. High phosphates will also feed algae growth.
     
  2. Add beneficial bacteria like API POND ZYME SLUDGE DESTROYER™ bacterial cleaner or API POND ECOFIX™ bacteria to your pond. By adding in beneficial bacteria this will create competition between the bacteria and algae for the same food source. The more added bacteria the better!
     
  3. Re-evaluate how many fish are in your pond to the volume of water they are in. Too many fish or large fish can produce more waste than the bacteria can handle, and algae will use the excess fish waste to grow. If you have had the fish for a while, and they are now larger than when you first got them, it could be a reason for over capacity. It’s best to do the research to find out the adult size of the fish so you can be prepared with how large of a pond you will need!
     
  4. Are you overfeeding your fish? Feeding the fish too much everyday can accumulate and algae can use this waste as a food source. If there is leftover food at the bottom, this is a sign you are feeding too much. Make sure to siphon and skim out excess food in your pond to reduce waste.

 

These are good check points to help get rid of algae at the root cause. If the algae persist in your pond, you can treat with API POND ALGAEFIX™ algae control and API POND ACCU-CLEAR™ water clarifier, following the instructions on label carefully. We would recommend using API POND ALGAEFIX™ treatment once every 3 days (72hrs) until the algae is gone and then dose with API POND ACCU-CLEAR to help pull all the dead algae out of the pond. Once the algae is successfully removed you may use the maintenance dose from there. 

You can safely use any of the API Pond products in conjunction with each other. There is no wait time between products.