Controlling Algae

Algae control is often considered to be "the biggest headache in water gardening." So I want to break this whole issue down, and then give you a real simple solution that you can take out into your own back­yard and successfully expect to win the pea green war.

To start, you have a choice of 2 orientations to the problem, including...

1. The artificial orientation, and...

2. The natural orientation.

Now if you decide to go the artificial route, then you have another choice to make. You can either choose to...

1. Filter your water to death (killing the algae), or you can

2. Sterilize your water to death (killing the algae).

THE WATER FILTERING ORIENTATION...
I'll explain the difference here and now. There are some manufacturers in the water gardening market that have evolved directly from the sewage treatment industry or the bottled water industry. And their solution to the algae problems in your pond is to filter the heck out of the water. For these manufacturers, the strategy is to develop the finest filter in the market -one that will eliminate as much of the debris from the water as possible. Simply put, the more debris you can eliminate, the clearer the water, right?

When talked about on the theoretical level the filtra­tion orientation certainly sounds logical and if you were in the sewage treatment or the bottled water industries, you'd be right on the mark. But if you're in the pond installation business, and you put it to the practical test out in the real water gardening world, you'll see the problem from a different angle.

You see it's possible to filter so much debris out of the water that filter clogging and filter cleaning can take far too much time, and be far too much trouble. After all, you're not going to bottle this stuff and drink it, right? For most folks cleaning the filter 6 times a day, 7 days a week in order to avoid clogged filters can seem like a real pain in the behind. At this point you'll begin to question why you ever wanted a pond.

THE STERILIZATION ORIENTATION...
Now the second artificial orientation to algae control is through sterilization. You see, the second group of the manufacturers in the water gardening field have evolved from the swimming pool industry where chemi­cal sterilization is seen as necessary to avoid health problems in public bathing/swimming.

But again, you're not planning on running a public swimming pool here, are you? Yeah, sure you might wade in occasionally to say hi to the Koi or to prune the plants. And if your water garden is large enough, you may even take a dip with the Koi. But to be realistic, for decades, the public has been taking a dip in the local swimming hole (check out Norman Rockwell some time), in the Mississippi, the Great Lakes, or the Ocean, without worrying about sterilization. And if these natu­ral habitats were ever sterilized, they'd no longer be capable of supporting the aquatic wildlife that abounds in all of them.

Furthermore, sterilization, whether it's from chemi­cals or UV Light Sterilizers, will cause you more prob­lems than you can ever resolve this way. For starters, sterilizers kill a variety of things in your pond including the algae. When the algae dies, it floats to the bottom of the pond and disintegrates. And during the disintegration process, it releases all of its stored nutrients. With the release of this all-new source of nutrition, guess what comes back in spades...algae! And often times in greater volume than you'd experienced in the first place. So what you'll see is an algae cycle that often gets bigger and bigger as you sterilize more and more.

Next, both you and your water garden become dependent on these artificial killers. This means that your chemical requirement will grow, or you're chang­ing $300 UV Light Sterilizers ever more frequently. In either case, the time, effort, and money you spend maintaining your pond grows bigger and bigger. Now the time you have to relax and enjoy your pond grows smaller and smaller. These so called solutions would be more accurately called "create a headache" because they send you dashing for the Tylenol

Now if you go back to the top of this article, you'll notice that we've only discussed the artificial option so far. So what happens if you go the other direction and choose the natural, organic, holistic option? Well, as you might guess, you're looking at an entirely different scenario here.

NOW FOR MOTHER NATURE'S PRESCRIPTION FOR ALGAE CONTROL...
You see, Mother Nature's prescription for algae con­trol is simple. She suggests that the solution to the algae problem, and almost every other conceivable problem in your water garden, is to make sure you have a balanced ecosystem. Problems are symptoms of Imbal­ances. And problems are resolved by maintaining a bal­anced ecosystem. Some wastewater treatment plants are starting to follow Mother Nature by using aquatic plants in the filtration process.

That is to say, instead of seeing your water garden as separate, independent, and unrelated parts all existing in the same environment, try to recognize it as a system, a series of interdependent interrelated elements that all play a critical role in the functional success of your water garden. I mean we're talking teamwork here, synergism, cooperation, codependence (in a good way), and community.

THE PARTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM INCLUDE...

• A circulation system including a skimmer and BIOFALLS®  

• Aquatic plants

• Aquatic animals

• Rock and gravel throughout the pond, including the bottom

• Good bacteria

All of these elements work together as a team, synergizing, cooperating, and effectively maintaining the pond naturally, without over-filtering, or sterilizing anything. Here's how it all works.

THE CIRCULATION SYSTEM...
If you've ever noticed, there's a big difference between running water (moving) and stagnant (still) water in terms of algae. The purpose of the circulation system is to pump the water into the pond on one end (the BIOFALLS®), and to suck it back out through a spe­cial filter (skimmer) on the other end. This combination effectively sweeps the surface of the water clean of all sorts of debris, including floating algae.

THE PLANTS...
Algae is a plant. As such, it requires nutrition to live and to grow. When you introduce desirable aquatic plants into you water garden, they compete with the algae for the available nutrition. And if there are enough plants, they'll naturally minimize the available nutrition and in the process, they'll control the algae for you...NATURALLY!

THE FISH...
The fish play a role too by eating the plants, includ­ing the algae, which helps to further keep the algae in check. Fish such as Koi over 10" in length, when not overfed with commercial fish food, will effectively graze on the algae in your pond.

AEROBIC BACTERIA...
When good, (aerobic) bacteria is introduced into your water garden, it competes with the algae for excess nutrients, and further helps to reduce, and effectively starve off the algae.

AND THE ROCKS & GRAVEL...
The rocks and gravel not only cover up the ugly black liner; but also provide a home for the beneficial bacteria to reside. Plant debris, fish waste, and decaying organic matter that don't get swept into the skimmer will drop to the bot­tom of the pond and rest on top of the rocks and gravel. The bacteria living among the gravel can then go to work breaking down the waste and debris.

Now if you take all 5 elements of an ecosystem and mix them up in the right propor­tions, your water will be natu­rally crystal clear without resorting to any artificial means to do it. Equally important, the time you spend maintaining your pond will be reduced to a bare minimum (5-10 minutes a week), while your relaxation time you have to spend with family and friends will be maxi­mized. In this case, Mother Nature does most of the work for you.

TYPES OF ALGAE: There are hundreds of types of algae throughout the world. However, the two types of algae that most water gardeners experience are suspended algae and filamentous (string) algae. Suspended algae consist of millions of microscopic algae floating throughout the water. This causes the water to turn green or “pea soup” color. Filamentous algae or string algae forms long and short hair-like strands. It attaches itself to rocks, gravel, plants, or any surface area it can find in the pond. Both forms can be reduced by properly balancing your pond.

YEARLY CYCLE OF THE AVERAGE POND: Most ponds will notice a similar algae pattern throughout the year. Colder temperature, such as in early spring and late fall, is typically advantageous for algae growth. Do not be discouraged during the colder seasons if your pond turns "pea soup" green or you have string algae problems. Be patient in the spring when your pond wakes up from its winter slumber. The pond will need to balance itself out during colder temperatures there is an abundance of nutrients in the pond. The bacte­ria and plants that once kept the nutrients in balance are now dormant. The algae is the first to take advantage of these nutrients. The algae will be reduced as the bacteria and plants re-establish themselves and start using up their share of the nutrients. Some ponds take longer than oth­ers do, but your pond will once again be crystal dear and string algae will noticeably diminish as the summer approaches.

TOP TEN ALGAE CONTROL METHODS:
Aquaclearer™ Bacteria and Enzymes: Bacteria and enzymes play an enormous role in balancing the pond and providing a low maintenance water garden and should be added to the pond throughout the season. Bacteria will compete with the algae in the pond for excess nutrients, essentially starving off the algae.

Clean the BIOFALLS® no more than once a year: The BIOFALLS® is designed to be cleaned once a year, typically in the spring. (See maintenance section for more on spring clean-outs). The debris and sediment that builds up in the BIOFALLS® is natural and should be left as is. Routinely cleaning the BIOFALLS® may actually cause more algae by greatly reducing the beneficial bacteria growing on the filter mats and lava rocks.

S.A.B.™: This is formulated to help reduce pond maintenance and pro­mote the growth of beneficial bacteria and enzymes. S.A.B.™ will assist in the breakdown and reduction of string algae in the stream, waterfalls, and pond. S.A.B.™ works by adjusting the micronutrients in the water of the pond resulting in conditions that are unfavorable for string algae.

PLANTS: Plants, since they directly compete with algae for nutrients and sunlight, are probably the most important addition to your pond. Add a wide variety of plants to your pond. This not only creates a natural look, but also will help reduce the algae in different areas of your pond.

·   Place water hyacinth and water lettuce in your BIOFALLS®. These float­ing plants reproduce rapidly using up enormous amounts of nutrients. A monofilament fishing line or long stick placed across the front of the BIOFALLS® will prevent the plants from flowing over the front of the waterfalls. Remove the older floaters when they start to over-run your BIOFALLS® the discarded floaters make great nutrient rich compost for your garden.

·   Plenty of bog and marginal plants should be added to the pond. Plants such as cattails and iris take up large quantities of nutrients. They are hardy and will be back each spring to help you balance your pond.

·   Cover the water surface of the pond by planting lilies. Lily pads float on the top of the pond soaking up' the warm sunlight. The lily pads will reduce algae by preventing sunlight from reaching the deeper portions of the pond.

·   Don't overlook oxygenators! They soak up nutrients and sunlight directly through their leaves. Think of them as nutrient sponges.

PHYSICAL REMOVAL: Physically remove clumps of string algae if it begins to over take the pond. Pull or cut away the algae where it is attached. Think of it as "weeding the pond".

KOI: Adding Koi over 10!' in length will greatly reduce string algae. The Koi, if not overfed on commercial food, will graze on the string algae attached to the rocks in the pond.

DON'T OVERFEED FISH: Only feed the fish amounts that they consume within a few minutes. Fish food that is not eaten by fish will decompose in the pond and increase nutrient levels. Reduce or eliminate feeding fish if excessive algae conditions exist. You can then begin feeding fish once the algae is under control

FIX LEAKS: Tap water can have an abundant amount of nutrients in it Continually adding large quantities of tap water to compensate for a leak can actually promote algae growth. Fix water leaks when they are discovered.

CONTROL RUN-OFF: Never use lawn fertilizer or insecticides on trees around your pond or on areas of your property that will drain towards your pond. I-awn fertilizer and insecticides will cause large algae blooms, as well as, severely threaten the aquatic life inside your pond.

REMOVE DEBRIS: Keep your pond free of debris. Don't let the skimmer debris net over-fill with leaves. Decaying leaves and seeds in the skim­mer will contribute to unwanted nutrients.

NEW PONDS NEED TO MATURE: Patience, patience, patience. It takes time for a pond to evolve into a living balanced ecosystem. Like a fine wine, ponds get better with age. Don’t be surprised if your new pond begins to grow algae. It is important, once the pond is installed, to start establishing the ecosystem by seeding the bacteria, planting aquatic plants, and gradually introducing fish. You should notice less and less algae and a decreased amount of routine maintenance as the pond matures from year to year.

GIVE THE BACTERIA SOME TIME: It takes time for the bacteria to establish in numbers where it will actually start helping the water quality and reducing maintenance. In general a pond can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks for bacteria populations to reach effective proportions. Also, bacteria populations will be greatly reduced when water tempera­tures start to dip below 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit We recommend increasing the bacteria dosage during colder temperatures to keep the numbers of bacteria as high as possible. The bacteria will be completely ineffective when the water temperatures are consistently below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, such as in the winter. Follow the winter guidelines for information on taking care of your pond in the winter.