Categories
Backyard Wildlife Gardening

Help – My Pond is Full of Algae!

Help – My Pond is Full of Algae!

by Carolyn Hasenfratz

* = products available at Schnarr’s

This is the time of year when small lakes, ponds and water gardens sometimes get green “pea soup” water or mats of algae floating on the surface. The limiting factors for algae growth are mainly food and sunlight. If you can reduce the amount of sunlight and nutrients getting into the water, you can reduce algae growth in your water feature.

First lets look at possible food sources for the algae.

Fertilizer:
Is runoff from your lawn or garden getting into the water? Try reducing the use of artificial fertilizers in those areas. If that is not possible, try creating a rain garden or bioswale in a place that interrupts the water before it reaches the body of water you want to protect. Plants will help take up the extra nutrients before they pollute your water feature.

Plant debris:
Are leaves or other dead plant material decaying in the water? Remove plant debris that falls in ASAP.

Animal waste:
If you have fish in your pond, do you have too many fish for the size of your water feature? Do the fish get too much food? If you overcrowd the water or overfeed your aquatic animals, you will help feed algae as well as cause health problems for the animals. Uneaten food in the water is even worse for water quality than fish waste because it has more nutrients in it. Birds are another source of waste in the water. I have a small water garden specifically intended to attract birds. They bathe in it and sometimes dunk their food in the water to moisten it. Despite that activity, my water garden contains clean-looking, clear water. If you want wild birds to make use of your water feature, that doesn’t automatically mean you have to put up with water that looks like pea soup.

Filtration
Once you have addressed the sources of excess nutrients in the water, I recommend you next take a look at how the water is being filtered. Aquatic plants are great natural filters. Add more marginal and submerged plants to the water, and you will help starve out the algae. Areas around the water that support bog or marsh plants not only help filter water but they give your water feature a more natural appearance.

Artificial filters* are a great help too. I use one in my small water garden and it plays a role in keeping my water garden clean. There are lots of different kinds of filters. Follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of your filter for proper maintenance and cleaning schedules. If you have a type of filter that uses media that you rinse out, rather than replace, rinse the filter media in chlorine free water (such as old pond water that you’ve removed during water changes) so that you don’t kill the beneficial bacteria that live in the filter media. Beneficial bacteria that break down waste grow on just about every surface in the water, but are most numerous where there is porous material and the water flow is swift – conditions that exist inside a filter. These bacteria are what make most filters function. This is called biological filtration. Other types of filtration include chemical and mechanical. Many filter designs, including the sponge filter that I use, combine mechanical and biological filtration. For example the sponge picks up large particles and takes them out of circulation while the bacteria that live in the tiny holes in the sponge digest the water pollutants and turn them into less toxic substances. It’s a good idea to know which kind of filter you have and understand how it works – that will help you understand what to clean and when. For example if I squeeze out my filter’s sponge in a pail of chlorine-free water to remove the debris it’s collected and put the old sponge back in the filter, I’m doing a good thing for the water quality. If I dunked the filter parts in chlorinated water and scrubbed off the thin film that is all over the parts, I would be doing harm to my water quality because I would be removing beneficial bacteria that are helping and not in the way. This is why aquaria and bodies of water that are established and “seasoned” are much easier to keep clean. In the aquarium world, this “seasoning” is called “cycling”. If you are not familiar with cycling, learning more about how it works will help you troubleshoot your water quality.

Don’t forget – the rinse water from cleaning your filter media makes wonderful plant fertilizer!

Reduce sunlight
If you’ve done everything you can to reduce the amount of nutrients in your water, next see if there is a way you can cut down on the amount of sunlight that reaches the water. If you have a small water garden like mine that is portable when empty, you can move it from full sun to part shade and use it for growing part-shade aquatic plants. If you can’t move your water feature, what can you do?

Add shade plants around the edges:
Grow some plants around the edges of the pond that will help cast some shade on the water, if not for a whole day, just part of the day. You could use small trees, bushes, rushes, big annuals with large leaves and many others. Choose plants that can tolerate waterlogged areas or having “wet feet” or add some container plants around the margins.

Grow floating plants:
Water lilies, lotus, water lettuce, water hyacinth, duckweed and many other lovely plants either float right on the surface or emerge at the surface and help provide shade. If you are experimenting with plants that are not native, make sure they don’t get discarded in natural bodies of water. Some floating plants can cause other problems if they cover the entire surface of the water – no more than 50% of the water surface should be covered with plants. Duckweed is an example of a plant that sometimes can blanket the entire surface. This inhibits the exchange of gasses at the water’s surface and can compromise the amount of oxygen in the water. Remove the excess growth and use it as mulch or put it in the compost! That way any overgrowth will be a boon to your garden instead of a nuisance.

More suggestions

Add more oxygen:
Speaking of oxygen, if possible try to increase the amount of oxygen in the water. The addition of a bubbler, fountain or waterfall will help agitate water at the surface and bring in more oxygen. Oxygen is important for the health of the aquatic community as a whole, including the aerobic bacteria that are doing most of the work of keeping the water clean. At Schnarr’s we sell pumps* that can be used to power waterfalls and fountains.

Add minnows:
Small fish like minnows eat some of the algae and as a bonus keep mosquito larvae out of the water as well. Their small size means they produce small amounts of fish waste. Koi or goldfish are wonderful animals with many good qualities but they produce a lot of waste and need a lot of space and clean water to thrive.

UV sterilizers:
A friend of mine struggled with algae in his koi pond until he added a UV sterilizer to his recirculating waterfall. It was effective. He might have been able to avoid the expense by stocking his fish at more reasonable levels but he liked a LOT of fish and was willing to do the extra maintenance required.

Chemical filtration:
You can purchase an algaecide* to kill the algae. This will likely be a short-lived solution because the dead algae will decay and add more dead organic matter to the water which will probably cause either another outbreak of algae later, a drop in oxygen, a toxic ammonia spike or all of those conditions. Addressing the reason the algae is there in the first place is more effective in the long run but it may take some time to notice improvement. An algaecide might work well in a situation where you need a quick fix now but later conditions are not that important. I don’t recommend you use algaecide if you have fish or other aquatic animals that you care about in the water because a sudden deterioration in water quality can cause a die-off. Algaecide makes more sense in something like a small decorative water fountain or other feature that is not intended to support aquatic life.

Safe first aid for an algae-infested pond:

  • If practical, perform a 20% water change while vacuuming the bottom with a gravel washer device. This is very easy to do for small water gardens like mine, not possible in a large pond or lake. Use of Clear-Water Pond Clay* 24 hours before you vacuum the gravel will help small particles fall to the bottom where they can be picked up.
  • Clean filter medium if you have a filter or add a filter.
  • If practical add a bubbler or some device to agitate water surface.
  • If you have floating mats of “hair” algae, rake off if possible and use in compost.
  • Inoculate the water feature with a live culture of beneficial bacteria – this may not work if you are using a UV sterilizer or if the water is not well aerated. You can buy wet and dry bacteria cultures designed for ponds or request some used gravel from a friend who has an established freshwater aquarium or pond.
  • Get some terra cotta plant pots* and scrub well with plain water, no soap or bleach. Do not use if they have ever been used with chemicals that are not pond safe.
  • Fill plant pots with rinsed lava rock*.
  • Place pots in pond and stack almost to water level to use as a plant stand.
  • Set a planter* containing aquatic plants on top of the stack. These could be fully aquatic plants or bog plants as long as the roots can reach the water to take nutrients out of it. Use pots to adjust the water level to what the particular plant needs.

If you don’t want to bother with plants, just add permeable, pond-safe containers of lava rock and if possible place them in a spot where the current is faster. Lava rock is a terrific natural filter medium because it contains many tiny holes for beneficial bacteria to live. Give the bacteria a good home and they will do a lot of your filtration for you.

Additional water garden tips:

The guys who produced this podcast taught me most of what I know about water quality. I think I have listened to every podcast that is archived on their site, and that’s a lot! (The rest I learned from decades of aquarium keeping!) Podcast on Starting a Pond – by the Bailey Brothers

My article on making an indoor water garden:
Create an Indoor Water Garden

Festive lighting tips for your water garden:
Luminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #1
Luminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #2

Categories
Backyard Wildlife Gardening

Winter Care of an Outdoor Water Garden

Winter Care of an Outdoor Water Garden

by Carolyn Hasenfratz

Depending on what kind of water feature you have, there are some winter preparations you should have already made because we are well into the season for freezing temperatures. However, if you do what I do and keep your small water garden from freezing with a bird bath de-icer, there is not much winter preparation that is necessary. Winter maintenance may be a little different, however.

Bird bath de-icer
Bird bath de-icer

The de-icer I’m using does not keep the water at tropical temperatures, it just keeps it above freezing. I moved my live plants back inside in the fall because none of the ones I have would survive winter temperatures here. If you are warming the water in any way, you may see an increase in evaporation in the winter. Check your water feature frequently and top off with new water if needed.

My current water garden fish are native Missouri minnows so they don’t need warm water – they just need at least part of the surface to be ice-free so they can get enough oxygen. If the water temperature is below 50 degrees, refrain from feeding your fish because they can’t digest the food as well and the water may get polluted. Fish are more sluggish when it’s cold and may be more vulnerable to predators – raccoons and several species of herons live in my neighborhood for example. If you don’t have an area already where fish can hide from predators, you may want to add one. You could use driftwood, rocks, artificial plants, artificial floating rocks, planting pots or anything you have on hand that is aquarium safe to build an underwater shelter.

Keeping my water garden clean is very easy in the warm months – once a week I siphon debris off of the bottom with an aquarium gravel vacuum and change 20% of the water. As I do this I also rinse out the sponge filter. My water garden is small, only 30 gallons, so this is just as easy as maintaining an aquarium. Larger water gardens would need to be managed differently. In the cold months vacuuming the bottom is not a very pleasant job so I don’t do it as often. It’s probably not as necessary in winter with the fish eating less, but you should regularly clean the filter if you have one and if you run it in winter. Periodically sweep debris out if possible with a leaf skimmer or net. If birds like to drink and bathe in your water feature they can cause a water quality issue with their waste and by dropping food in it, as can decomposing leaves and plant parts that fall in.

Categories
Candles DIY Home Decor Lighting Outdoor Fun

Luminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #2

Decorative LED Tea LightsLuminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #2

What you’ll need:
*Terra cotta plant pots
Sturdy glass container
*Water Lights – special submersible flameless candles
Acrylic or glass gems, *clear or colored
*Available at Schnarr’s.


Color-changing Water Lights displayed in a small water garden.
Color-changing Water Lights displayed in a small water garden.

Submersible Water Lights come in clear and color-changing versions. Try topping off a stack of plant pots in your water feature with a clear container. Add a color-changing Water Light plus the clear acrylic gems and fill the glass container with water.

Color changing water light displayed indoors on a stand.
Color changing water light displayed indoors on a stand.

Here is another way to display a clear container with a Water Light. I placed the vase in a large bowl on a stand in my living room and added rocks as an accent. I like the way it looks next to my lighted artificial tree!

Categories
Candles DIY Gardening Home Decor Lighting Outdoor Fun

Luminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #1

Luminous Decor with Flameless Candles: Idea #1

Small outdoor water garden with flameless candle
Small outdoor water garden with flameless candle

Do you want to create a festive atmosphere for party guests, or just enjoy your own home or yard more? In this series I’ll share some easy and safe ways to add luminosity and beauty to almost any size water feature – pond, fountain, water garden, punch bowl or whatever water container you have!

What you’ll need for Idea #1:
*Terra cotta plant pots
*Flameless candles
Sturdy glass container
*Sand, gravel or lava rock
Optional – Water plants, real or artificial
*Available at Schnarr’s.

Idea #1:

Some types of flameless candles, such as the ones pictured below, are not meant to be submerged. Here is a way to display this type of candle in water. Simply create a stack of terra cotta plant pots in your water feature that is nearly to the water’s surface, but not quite. Top off the stack with a partially submerged glass container, and place a battery-powered flameless candle inside. The size and number of pots you use will depend on how deep your water feature is. Fill the top pot with gravel if necessary to hold the candle holder at the right level – lava rock is a good choice because it helps to filter the water. A sturdy, thick-walled container works best for the candle holder – it should be heavy enough not to float. I chose to use a glass vase that I made in college – here is an instance where my tendency to blow really thick-walled vessels turned out to be a good thing! Avoid using very valuable vessels in case your tower of pots gets knocked over by accident (such as by animals hunting for your pond fish!).

Indoor / Outdoor LED Votive Candles
Indoor / Outdoor LED Votive Candles

Such an installation can be temporary or permanent. I recommend bringing the flameless candles inside when not in use so they don’t get damaged if the candle holders collect rainwater.

In my example shown in the photo, I’ve added some aquatic plants and placed potted plants around the edge to make it prettier and more inviting to human viewers and to make it a better habitat for the fish and for the birds who love to drink and bathe there. I also placed several sticks near the edge for birds to use as perches and to help them climb out should they happen to fall in.

A water feature of any size is a great addition to your outdoor living space. Just the sight or sound of water can help you feel cooler on a hot day and is mentally soothing as well. Water features can be enjoyed all year round. If your outdoor water feature is in view of a window, lighting it up will make your indoor holiday parties more festive. At Schnarr’s we carry pumps, heaters, mosquito dunks and other items to help keep your water feature healthy and enjoyable in any season. Water gardens are not restricted to your outdoor space – you might also enjoy my article “Create an Indoor Water Garden”.