Q&A: I have a fish pond in my back yard. Can someone tell me how to keep it from going green.?
Question by JMAH5: I have a fish pond in my back yard. Can someone tell me how to keep it from going green.?
I live in Northern California and the weather here is very hot. (over a 100′s for the past few days). Also will the goldfish die if the water is green….help
Best answer:
Answer by jaicie2005
you need to go to a local pet store such as PetSmart (i work there) that has products for Koi ponds. our large goldfish have certain products to keep the chemicals the correct levels to keep the water from getting green. however, goldfish are very dirty fish, and actually do well in a pond like setting with algea. as long as its not TOO nasty, they will be fine!
Add your own answer in the comments!
If the water turns green, it’s because of an excess of algae in the pond; the algae will consume all the oxygen in the water and the fish will, ironically, drown and die. So, yes…green pond water = dead fish. A few options: Get a pump to keep the water circulating. A friend of mine here at work specifically mentions using a UV light pump in her outdoor pond. If it’s an artificial pond (as opposed to a natural hole in the ground :p), then you could always get a Placostymus (probably spelled that wrong…)–they’re algae-eaters. Live plants are an option, but that’s kind of a double-edged sword. You’d have to maintain the plants (if they grow too large, then you’re back at square one with deoxygenation), or maybe just get plants that the fish will eat…? Not sure about that, so that’s best taken with a grain of salt.
The Fish Probably Wont Die But Id Get Like A Pump Or A Wheel To Keep The Water Moving And Go The Pet Store And PIck Up Something To Put In It..I Dont Remember What Its Called But Its At Petsmart
it is a simple way to stop this problem dont put any water back in if
It’s turning green because of algae growth. Try to put some shade on it.
No, your fish shouldn’t die unless it gets really bad. put some algae eating fish in the pond.
you can buy tablets from pet store that reduces algae growth in coy ponds
You have an Algae bloom in progress. This will not kill our fish, in fact Goldfish eat algae. Go to your pet store and get some barely extract, or better yet, if the have Little bales of Barley straw that is even better. These bales of straw are 5×7 or smaller and will inhibit algae growth. You might also try to get some aquatic plants that will shade the water and compete with the algae for nutrients. I would recommend Water Hyacinth. They grow fast.
You cannot buy good water quality with bottled products. Please avoid using algaecides. Next, algae won’t hurt goldfish and koi, and in fact, they love to eat it (within reason, they can’t eat it all). It’s perfectly fine for the fish and the pond. It just doesn’t look pretty to humans, so we assume that it’s bad. It’s actually a sign of a healthy water ecology system. But, the thing they will die from is lack of oxygen in the water and algae doesn’t take oxygen out of the water. Plants take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, so having plant life in water is good for water animals. But, the true source of oxygen doesn’t come from plants, it comes from circulation, i.e., pumps. So, you do need an excellent pump. It should pump 10 times the water per hour as the gallon size of the pond, i.e., 500 gallon pond, 5,000 gph filter/pump. There are two ways of removing algae. One is by hand scrubbing and scraping and two, is by erecting a cover over the pond to screen out the sun. My pond is funny. It’s like there’s an invisible line drawn right down the center diagonally. One side gets algae (the side in the sun) and one doesn’t get algae (the one always in the shade). So, build a planted pergola or something like that over your pond and your algae will all but disappear. Another thing that isn’t good for goldfish and koi is extended periods of hot water. Physically, from an exterior point of view, they can handle it, no problem, but what happens is it weakens their immune system so that they are more susceptible to disease. So, erecting a cover over you pond will also reduce the water temperature which will also help keep your fish healthy.