Of the many outdoor hobbies that people enjoy, few are gaining as much popularity as owning a small backyard pond. Many people build a water garden with the hopes of it being a great place to relax and along with that it can even add some value to one’s home. All in all and pond is a great addition to a property.

Unfortunately some pond owners aren’t able to relax much at all if algae starts to grow. It’s not hard to spot. It’s nearly always green and it will normally look like green soupy water or string like spinach. In some cases it might be a fuzzy growth along the liner or on the rocks. No matter the form, pond algae can end up taking a lot of enjoyment out of owning a pond and most people want to clear it up quickly.

Fish ponds are particularly at risk of developing an algae bloom. The waste from koi and goldfish can feed algae quite well unless something in the pond system is controlling and cleaning these elements out of the water. Biological filters are the parimary tools that do this important work and they also help keep a number of toxic elements, such as ammonia and nitrites in check as well.

So the first step in keeping algae under control is to be sure that your filter system is set up correctly and is adequate in size and capacity compared to the ponds gallon volume and the fish loading. Most manufacturers and dealers will have information on the best filter options if you can tell them your pond size and the type and amount of fish you have in the pond.

A biological filter is fairly simple in design and no matter what the brand may be, they all use some form of beneficial bacteria to deal with the organic material that they capture. It should be kept in mind that any time a pond is started up or a pond’s flow of circulating water has been turned off for awhile, a bit of priming of a biofilter will be helpful. This is easy to do. Simply add bacteria to the water and let it circulate into the filter.

Since we’re adding bacteria to the pond water, there is an additional benefit other than just priming the filter. With bacteria flowing freely in the pond some of it will attach to rocks, or the liner and help control algae more directly in the pond body itself.

Along with good filter maintainence, it’s also suggested to add plants to the pond because they serve as a natural filter system as well. If a pond get’s a lot of sun, then surface plants are particularly useful. They help shade the pond and fish from heavy sun exposure, absorb some nutrients in the water, and improve the natural appearance of any pond they’re placed in.

Although these additions are not fancy by any means, they represent one of the best one-two punches that exist for algae control in any small pond or water garden. Give them a try and you might be amazed at the results!

Want to find out more about pond algae control? Then visit pondalgaecontrol.com to discover the best algae control options for your needs.

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