Pond - How to Keep the Water Clean/Clear

[wit-nit]

Sierra, here's an interesting site that I ran across that may be of help to you:
Pond Algae,String Algae, Pond Scum, Healthy Ponds Controls It All

[sierraAZ]

Originally Posted by nitram

Sierra, here's an interesting site that I ran across that may be of help to you:
Pond Algae,String Algae, Pond Scum, Healthy Ponds Controls It All

Hmm, thank you, but this is the kind of site I prefer not to deal with. Besides, I have a bathtub-worth of water !

[hcgCali]

Thank you. Guess I can try bleach. Well, I'm not sure how much energy the pump uses, but I can't have it running all day... People don't run even pool pumps for more than 4-5 hours a day, I don't think.

Yeah, the pond gets quite a bit of sun. Man, if it's so hard to keep it clean without anything in it, I've no idea what people who have fish do...

Pool pumps don't need to run more than that; fountains do. 1. The pool's chlorinated for algae prevention and the pump's main job is to filter debris. 2. Algae takes hold much faster in small warm pools of standing water.

Your waterfall is actually a large fountain, not a pond, and needs to be kept running at least during the daylight hours and be treated with fountain algae preventers. Even with regular algae treatment, occasionally you'll want to just hose the whole thing out and start with fresh water, because it gets dirty. I have 2 fountains… one in the in the flower garden in full sun and one on the patio in the shade. They both get algae, but the one on the patio I treat with the fountain solution and the one in the garden just gets rinsed right into the flowers during yard work. I'm fussier about the one on the patio because it's right there in the middle of our "outdoor living room". So I totally understand how you want yours to be clean and perfect.

Be careful with bleach... I tried that once, and it "melted" the pump filter into a glob of plastic. Best to use a product made for fountains. Are you getting that brownish clumpy algae accumulating in the bottom of the reservoir? Just scoop it out with an aquarium net when you aren't in the mood for hosing it out.

I suppose, people with fish in their waterfall reservoirs have less to do...wouldn’t the fish eat the algae and larvae? You could put in some small water plants and drop a goldfish in there. (Make sure the pump suction area is covered so you don't send the little guy on a Splash Mountain ride, and don't add fountain cleaners!)

If you are concerned about energy use, you could always switch to a solar-powered pump.

Once you're sitting out there in a comfy chair reading your novel and sipping your lemonade you'll appreciate how the trickle of the water masks the neighborhood noise.


Concerning the sun issue and your other thread about plants…
Since my patio is covered, shade plants thrive around my fountain. I have ferns, pothos, and color pots of impatiens around it. A well-placed patio tree might shade your waterfall area enough to give you more plant options and less algae. There are some lovely small potted palm varieties that can take sun or shade, and I cannot imagine how an HOA has any power to control what potted plants you have inside your personal patio area. If you can at least partially shade the waterfall area, there's no reason why you can't use the same "real" potted plants that you now have in silk plants. And the advantage of keeping the plants in pots is that you can bring them inside during cold temperatures. Given the extreme summer heat, all your patio plants would benefit from one of those mist systems, attached to the eves or fascia boards of the house and misting outward from above. I’m not fond of that dusty dry desert tumbleweed and cactus look your HOA seems to favor… I’d be turning the patio into a cool leafy green oasis, not just to enjoy when you’re out there, but also for the view from inside.


I read you are considering clematis. I have quite a few of them on the stucco walls surrounding my back yard, and I can tell you, they won’t climb it on their own... they need a trellis. I took several years to take care of that, and mine sent out long spindles to the nearest trees, went all the way to the top and bloomed up there while the wall remained bare. Now they are trellised and cover the wall in thick growth instead of being spindly vines, but bloom far less because they aren’t in full sun.

[maggiekate]

what if the pump runs at night, or, can you move it into a shady area. I would
look into the yellow pages, or the county how to do plant dept., and ask what they would say. It looks as if you do have a fountain, around here the pumps are on all the time. Do you have an inside where the pond may reside. Maybe the sun is the problem.
Also if it gets cold will the water freeze? If you had a patio, that would be perfect. I do know a person who got one at homedepot
it was inside with a pump and he had some fish coi I do think, however the pump was on all the time. Then he did have some algae
eating plants. Anyway the fish did not last long maybe 6 months.

[Rance]

I run my pump for the falls as soon as there is water enough to pump in the spring. And right up until the falls freeze over and I get a cool ice falls. Like may to end of October. 24/7 non stop. I love the sound in the yard. And the birds and squirrels use it for bird bath thingy. Even get an occasional moose. As long as the pump runs the water stays clear.