How to Clear Green Water in your Pond Quickly

For most, it is not a viable option to move ones pond to a different location – so to create more shade in the pond there are 2 options that work great:

1. Pond Tint – fish and plant safe, pond tint will add a hue of blue or black to your water to help filter out sunlight and many love the hint of colour as well – not to worry you will be able to see your fish easily through the tint as it is translucent!
2. Pond Tint – fish and plant safe, pond tint will add a hue of blue or black to your water to help filter out sunlight and many love the hint of colour as well – not to worry you will be able to see your fish easily through the tint as it is translucent!

Fish food quality is a hidden cause of green water that many people do not take into account. Particularly for the people with many fish that feed multiple times a day – the quality of your food makes a huge difference in water quality.

A pond fish will retain plenty of a quality food and its nutrients, but if the food is low quality – much of it will pass from the fish as waste and feed the algae in the pond. In this same category – uneaten food is a big no-no. Try feeding your fish whatever they can consume in maximum 5 minutes – any uneaten food should be netted from the pond.

Generally when it comes to koi and pond fish food – the better the quality – the more money the food is – however you will find the food to be more nutrient rich, which would allow you to feed less food while still having better growth.

Beneficial bacteria and oxygen are two vital components of a healthy pond and luckily both work in conjunction with one another. Beneficial Bacteria require oxygen to thrive and multiply. Both occur natural in ponds and lakes – the difference with ponds is that we overload much beyond that of a lake and expect mother nature to keep up – unfortunately, this rarely happens!

Lucky for us we can add aeration and beneficial bacteria to help Mother Nature along. Without enough bacteria and oxygen not only can the water become toxic to fish, but algae in the form of green water can fluctuate to unsightly levels as well. This is what we mean by looking for a balanced, mature pond with sufficient bacteria and oxygen to allow the pond to flourish.

Too many fish is a common problem – sometimes fish multiple and grow faster than we anticipate. When this happens, the pond can no longer support the excessive waste coming from the overpopulation – it would be similar to an overcrowded city with excessive waste. In the case of a pond, excessive waste feeds the green water and can lead to harmful water quality that can be detrimental to the fish. How to combat overpopulation? Some will increase the size of their pond and others will part with some of their fish. Another option is to increase bio media and thus bacteria levels.

It may be great to have a large tree overhanging your pond for added shade, but there is often one downfall – leaves falling into your pond.

The same problem occurs if you are not careful and grass cuttings also make their way into your pond. All this added debris eventually begins to breakdown in the bottom of your pond and provide nutrients for that green water to thrive.

How to prevent? Many pond owners will install a skimmer (similar to that of a pools) to prevent debris from staying in their ponds. This option is a lot more maintenance free than your other options which is netting it out by hand. Some people will also net the entire pond – most often in the fall when the majority of the leaves will drop within a week.

Pro Fix is a water treatment that eliminates green water in as little as 24 hours. This product should be used maximum once a week and is safe for ponds with fish and plants.

Pro Fix is best used as a quick fix as opposed to a long term solution. Many people will use this product while they are waiting for their bacteria to mature and multiply in the beginning of the season or when we have heat spikes and the water takes a turn for the worst.

*use with aeration present.

UV Clarifiers work on all water than can pass through the system, which means they work excellent on green water. Most will see improvement within a few days and full clarity within a week so long as the unit is sized correctly to the pond.

The pros of a UV Clarifier are that they are super effective with very little maintenance required and fast acting. The con is that the up-front cost is more than a water treatment, though many would agree that over the course of a year that it becomes cost effective compared to the on-going use of water treatments.

Pressure Filters With UV Clarifiers incorporated are becoming the industry standard for ornamental ponds.

These units have all of the same benefits as a UV Clarifier with the added benefit of having sponge media to filter out fine debris, bio media to increase your beneficial bacteria load as well as an easy to use back wash system that squeezes out the sponges using a handle without the owner having to open up the filter and get their hands dirty.

Microbe-Lift is a specially formulated Beneficial Bacteria that has stood the test of time and has become the industry standard for beneficial bacteria. It is a fast acting bacteria that does wonders for all aspects of the pond. Many pond owners will use this bacteria to start their pond, due to it fast acting properties and effectiveness.

This a trusted brand and product that has been a best seller for seeding filters and pond maintenance. Not only beneficial in clearing pond water, but also for maintain a healthy pond with proper nitrate cycle levels and therefore, healthy fish.

Rapid clear is generally not a product that you would use weekly as maintenance, but instead a product to fix an issue a few times a year at most. Rapid clear is a flocculent that takes fine debris in the water that is not settling and clumps it together to clarify the water. When trying decide whether your water requires rapid clear – decide if the water is just green or both green and murky. If murkiness is involved – you may require the use of rapid clear flocculent. Most often ponds may require this water treatment after large rainfalls, or if runoff has entered the pond. Also make sure your fine filter pads are not backed up