Reduce Algae in Water Features and Ponds

Have you noticed a discolouring of the water in your water feature or pond, or something green forming?  This is the well-known underwater plant species called algae. Contrary to popular belief, this plant can actually be beneficial to ponds as it can provide food for fish.

But it can also cause problems too!

One of the main issues is that it isn’t the nicest to look at and most people tend to remove all algae all together. There actually needs to be a happy medium found with the amount of algae that builds up, as you don’t want your feature or pond to be taken over by algae.

So, how does algae build up?

Algae needs light to grow so at this time of year where we are blessed with more daylight, algae is something that we need to look out for as it grows quickest then.

Another contributing factor to the growth of algae is warm water and nitrates in the water. These nitrates build up from not doing regular water changes, so you definitely want to make sure at this time of year you are frequently changing the water in your feature or pond to avoid this.
In summer the warm weather, like what we’ve been having at the minute, is bound to cause your warm up which will cause algae to grow quickly.

There are further natural factors in summer that can cause algae in your garden pond or feature, these include rain, high pollen count, rotten foliage and the excrements of fish. These all create an abundance of nutrients in the water that is ideal environment for the growth of algae, forcing you to control algae growth in summer.

How can we stop it?

Replacing depleted oxygen in your pond is a great way to reduce or even prevent algae build up. Simply add an aeration device, such as a Solar Oxygenator that will provide added oxygen to the water and help prevent algae build up. When the algae die and decompose, the added oxygen provided by the device allows the decomposition process to occur properly and also provide oxygen for the fish in your pond.
The aeration device works by splashing the water in the air, this is not only adding valuable oxygen, it is also helping to vent gases such as carbon dioxide which is being produced in large amounts from the decomposition process. It is now possible to get solar oxygenators that operate both day and night. This obviously gives you the benefit of having your system running through the night.

We also have some fantastic products available on our UK Water Features website that will help to control algae growth in your water feature or pond, just like our 1L Algae and Moss Remover. Ensure your water and pumps are clear by pouring this solution into your feature!

We have some other great cleaning products including our Fountain Fresh and Natural Fountain Fresh. The latter of which is an excellent choice if you have wildlife, pets or children that may go near your pond or feature as it has all natural ingredients so will not be harmful.

Be sure to head over to our UK Water Features website to shop all our fantastic water feature maintenance and care products.