green water in the pond help !

[paris]

We have just built an 8x12 above ground pond, filled it with mostly tap water and topped it up with rain water. Problem is its now dark pea green. We've made a filter system out of a tub with pipe going in from the bottom via a pump , through a good 4 inch of gravel, then through a 1/4 bale of barley straw to then come out via a pipe at the top . Have we done it the right way round ? Any idea how long to clear the water ? :confused
Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks Jan x
P.S pond is now about 4 weeks old .

[jsherris]

Hey Jan,

I've not got a pond anymore, but I think these sites may help you....

http://www.lifeforceonline.co.uk/pond_treatments.html
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/water/greenwater/
http://www.pond-doctor.co.uk/longclearwater.htm
http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/BradshawsSite/category/WATERTRE%5FGREENWAT.htm

Hope one of those help - I know pond making & getting it right is a long & expensive business - Good Luck!
Julie
x

[paris]

Thanks for that , just of to have a read now, jan x

[johno]

have you put any pond plants in it , big leafy ones to shield the water from the sun. its the sunlight that turns the water green. you also get blocks from the pet shop to help with that. :cool:

[paris]

Hi johno, yes we have put plants in , but being a woman I'm inpatient and want to see the fish LOL janx:eek:

[changilass]

Put a wee hay bale in it, not sure exactly why, but aparently it soaked up all the green stuff, you just replace the bale when its really yucky

[Cattach]

We have just built an 8x12 above ground pond, filled it with mostly tap water and topped it up with rain water. Problem is its now dark pea green. We've made a filter system out of a tub with pipe going in from the bottom via a pump , through a good 4 inch of gravel, then through a 1/4 bale of barley straw to then come out via a pipe at the top . Have we done it the right way round ? Any idea how long to clear the water ? :confused
Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks Jan x
P.S pond is now about 4 weeks old .

I have tried everythung recommended over the years and nothing works - change of water regularly with the addition of Safe Tap all that you can do to keep it clean. Hay is only one that made any impression but still not satisfactory and the hay bale in the pond looked ugly.

[elamanya]

you really need a u/v clarifier on its own or even better with a filter not cheap but it will do the trick ......

[paris]

Was trying to do it the "green way " really and also keep the cost down but you may be right here, will give it a few weeks with the gravel and barley straw first then re think if it doesn't work. thanks all for your advice. janx

[Ricco]

Hi, Paris. Ricco to the rescue again. ;)

My pond filter is set up the other way round to yours - water in at the top and out at the bottom. See if you can get some coarse foam about 2cm thick - alternatively, I suppose 2 or three layers of that string dish cloth will do. So, in the bottom of the filter tank put lots of old hair curlers (I'm being serious here!) followed by the layers of dish cloth. On top of this you could put a layer of straw. Feed your water in at a steady pace from the top and have you exit pipe about 5cm from the bottom. The water will trickle down and get filtered. The hair curlers will gradually grow a nice thin layer of bacteria that help break down the impurities. Any sludge will settle in the bottom and the water will exit the pipe once it has filled to that level.

A UV filter will help immensely but people do get by without one. There are special pond water additives for algae but you did say you wanted to be 'green'. Try covering the pond with somehting to block the light and leave for a week. The algae will die back. Get some pond snails and swan mussels if you can. They will all help.

Good luck. :D

[paris]

Ricco ! are you suggesting i have a supply of hair curlers at my age [evil]LOL , i think i will turn mine around and do as you have with the water coming out at the bottom instead of the top and invest in some curlers and dish cloths . Thanks for the advice. jan x