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Q : I have a turgid water garden with goldfish and potted water lillies . In the summer , despite a biologic filter and fountains for aeration , it gets floating clod of haired green - brown alga . I ’ve render adding algicide and cleaning the filter daily , to no avail . How can I get rid of this ugly stuff?—Patti Genack , Beulah , Colo.
A : You’ll be glad to hear that you’re able to stop fuss with the filter . Cleaning it too frequently ( more than once a month ) destroys the colonies of beneficial bacterium that filter out the water . Forget algicides : they are toxic and do n’t address the real problem in your syndicate . The overabundance of algae is fueled by a excess of nutrient in the water — and the master generator of that , I suspect , is the quantity of food you give your Pisces .
Besides looking beautiful and eating mosquito larvae , Pisces the Fishes snack on algae now and then . But when you cast away them nutritive - rich fish intellectual nourishment , you ’re also casting fertilizer for alga on the water . Even if the Pisces guttle every last bit , the resultant manure is still an algae booster . Ideally , you should have only the number of fish that can support themselves on natural food in the syndicate . This does n’t mean you have to stop feeding your fish , but you probably need to slue back considerably . Fish regulate their own numbers and growth pace to beseem the amount of usable food . You desire your Pisces the Fishes hungry enough to forage actively — which means the bigger unity will also eat fish eggs and hatchlings . For starters , do n’t feed them more than once a twenty-four hour period , and put out only as much nutrient as the fish can round off off in five minutes . You might demand to “ weed out ” some of the fish . The linguistic rule of thumb is no more than 1 column inch of goldfish per 5 gallons of water .
debar fertilizing urine lily as long as the algae problem persists , and take care as you tend the region surrounding your garden pool . If you feed container works on the terrace , for representative , and hose down the pavage , soil food may be wash out into the syndicate . Even the stain in potted pee plants is suspect , because of fertilizers in some commercial-grade potting mixes . Grass clippings and fallen leaves are other sources of nutrient . Lay netting over the syndicate to take in and murder fall leaves . Whenever organic thing gather on the bottom bring forth to be about an inch slurred , drain and clean the syndicate . grow more aquatic plant can also assist to inhibit alga . Like H2O lilies , algae is a Dominicus lover — so seek to leave very little opened water where it can catch the rays . Water lilies and other desirable plants should enshroud two - thirds to three - quarters of the surface . That ’s easily accomplished in midsummer ; but ahead of time in the time of year , before the lilies really start up to spread , algae has the run of the puddle . As a natural spring make-do , put in an extra measure of water lucre ( Pistia stratiotes ) , an attractive flora that spreads cursorily and is easy to trump out later , when the lilies have expanded . Water jacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) also works well , but beware : It can invade public waterways and is illegal in some southerly states .
Keep in mind that it ’s absolutely normal for mosslike strands of algae to cling to the stems of water industrial plant , as well as to the side and bottom of a pool . Having some algae in the water supply is also normal . respectable pee will often be slightly green , though it should stay well-defined enough for you to see at least 6 to 8 inch below the surface . Scoop up clumps of algae as they appear . You ’ll not only raise nimiety food from the water , but you ’ll gather great cloth for your compost pile , too . If , after a month of thin Pisces feeding and regular scooping , green water still shows no sign of realise up , consider installing a UV sterilizer ( listed in water horticulture catalogs ) . By irradiating the water with ultraviolet energy , this gimmick kills algae without harm the good bacterium in your filter and on the pool ’s sides .
