Aquatic & Aquarium Tips for more tips click here

Q: I have a cement-lined stone pond about 10 feet long by 5 feet wide by 3 feet deep. I am using rain water with a pH of about 7.

My pond has a 6 foot high waterfall that is driven by a submersible pump. The pond contains six Koi fishes about 2 ft in length. My problem is that the water becomes murky and overloaded with algae.

I drain the pond and scrub out the algae, but in almost no time it becomes murky again. How can I control the algae?

A: The murkiness in your water is suspended algae. Depending on the mix of algae, the nutrient levels, the amount of sunlight that hits the water in our tropical country, the water may look deep green, greenish-brown or brownish-black all year round.

The problem of controlling suspended algae in a Koi ponds is probably the most common question raised and a comprehensive answer would be pages long, therefore, it's best to provide you with a short straight forward solutions... Algae are plants, and they require three things to grow: water, light and nutrients (phosphorus, in particular).

Another way to cut down the nutrients is to install a biological filter. I estimate your pond holds about a

It will remove suspended debris from the water and become a biological filter with a couple of weeks and all you need to do is to take it out and rinse out any waste sludge every 2 or 3 weeks--or less often by observing the quantity of out-flowing water from the pump.

You should consider cutting down the sunlight reaching the pond by installing a sun-shade screen or awnings or grow a small shaded tree near your pond.

Alternatively, if your pond receives six or more hours of sunlight daily you could grow water lilies or your can try to cover about 70 percent of your pond's surface with any thing that can provide shade.

Q: There is lot of algae build-up in my pond that lasts about six weeks. Would snails help to eliminate this problem? If so, can I use normal wild snails found in most outdoor lakes, pond, etc.

Most ponds do "green up" - Your pond is having a dense bloom of planktonic algae? Frequently, the bloom is so thick that the water looks like pea soup and the fish become totally invisible.

For natural control of planktonic algae blooms you have to look for plants that required vital nutrients in the water and nitrifying bacteria. The two nutrients that are highly correlated with algal blooms are nitrogen and phosphorus.

Biozyme-Matrix to clarify the water by enhancing the mechanical and biological filtration system thereby increasing the biological surface area by forming surface matrixes to perform its optimum functions that maintain water quality having high organic build-up such as: Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates, Sludge, etc. in ponds and aquariums.