Algae and water clarity

Algae, poor water quality, and how to solve it

Algae, is the nemesis of every pond and lake enthusiast. Before I delve into the negative, let's talk about the positives of algae. I like to compare it to our immune system. When we get a cold, our body will develop a fever to fight off the infection. A natural ecosystem will develop algae to fight off excess nutrients. Algae is a plant and is effective at removing nutrients from your pond or lake. However, it's never fun to get a cold and it's never fun to get algae. By properly maintaining your pond or lake you can avoid algae blooms entirely.

Algae come in many different forms, indicating your ecosystem's deficiencies. The most common are green algae and filamentous, neither of which are toxic. Green algae are often found floating in clumps or suspended in the water. If your pond looks green, this is your culprit. Filamentous is a stringy alga, that closely resembles flowing hair. It is usually found in streams and waterfalls growing off of shallow rocks. Excessive amounts of algae can choke off waterways, reduce filtration and circulation and can block photosynthesis, and reduce dissolved oxygen creating a toxic environment for fish, turtles, and all aquatic life.

Algae are caused by an abundance of nutrients. This is a result of soil or fertilizer runoff, lacking the appropriate pond plants, unbalanced water chemistry, overstocked system, floating debris, or decaying organic matter at the bottom of your pond or lake.

Algae should never be present. That's why it's imperative to have a pond and lake management company service weekly, monthly, or annual deep cleans to ensure your ecosystem is healthy and thriving.