- The natural filter system in the pond
- Other advantages of the mussel flower
- What does the mussel flower need to grow?
Which garden pond owner does not know it: If you have neglected the pond and have been on vacation for a few weeks, for example, algae have formed in no time at all. You can get rid of them again with a filter system. But there is also a more natural way…
The mussel flower is a beautiful and simple way to fight algae
The natural filter system in the pond
In fact, this aquatic plant is extremely useful when it comes to limiting or preventing the formation of algae in the garden pond or in the aquarium. But how does the mussel flower do that?
absorb nutrients that algae need to grow
The mussel flower absorbs numerous components/nutrients in the water. It does this with the help of its long threadlike roots, which float in the water and like to give fish a place to hide. Some of the things that this plant filters include:
- nitrogen
- phosphates
- fish food
- nitrate
- suspended solids
Lots of nutrients mean fast growth
Through the work of the roots, nitrogen and phosphates, among other things, are absorbed and removed from the water. Algae need these nutrients in order to develop and grow. Thus, the mussel flower can be regarded as a natural filter system. The more nutrients the water contains, the better and faster it grows.
Other advantages of the mussel flower
It is not only its ability to clean the water and thus act against algae that make the mussel flower an effective aquatic plant. It also provides shade for fish and semi-shade-loving aquatic plants. It offers hiding places and looks beautiful.
What does the mussel flower need to grow?
Shell flowers need a sunny to partially shaded location to thrive properly. If the water is also sufficiently warm (these plants are not frost-resistant and must be overwintered), they only need to be thinned out regularly.
If you don't thin them out regularly, you risk that the mussel flowers will soon take up the entire water surface and rob other aquatic plants of all the light. Fish, too, soon feel pressured by too many mussel flowers.
tips
Attention: Do not put too many mussel flowers in the garden pond! Many plants clean the water well. But they also demineralize it.