A garden pond should add ecological and atmospheric value to the private oasis. Cloudy water is therefore not only a biological but also an aesthetic problem. What can be done about it? Continue reading!
In a healthy pond, the pond water is clear
Reasons for the cloudy water
In every open-air pond, the water will inevitably become cloudy sooner or later. With the many external factors that the pond in the garden is exposed to, there is no other way. The most important influences that can lead to clouding are:
- fall foliage
- Blown-in pollen
- Washed in, fertilized garden soil
- Excess fish food
All of these influences lead to an excessively high nutrient content in the water, which in turn promotes algae growth. Algae are the most problematic source of water cloudiness because they lead to a very unsightly pond appearance and can also threaten any fish stocks.
Measures against water turbidity
To prevent the water from becoming cloudy in the first place, check the water quality as regularly as possible. Above all, the phosphate and nitrogen content must not be too high and should be checked regularly using dipsticks from specialist retailers. Elevated values can be caused in particular by excess fish food and fish faeces, but also by the nutrient infiltration and infiltration mentioned above. Over time, these form what is known as a layer of sludge on the pond floor, which reduces the quality of the pond water due to rot and the release of nutrients.
The most important preventive measures are:
- Regular fishing off of fallen leaves and thread algae
- Suck off the sludge layer on the pond floor with a pond floor vacuum
- Avoid overfeeding fish
- Use of a filter system during the warm half of the year
If you are in a hurry to clarify the pond water - perhaps because of an upcoming garden party - you may need a quicker solution. There are various methods to clarify the pond water in a short procedure, however, as with all quick solutions, the effects are only short-lived and are therefore only recommended for individual cases. The quick actions include:
- algaecide
- UVC lamps
- water change
Algae control agents usually cause existing algae to clump together chemically, so that they can be effectively caught in a filter system - if available - or fished out by hand with the fishing net.
Basically the same thing happens with a UVC lamp, just in a different way. Here, too, the algae are made to clump together, but with UV light.
The water change is relatively complex as an immediate measure and is controversial among experts because of the possible introduction of impurities.