The Answer When It’s too Green for You

Your backyard, garden, etc. had extra space – and you decided to build a pond in that space. Since it was a costly effort, you will definitely want to make sure your pond looks as beautiful as possible, but then, you see it has become far from beautiful – it has become infested with algae! But fear not! The growth of algae is not a phenomenon limited to just your pond, and there is more than a single way to fix the problem at hand.

Be they natural ponds and lakes or artificial ones with pond liners Australia, all standing water bodies face one common problem: the overgrowth of algae. This is caused by an influx in plant nutrients in the waters of the pond or lake, which causes excessive plant growth. Known as eutrophication, the end result is pretty much the opposite of what we all wished for when we built a pond for aesthetic beauty – in fact, you pretty much end up with a smelly, green pond.

Algae control in ponds is a continuous process which includes taking proper care of your pond – however, here we shall consider the two main procedures that can be followed once algae have already taken over your pond. Basically, these two procedures are an environment-safe – but not very sustainable – method and the other relatively more sustainable method:

• The ‘not very sustainable’ method – this method is by no means unsafe; it is ensured to be as safe as possible to the environment, but it is simply the use of algaecides. In the past, algaecides used copper sulphate to kill off the algae in ponds, but consequent scientific studies have shown that copper sulphate is a very toxic substance – especially to an aquatic environment. Copper sulphate however, is banned nowadays and is not used in algaecides anymore – in its stead, the relatively safer chelated copper is used to kill the algae. This method is quicker compared to the below given method, and is also cost-effective.

• The sustainable method – if you’re looking for a more long-term, sustainable approach to controlling the growth of algae in your pond, then you’ll be given the options of choosing from biological treatments and other water treatments which use oxygen peroxide as a base, approaches to changing the environment of your pond, such as the addition of floating wetlands, or trying to improve the structure of your pond by improving aeration, depth, etc. This method, as should be obvious from the given examples, is relatively more expensive, and takes a longer time to implement.

You can choose either of the two methods – most pond management experts offer both these methods; furthermore, they will also give you valuable advice on which method suits you and your pond best.