[fishin dude]

I have a little 3 x 4 fish pond with a couple turtles and a few gold fish and I cant get the water to stop turning green . Ive had the pond for about 2 years and the water has always been clear without adding any chemicals . the sucker fish is about 12" long. Anybody have any ideas or know of any plant that I can add . I want to stay away from chemicals. thanks:boat:

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Any drainage changes in the area?
New construction anywhere?
Any leaves etc falling in?
No filter in the pond?

 

[fishin dude]

no drainage or construction, I have a circulation pump w/filter circulating the water 24/7, i try keeping the leaves out i cant get them all, ive even tryed changing half the water and it helped for about 3 weeks then it came back. I dont know any more.

 

[Kap]

Leaves in the pond.
Two years old.

Is there a tree near/over the pond that was not shading it two years ago, but is shading it now?

How about your fish? Same ones from two years ago? Have they grown considerably? If so they'll be producing more waste, which will encourage algae.

 

[Bigfoot]

I have a closed filter, large volume pump on A timer. I only filter a couple of hours a day. I do have a small fountain that aerates continuously.
I've found a new filter does not work as well as a used filter and again stops working well if the filter is seriously clogged and the volume is way down. If I had to do it again, I'd use an open filter with foam blocks. Maybe a small waterfall.
I change 1/3rd of my water, every two weeks or so (estimated). Maybe more often in the high summer, if the algae really gets going.
Plenty of air, a decent filter and change a portion of the water periodically. I don't mess with the chemicals anymore.
I built a small sump next to mine, to change the water, I just fill until it overflows.

 

[fishin dude]

Ill try a water fall to move the water more, the fish are about 6 months old ,they dont make it longer than a year ,the birds allways win. I think i need to shade the pond more with some low plants that dont shed as much. When I first set the pond up i had floating lillys that keeped the water shaded and help filter the water but the bigger the turtles get they get more destuctive. thanks guys.

 

[Bigfoot]

Ill try a water fall to move the water more, the fish are about 6 months old ,they dont make it longer than a year ,the birds allways win. I think i need to shade the pond more with some low plants that dont shed as much. When I first set the pond up i had floating lillys that keeped the water shaded and help filter the water but the bigger the turtles get they get more destuctive. thanks guys.

I planted a Dogwood Bush next to mine, in a large pot. They are cheap, spread out, the foliage isn't real thick, it shades the pond in the mornings. In the afternoons it is in tree shadows.
I had to make a cover for mine a long time ago, between the birds and cats my fish were going fast. I made a two part frame, used small diameter PVC and covered it with mesh. It definitely looks better without the mesh, but my Gold Fish are up to 8-10 inches now.
Water Hyacinth are supposed to clean the water well, my growing season is a bit short here and there is no way I could keep them over winter. The ones I tried didn't do well.

 

[Kap]

This won't help with the algae, but search for "pond netting". It will keep the cats and birds out.