The Lake Doctor - Lake Management Company - Floating Fountains, Aeration Systems, Vegetation Control, Fish, Fish Feeders, Water Wells, Installation & Design in Dallas, Texas - Lake Management

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How to Control Algae

The two most common forms of algae that ponds experience are planktonic algae and filamentous algae. Planktonic algae is the type that gives pond that distinctive pea green, soupy color. Planktonic algae in moderation is very important to the food chain in a pond. However, when it is in excess that you get the green water.

Filamentous algae is what you typically see growing on rocks and floating on the surface. It is the stringy, hair-like algae that you often see in the spring and summer months and has no value.

Algae in moderation are good for a pond, but when it becomes over abundant, it can cause severe water quality problems. Algae consumes oxygen at night to continue its life cycle, so when there is a severe outbreak, large amounts of oxygen are consumed and can seriously deplete the dissolved oxygen level in a pond.

Algae blooms are caused by three factors: excess nutrients, too much sunlight and low oxygen levels.

Nutrients come from a variety of sources, most notable fish and animal waste, fish food and dead/decaying vegetation. All of these sources provide much needed nitrogen and phosphorus that algae need to bloom and grow.

Ponds that are in direct sunlight or don't have enough aquatic plants are also at risk for algae problems. This is why the worst algae problems occur in the summer when the days are longest.

Also, ponds that experience poor oxygen levels will also suffer from algae control issues. Algae blooms come and go, but when there is little dissolved oxygen in the water, dying algae will feed new cycles of living algae because there is not enough oxygen to break down the dead vegetation before it can fuel more growth.

First of all, algae should not be looked upon as a problem. It is merely a symptom and a sign that there are other problems and that your pond is out of balance.

A short term, quick fix is to use an algaecide. However this is just a short term solution because when you simply kill the algae and leave it to degrade on its own, it will just fuel re-growth. A quick kill can also cause an oxygen depletion, which can stress or even kill fish.

A more lasting approach is to control the causes of the algae growth – nutrients, sunlight and oxygen.

Nutrient control involves limiting the amount of nutrients that enter that water that can feed algae. This can range from manually skimming debris and waste from the pond, physically removing the algae, installing an effective filtration system or limiting the number of aquatic inhabitants, but it should always involve the use of beneficial pond bacteria. Pond bacteria are crucial in breaking down and degrading all types of organic waste and should be used regularly.

Reducing sunlight penetration is a more difficult because you only have so much control over that, but a good pond dye and even the addition of aquatic plants can help to shade the water and limit the sun’s effect.

Improving the oxygen levels in a pond can be done with a pond aerator or even a pond fountain. The infusion of oxygen will also invigorate pond bacteria.

Effective algae control begins with knowledge and understanding of the type of algae you have and what causes the algae to grow. Once you have armed yourself with the proper information, treating the causes and controlling the sources become more manageable. Then, year after year, preventative maintenance becomes second nature and severe algae blooms become less and less of a concern.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation with one of our specialists please contact The Lake Doctor at 972-523-3232. For your convenience you may also request information from this site.

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The Lake Doctor is proud to serve the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex including the cities of Addison, Allen, Argyle, Arlington, Azle, Balch Springs, Bedford, Benbrook, Burleson, Carrollton, Celina, Cedar Hill, Cockrill Hill, Colleyville, Coppell, Copper Canyon, Corinth, Dallas, Denton, Desoto, Duncanville, Eagle Mountain, Euless, Fairview, Farmers Branch, Flowermound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Garland, Glenn Oaks, Grand Prairie, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Haslet, Hebron, Hickory Creek, Highland Park, Highland Village, Hurst, Irving, Keller, Lake Dallas, Lancaster, Lakewood Village, Lake Worth, Lavon, Lewisville, Lincoln Park, Little Elm, Mansfield, McKinney, Mesquite, Murphy, North Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Parker, Plano, Prosper, Richardson, Richland Hills, River Oaks, Roanoke, Rowlett, Sachse, Saginaw, Saint Paul, Sansom Park, Seagoville, Shady Shores, Sunnyvale, Sweetwater, Terrell, The Colony, Trophy Club, University Park, Watauga, Wichita Falls, White Settlement and Wylie.