Green Water in My Pond/waterfall Cleared Like Magic!

Wendy B
by Wendy B
First spring with our pond/waterfall...and I was feeling a little frustrated, as the water filled up with green 'yuck'! I read, studied and spoke to people who assured me that I could buy various chemicals that would clear it right away, BUT they could cause the fish some problems. I was told if it seemed they had trouble with oxygen I could empty the pond part way down and simply refill. I didn't like the sound! I love all natural, healthy everything. I finally opted on 2 small bales of barley straw. The pond people didn't really give me a positive feeling, but said it wasn't going to hurt if I wanted to try it. They told me it would be a full month before I got any change in the water. I figured, try it and keep reading! My husband put them on a string and let them float. The string is because when they get water logged you are supposed to pull them up and let them drain and send them back out to float. Two weeks in the water looked a tiny bit better. I kind of thought it was a waste of money but figured at least it wasn't getting worse. Three weeks in, the water started actually looking good. I really didn't want crystal clear water, just clear enough to see all the fish easily. Well, before a full month passed, I must tell you, my water IS crystal clear! It feels like magic when you don't expect something so simple to work and it does! It is awesome!
This is the green water.
This is the clear water AFTER the barley bales! Shocking! Now I have to get busy and add rocks to the bottom to make it pretty, haha!
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  • Daw3000588 Daw3000588 on Jun 03, 2016
    The fish and plant safe algaecide is your best bet as Lou said. The barley bails will break down plug up your filter and cause a different problem.
  • Patty Patty on Jun 03, 2016
    Adding a UV light gets rid of the pea green algae. Arreation is necessary wlhen you use chemicals.
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