Save money on pond pumps, pond filters, backyard waterfalls, fountains, ponds, water gardening, koi food and how to achieve crystal clear garden pond water too.
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This is a 250 word (approx) summary of a chapter from
my book pictured to the left. Concepts: blanketweed, algae, fish, plants, water, pond, pondkeepers, kill, lights, drink, birds, filter bacteria, buying chemicals, careful, encouraging. Summary: - Blanketweed is that long slimy algae that seems to grow and grow and can never be eradicated. - Many pondkeepers never see it and others are never without it. - It is an area of pondkeeping not well understood and many of the suggested solutions do not always work. - UV lights are no good because the algae is not exposed to the light - it remains in the pond. - Often even when there is lots of blanket weed the water is crystal clear. - This is because the blanketweed is starving other algae out of existence. - Water quality certainly plays a role in blanketweed development but this is not the whole story since even the best pondkeepers can get this problem. |
- I do not have a good solution -- only commiserations if you have it.
- By improving the balance between plants in the pond and reducing fish density and therefore reduced feeding the tendency to get blanketweed will be reduced but not necessarily eradicated.
- Plants in ponds compete with the algae for the "fertilisers" produced by the fish as explained earlier.
- Recent product developments particularly around barley straw products have been encouraging but does not always work it seems.
- Be careful when buying chemicals to kill blanketweed - make sure they do not kill anything else including plants, fish, filter bacteria, birds that drink the water etc.
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