Calling all pond keepers

blue_monkey_2

Not sure where to put this so thought I would start here.

Do we have any other pond keepers here? I thought we could have a thread for advice.

My first question is how do I get rid of duck weed and blanket weed?

We have a wildlife pond separate from the main pond and I've tried dragging it out today but there are Damselfly nymphs in there so I left it there. I'd say it is covering 1/3 of the pond now. I've seen some duckweed starting now as well. The pond is not filtered or pumped as it seems to end up crystal clear from all the water fleas so this is not a problem, it is purely for wildlife.

I've tried barley straw and pond doctor for blanket weed but think I need to try something else. I'd like some tried and tested methods that definately work please, it can cost a fortune on different potions otherwise - can anyone help?

forgotmyname

Product called blanket answer, made by cloverleaf i think? Makes the pond milky for a while but works well.

Mix half a dose in a bucket & add it.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks for answering. Yes, we used that last year after we got talked into buying it, it's almost all gone but I might have enough left to do this little pond. Wasn't cheap - almost £20 for a bottle - if the water is not being pumped and filtered what happens to the remenants of the blanket weed?

We got some bullhead minnows last year to help keep on top of the (bloody!!) snails and we thought they would eat them - they don't and we still have loads of snails - but they have laid LOADS of eggs under the lily leaves so there are lots of little fish so hence my other reluctance to start dragging things around.

blue_monkey_2

Also, another thing. We got some English Koi about 2 years ago and, after growing a bit, it become apparent that one of them had a dodgy fin and cannot really swim around the pond, he swims around the egde - we call him Nemo. Anyhow, now he just spends all of his time lying on the bottom on his side, unless he disturbed he then swims away. He is obviously still eating something and he is still alive - any ideas on what it could be. Is it cruel to keep him alive?

forgotmyname

Sorry its not good for them if you dont have moving water and a filter, The water will stagnate
unless the volume is huge.

Without a pump and filter to remove the muck it will rot and make matters much worse.
Feeding next years new growth of blanket weed and bad bacteria.

blue_monkey_2

The koi pond is filtered and pumped so that one is fine and whatever my husband does to that keeps it clear and clean, it is the wildlife pond isn't - the filter will just suck the creatures up and that defeats the point in having a wildlife pond. My neighbour has a water pump in hers and does not have half of the things we have, we get loads of damselflies and dragonflies that will come and sit on you if you are buy the pond, a filter and pump will kill the larvae so we deliberately did not want it filtered and pumped.

This is the 3rd year and the water isn't stagnant at all but least year we did not have the baby fish and I just pulled the weed out but it is a daily battle to keep on top of it so wanted to know if there was something I could put in it. It's 6ft by 4ft and 1-2ft deep but it did not stagnate in previous years. I do not know how they get in there but the water fleas keep it clearer than the filtered koi pond. It is literally teeming come September them they all die off when the weather gets colder.

annie123

If the blanket weed is in the wildlife pond, wouldn't worry about it, just remove it by hand with a stick.
Duck weed isn't bad for a pond, it's useful cover, if there's too much for you scoop it out with a sieve and after leaving it at the side for 24 hours for wildlife to climb back in pop it in a compost heap. Fish eat too bye they way.

If the blanket weed is in the fish pond, try to keep it down to a min as it will use oxygen.

Barley straw does work, but it is often packed too tightly, it should be in a loose bag and does work quicker if it has moving water on it, do you have a solar fountain? if so put the straw near it, but it can take many many months to work and you do need quite a bit of it.

Re the poorly fish, have you checked it for fin rot? also keep an eye on the water condition, most pet shops sell testing kits.
I'm wondering if your nitrates/nitrites levels are too high? rotted vegetation, over feeding fish? too many fish for the size of pond with no filter? Just a thought.

My son has 2 large koi and a few small goldfish in a pond with no filters etc as there is no electricity, he's in a flat and has to go through 3 other gardens to get to his. It's 16' long and 9' wide and about 3' at the deepest point, had it for years with no ill effects, except this year has a big algae bloom as neighbours cut down massive tree so has very little shade now, so he has put some duck weed in it from his other wildlife pond. The fish eat it faster than it grows!

blue_monkey_2

annie123 wrote: »

If the blanket weed is in the wildlife pond, wouldn't worry about it, just remove it by hand with a stick.
Duck weed isn't bad for a pond, it's useful cover, if there's too much for you scoop it out with a sieve and after leaving it at the side for 24 hours for wildlife to climb back in pop it in a compost heap. Fish eat too bye they way.

If the blanket weed is in the fish pond, try to keep it down to a min as it will use oxygen.

Barley straw does work, but it is often packed too tightly, it should be in a loose bag and does work quicker if it has moving water on it, do you have a solar fountain? if so put the straw near it, but it can take many many months to work and you do need quite a bit of it.

Re the poorly fish, have you checked it for fin rot? also keep an eye on the water condition, most pet shops sell testing kits.
I'm wondering if your nitrates/nitrites levels are too high? rotted vegetation, over feeding fish? too many fish for the size of pond with no filter? Just a thought.

My son has 2 large koi and a few small goldfish in a pond with no filters etc as there is no electricity, he's in a flat and has to go through 3 other gardens to get to his. It's 16' long and 9' wide and about 3' at the deepest point, had it for years with no ill effects, except this year has a big algae bloom as neighbours cut down massive tree so has very little shade now, so he has put some duck weed in it from his other wildlife pond. The fish eat it faster than it grows!

Thanks again for the reply, I never thought of a sieve for the duckweed. Will give that a try, it started growing again this weekend, I've just been picking it out and it's really annoying when it spreads and you have to start all over again. I usually leave it next to the pond then get rid of it a few days later when the wildlife has crawled out.

The koi pond is lovely, my husband is a bit obsessive about that does have kits and lotions and god knows what, the fish in there are all fine about this one, the fin is just not developed on that side from when it was little - we got it when it was just a few inches long but while it has grown the fin on one side hasn't. It seems healthy enough though, it just seems a bit cruel to have it on it's side.

I really love my little wildlife pond want watching everything in there, we had dragonflies last year and it is lovely, they land on your toes while sitting next to the water.

no1catman

I also have a pond. While it was badly affected with blanket weed, that was only the case early on e.g. March. Although on one side there is a high fence, as the sun rises - spring & summer this is less of a barrier, hence the green water, and blanket weed.
However, as time has passed the pond weed has had time to grow, and there is less for the blanket weed to grow with.

So, think of some natural shade for the pond, and add to the internal vegetation for a better 'balance'.

wallbash

Had a pond ( with fish) for years , this is the first year I have had duck weed . Scooped lots out over a few days with kitchen sieve . Then sudddenly , duck weed stopped :j

Now only a small amount around the bulrushes. Don't know why it started ... or why it stopped.

Blanket weed comes and goes. I have a small garden hand fork attached to a stick for that.