Eco friendly way to clear a pond of algae?

Martyn_H

Any recommendations for eco friendly way of removing algae? The pond is approx 6 ft in diameter and mostly 6 inches deep.

I've used straw bales in the past but am undecided how effective they are.

twopenny

I'd like to know too.
I believe shade was the advice given. Also moving water. I've bought a fountain for my tiny pond so I'll let you know.

I got the feeling that the frogs were bringing in some of the stuff but then I want the frogs.

ArbitraryRandom

Fundamentally, algae is just a type of plant - it's doing well in the pond because the water is nutrient-rich... so I'd be looking to see if there's a way to remove the food source. 

Do you fertilise anything in the area around the pond, or does a lot of plant material (leaves etc) end up in there?  

Martyn_H

There's an apple tree a few feet away that I can't cut down as it provides a nice shady area.

inthedepthsofthesea

I don't know the topography of your pond, so this may not be possible but I hear it composts well!

Green_hopeful

I believe that barley straw gives off hydrogen peroxide. You could try hydrogen peroxide. I found quite a lot of info online. 

-taff

Go and have a chat with someone in an aquatics centre if you can. the adivce I got given [ not to remove algae] but to keep the water clean was shove loads of plants in there and theyll do it for you. Worked in the little water tank pond I had. I would also concur with there's something in there that is feeding it, so if you have debris, clean it out, and 2ps suggetion of something to move the water will also work [ and keep the mozzies away]

ArbitraryRandom

Martyn_H said:

There's an apple tree a few feet away that I can't cut down as it provides a nice shady area.

No, but what you can do is net or rake out your pond in autumn to remove as many fallen leaves as you can - meaning less problem with algae down the line? 

Martyn_H

ArbitraryRandom said:

Martyn_H said:

There's an apple tree a few feet away that I can't cut down as it provides a nice shady area.

No, but what you can do is net or rake out your pond in autumn to remove as many fallen leaves as you can - meaning less problem with algae down the line? 

Yes, I do that as far as possible.