Adding on to my pond

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pondowner

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 4, 2008
33
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Central New Jersey
Hey,

I have a pond in central New Jersey that right now is about 3500 gallons.

It is divided in two sections (all one water system though).

In a few weeks I will be ripping up the smaller section and making it bigger and deeper. Making the total amount of water roughly 5000 gallons.

Overall, I have had great success with the pond. The only problem is string algae. The water is usually crystal clear but string algae tends to grow pretty heavily along the walls and the bottom of the streams.

I will also be adding a bog to the back of the new section to hopefully help combat the problem.

The pond is exposed to a lot of sunlight and there isn't much I can do about that. I will load the bog with plants as well as do my best to have a lot of plants in the new section.

Are there any tips that you guys might know to help cut down on string algae? I'd like to avoid chemicals if I can. I have some pretty good ideas (at least I think) for efficient filtering and a special filter project that I can really only explain through pictures. I think some of you might be impressed as I have given this a lot of thought.

The pond is stocked mainly with Koi. There are a few comets and goldfish. And I believe 7 turtles.

If it ever stops raining here I will post some pictures. Winter is just ending here in Jersey, so the pond is hardly vibrant right now, but I know a picture is worth 1,000 words regardless so I'll have some posted on here soon.


Thanks for all the help in advance.


Also, if there are any different fish that I can throw in there let me hear some suggestions. The winters are pretty rough here, so I know my options are very limited.
 
Also, I would love to be able to breed Koi in here. I have read that it isn't easy. But if you guys have any tips on ways to make their new environment more suitable for it.. I'm all ears. Thanks!
 
For breeding just try dumping in a few spawning mops so when temps are right, they will do it naturally at a sexually mature age. As for the string algae I just go out with a scissor and a bag and cut it off, I haven't found a solution to it yet without avoiding chemicals.
 
Hello I aslo live in central jersey however my pond is only about 1500 gallons. I am trying to add another 1000+ gallons soon however this rain and melting of the snow has not helped.

I had the same problem with you when i decided to make my pond. I dug it out where everyone can see it right next to my deck however it was smack dab in the middle of the sunlight no shade.. (NOT a smart idea but hey we learn)

I had string algea or hair algea what ever you want to call it when i started my pond.

I found a cure though. I went to my local petsmart placed an order for about 300 ghost shrimp and pond snails. I threw those bad boys in there and let them do work. I noticed some results however i think my pond was way to big for them.. oh well time for my next solution.

I talked to my marine bio teacher since she loved ponds to and i asked her what are some native plants for the area. I put in lilly pads with white flowers they look amazing.. I also got some cat tails and tall grasses. I also went and got some zebra grass to add some color besides all green.

I put these plants around my pond to get some shade going for my pond. (which hey it worked and i can still see the pond. you just need to place them where your pond gets alot or most of the sun light). These plants also helped my koi from not getting eaten by the local hawks or crows or racoons ive even seen a fox try to get into my pond. BUT there is nothing my 95 lb german shepherd mix cant take care of.. Its good to have him around..

Now alot of thosse methods seemed to work but i still saw some string algea. So i did more thinking and talking to people and alot of them came up with a UV filter.. only problem its alot of $$$$$ so yeah sorry about that but OMG let me tell you does it work. All the algea is gone and my water is so clear..

So if you wanna put some money into it this does work.. If not you can continue to cut the algea but it does grow back..

Good luck i would like to see a pic of your pond if you have one..
 
oh yeah i forgot to mention you wanted to know of some other fish you can add. Maybe like some sort of bass like the small mouth so they cant eat your koi. OR what im trying to get this summer is a sterlet. An ancient fish that is related to the white sturgeon however not nearly as big maybe only like 2 feet the most.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I have a UV sterilizer, although floating algae was never really the problem and it doesn't seem to affect the string algae too much. I also have cattails and such which do seem to help with the sunlight.

I have looked into the possibility of ghost shrimp before, but never actually went through with them. I may have to do that, but I'm afraid it would be tough to get enough to actually put a dent in the pond. I also have plenty of snails in there now which take care of everything but the string algae.

I think the thing I'll benefit most from is digging this section deeper to help reduce the % of water that is on the surface and most affected by the sun. I noticed the string algae is at it's worst in the shallower areas.


The sterlet is a great idea. I absolutely love them. I just haven't been able to find one for sale around here. And up until recently wasn't sure if it'd be able to survive the winter. I'm gonna do some deeper investigating this year to see if I can get one or two. Those fish are gorgeous and so much different from the same old boring fish that survive in this weather.


I'll have pics of the pond up soon if it ever stops raining. I can't wait for a few weeks from now when the plants start to fill in and the place actually starts to come to life again.. right now the pond looks so dreary that I'd almost be embarrassed to post pics here.
 
i got some old pics of what it used to look like but right now its a half ass pond because im adding on to it. Do you want me to upload my pics.. I would like to see your pond also
 
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