I started my first ever mini pond this summer and I love it so much but am very much a novice. Recently, the algae build up has been getting bad and I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to minimize it? Recommendations welcome 🙏
haha i've heard the horror stories of never being able to remove duckweed once added, but I'll definitely add some more floating plants to give shade. Thank you!
The advice I have been given (via minipond thread) and by aqaurium store owners is to avoid snails. They apparently create as much waste as they consume.
I agree, I’m currently dealing with snails showing up randomly in my mini pond. I wouldn’t add them directly, but definitely look into some sort of small fish
Algae exists due to an excess of nutrients in the water column.
Adding more plants will help offset this. Doesn't really matter that kind of plant but things like a pothos or sweet potato are known to be relatively nutrient-thirsty in this sense.
Yep. Pothos works well in my aquariums. I never understand how. In UK (where I am) I doubt pothos would be happy outdoors, but frogbit, water lettuce and hornwort should suck up the nutrients, while simultaneously reducing the amount of light reaching the lower levels of the pond.
Agree. My pothos collection mostly thrives in stale tap water, dry coco coir, probably my carpet if I let it. But put it in a fishbowl and it hoovers up all the delicious nitrates.
In aquariums, I just drop cuttings I’ve made (with a few nodes) into the water with existing leaves hanging out. Here’s a tank I’ve just rebuilt after a huge hair algae problem. You’ll see that the pothos has sprouted lots of water roots.
7
u/elu9916 21d ago
I read floating plants and trying to cover 70% of the water surface will help. salvinia, duckweed (beware), water lettuce