Originally posted by wvwhitetail:
I am needing a little help.I have a goldfish pond in the backyard everything looked great till we came home yesterday from camping all weekend.It was perfectly clear and could see all the way to bottom.Came home and it is completely green and have lost some koi fish.I not sure if it is from the rain or the whirly birds coming off the trees or what.Any suggestions would help.Thanks WV
Forgot pond is about 16x16 and 2 1/2 feet deep waterfall and skimmer filter.Filter has been pretty clean.And I have noticed some foaming around filter and pump.
wv,
Sorry I missed this post - don't usually look down this far!
Anyway, I also have a koi pond in the backyard...your problem is pretty common, AND the bain of everyone with a koi pond! Problem is the water temp is rising, but your 'desirable' plants (water lillies, etc.) haven't really gotten going yet, and therefore the 'undesirable' plants (algae) are taking advantage of the extra nurients in the water (i.e. decomposing whirlybirds!)!
While I have NO doubt that Free-Loader's suggestion will work, personally I just don't like putting any chemicals in my pond.
If you remove as much of the whirly birds (and any other organic material that you can - such as leaves left over from last fall, etc.!), add some "good" bacteria to jump start your biological filtration process, and then if you still need a little help - add a little barley straw!
Like I said, I have no doubt that there are chemicals that will work, I just have seen people get into a viscious cycle with chemicals and/or end up killing their fish! I just figure that 'Mother Nature' has been doing it for eons without chemicals, so if I can get everything in balance I should be able to too!!!
