How To Solve Green Pond Water Problems In Florida USA

A person in Florida wrote to me with an interesting observation which I would like to share with everyone. Readers who have been with me since the beginning and who have read my book will understand that it is totally unnecessary to have a green pea-soup like pond. It is also unnecessary to keep adding chemicals to kill the algae responsible.

Florida temperatures are very pleasant year round. Apparently the general advice is to build ponds about 18 inches deep. This is a bit on the shallow side but OK. The trouble with shallow ponds is that they go through significant temperature cycles. They warm up quickly and cool down quickly. Fish are not fond of change ... they like steady state systems. In Florida ponds would tend to remain at a relatively high temperatures.

Goldfish and koi like warmth.

Algae also like warm water and sunny climates. As such ponds would have a tendency to green easily and quickly in Florida type climates. This is what the reader and her friends had experienced and had begun to accept as being normal. The Florida resident through reading my book learned about UV and is now well on her way to enjoying her pond the way it should be enjoyed. There is no reason why any pond should not have crystal clear water all year round. The solution is simple, effective and not too expensive. I have no doubt this lady will now provide really good practical advice to her friends and make pond keeping for those friends the pleasure it was meant to be. I remain amazed that so few people are aware of the Blue Light Miracle Worker. An UV clarifier or sterilizer as some people call them is an absolutely essential component of an effective fish pond installation. I am amazed because most pond keepers have the pea-soup problem year in and year out. Because they just do not know about UV.

Does the problem lie with us in the trade either retail or wholesale? Is the reason the preference to sell chemicals (a temporary solution at best) rather than provide the consumer with the best advice and good case studies? Is there just insufficient simple believable information available out there?

Pond keeping is fun, it is simple, low cost and rewarding if done properly....... The alternative is a stinking, expensive green or murky brown eye-sore.

This is what the Florida reader said later ...

I wanted to touch base and let you know that it has been 8 days since I have installed the Ultra Violet light and my pond is crystal clear. I have never in the 6 years of having my fish pond seen clear water except for when a complete water change has been done and then that only lasted a few days before turning completely green again. I am so glad that I found your book on the Internet.

There should be more people out there like you that are not trying to make a killing off of people. In the past 6 years I have spoken to numerous "pond experts" and they have sold me every chemical on the market to clear up the water. Needless to say I still had green water and I have spent hundreds of dollars buying these products because I did not know any different. The day before I found your book on the Internet I was out of state and passed by a nursery and stopped. They had many ponds on their grounds. I spent an hour talking to the owner about my green water problem and at the end of the conversation he sold me 2 products to put in my pond that guaranteed clear water within 3 days of treatment. Needless to say 3 days later my water was still green.

Thank you so much more the information that really helps. It cost me $99 for an 8 watt UV light and I won't have to spend any other money. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR THE HELPFUL INFORMATION YOU HAVE SUPPLIED TO ME ... DEBBIE FROM FLORIDA

Here are a couple of good pond tips

Tip1 Edging a liner pond. Take care that the liner edge is turned up (ie vertical) after laying the edging on top of it. In this way "leaks" due to siphoning effect can be eliminated. Do not leave the last part of the liner flat underneath the edge.

Tip 2 Filling a preformed pond for the first time. Backfill the hole around the pond with soil at the same rate that the water fills up in the pond.... this way you will get a good positioning of the pond against a firm backfill. Tamp the backfill to the best of your ability as the water fills the pond.

Tip 3 Deciding on a liner pond shape Take a hose pipe and create various shapes until you feel happy. Simple shapes are best and more pleasing to the eye when finished. Irregular shapes with narrows and sharp edges are not good designs.