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Problems with New Ponds: Blanket Weed

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A common problem with new ponds is the forming of blanket weed due to new water being high in nitrates and phosphates.

'Ricky' has experienced this problem which left him literally pulling his hair out and he considered filling the pond in.

Ricky said, "I recently moved into a new home in which there was a 3000 ltr pond that had not been used in a while and therefore was in a poor state.

I cleaned it all out and installed a filter with a 4w UVC built in along with a fountain pump to feed the filter which feeds a waterfall back into the pond. I also purchased some oxygenating plants and 6 fish. However after about 3 weeks the pond is green with Blanket Weed forming. I have cleared it a few times hoping it will be ok although it never is."

Because Ricky cleaned out the pond, refilled it and bought a new pond filter the water is no longer mature. The new water in the pond might be high in nitrates and phosphates (which appear in tap water and algae feed on) and lacking in beneficial bacteria.

Excess sunlight at certain times of the year and the high levels of phosphates and nitrates create ideal conditions for algae to grow. Ricky's pond will now take 2/3 months to settle down and achieve a natural balance, so lots of patience is needed, but it will be worth it!

Ricky also has a problem in that the filtration system he is using is inadequate. For a 3000 ltr pond the filter should have at least an 8 or 16 watt UV and the flow through the filter will need to be between 1,500 and 3,000 litres per hour, so the pump flow rate should be checked. A filter with a fountain pump is not ideal and a solids handling filter pump would be much more effective.

Ricky upgraded his filtration system to a kit containing a filter pump that shifts 2000 litres per hour and a bio filter that has an integrated 16 watt UV and as he still wanted a fountain it was run as a separate entity to the filtration.

For help choosing a pond pump and filtration system for your garden pond call 0161 304 704

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