Green water build-up happens during the abrupt alternation from cold to hot temperature. Typically, when the temperature is low and there's a minimal amount of sunlight, pond water stays cold. However, when the warm months come, water temperature increases quickly. This swift temperature transition is responsible for the growth of algae that causes the build-up of green water in ponds.

An amateur pond owner will likely drain the pond and fill it up with fresh water to eliminate the algae infested pond. Doing this, you happen to be providing food for the algae instead of killing them. Did you know that fresh water provides nourishment to algae? Factors such as direct sunlight and warm water aggravate the growth of algae in ponds.

Nevertheless, a skilled pond owner knows that spring or warm season is normal period for ponds to get green. They are patient in controlling algae build-up, and consider algae as normal in the pond’s life cycle. Algae normally die right after it absorbed the nutrients in water, and also the pond will gradually clear.

Green water in ponds can cause headache, especially if you have shelled out thousands of bucks in beautifying your ponds. Worry no more! Green water ponds can be treated just like purifying your drinking water.

Heed from these tips on how to treat your green ponds:

1. Placing surface plants in ponds can control those ugly algae from coming. As what has been mentioned previously, sunlight can contribute to the growth of algae; thus, the use of surface plants can block the sunlight and reduce the heat from reaching the water. Surface plants’ roots absorb nutrients and compete with algae for food.

One ideal natural plant that can be added in ponds is the barley straw. Most pond keepers claim that barley straw is a miracle cure for green water. It takes a month or two for the barley straw to take effect, but the results are worth the wait.

2. Too much fish in a pond can be detrimental and contribute to green water. Fish waste serves as food for algae. So if your pond is teeming with fish, it is advisable to have them reduced to prevent excessive greening of water. Nevertheless, should you wish to keep those fish in the pond, use biological filters for ponds.

3. The biological filter should fit the size of your ponds. Calculate the volume of water: length (in feet) X width X depth X 2.7 = volume in U.S. gallons. Also, read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

4. One of the greatest tools in treating green water is the ultra violet (UV) filters. It is proven effective in destroying algae, and it does not affect the water quality. UV filters does not harm fish and the pond water itself. The unit is easy to install and run, perfect for any pond sizes. The ultra violet light kills the single-celled algae and filters the dead algae, leaving spotless and clear flowing water into the pond.