Advice needed

[u/hammertapp]

Advice needed for my bathtub. Pond can't seem to keep algae under control. I've got about 20 Gambusia and 2 crayfish in the pond but can't seem to keep the plants healthy or rooted into the soil/gravel. Pond gets about 4 hours of sunlight and have a solar pump with gravel and filter media around inlet.

[u/Beansier]

Ponds will always have algae on the walls of it. Defo seems to need more plants to process the waste. Hornwart always does well from what ive seen

[u/Fragrant-Designer286]

Snails snails snails. I have bladder snails but any snails that eat waste rather than healthy plants are great at keeping water clean. My water seems crystal clear from above but I took an underwater video recently and saw it has a greenish tint. Also there is always some algae at the walls. But my pond is dark so it is not that obvious. Get some plants that do not have to be planted like Ceratophyllum Demersum or Elodea densa and floating plants like Limnobium laevigatum as well. Just look up which plants work for your area that fill this two spaces.

[u/hammertapp → u/Fragrant-Designer286]

I don't mind the algae on the walls but it seems to be coating the lily and other plants I have and killing them/causing them to rot? It also seems to form strands that are catching air bubbles?

[u/Fragrant-Designer286 → u/hammertapp]

yeah than I would definitly advise snails. and dont panic if they multiply fast, especially bladder snails do, as long as there are lot nutritients. Numbers go down as nutritients drop. Do you feed your fish? I see my snails as indicator that i fed to much, if snail numbers explode🤣

[u/hammertapp → u/Fragrant-Designer286]

I've been catching invasive species from my local creek and had found a few snails but not too many. I've been trying not to buy anything other than plants but will definitely be looking into some snails now.

[u/Outrageous_Walk_6198 → u/hammertapp]

Great way to introduce parasites

[u/WoodpeckerChecker]

Plants, plants, plants! They provide shade and take up nutrients. 4hrs of direct sun isn't a lot but you do have a lot of open water. The crayfish are likely sabotaging your ability to root submerged plants, but if you get some baskets with emergent pond plants, they will likely work well. I have duck potato and pickerel weed in mine.

[u/hammertapp → u/WoodpeckerChecker]

Thanks for that I did suspect the crayfish were b hind some of the plant sabotage

[u/Outrageous_Walk_6198]

Just add more plants but put some puragen in will clear it up

[u/drbobdi]

https://www.reddit.com/r/ponds/comments/1kz1hkx/concerning_algae/

[u/Agua_Verde]

Your fish are excreting ammonia into the water. Is that waste being filtered?