foamy pond

[lyn]

Could anyone gove me some info on garden pond cleaners or any thing similar please.I have only just started "doing " ponds and i am eager for any info that you have got.I have got fish in one pond 3 large goldfish, and in the bottom pond i have 2 small fish and lots and lots of taddies with their mums (or dads).The water is looking foamy but the filters have all been cleaned.Do i need to do a water change?should i wait untill the taddies have left home and empty the ponds completly I cant find any reference in any of my books....Someone was telling me about a cleaner that you can use..bit like a dyson i suppose! ....has anyone got any advise please....lyn

[Margaret]

Hi Lyn.First of all,if you can keep the fish in one pond and the tadpoles and frogs in the other,you are off to a good start.They have very different requirements and will be happier for it.Pumps and amphibians definitely do not mix.

The tadpoles and frogs will benefit from a still and heavily planted pond.Keeping it as a nature pond will ensure a supply of food and somewhere to cool off and later breed when the need arises.

The foaming is quite common,i am getting it at the moment and it is mothing to worry about.It is usually caused by excees sediment from the bottom of the pond and algae/blanketweed being forced through into the filter by the pump.By all means dredge the bottom of the pond to remove any  sludge and keep on top of the filter cleaning.it will soon die down.i never treat my ponds with anything unless there is absolutely no alternative.You could also do a small water change so long as you use a dechlorinator on the fresh water.No,never empty a pond unless you really have major problems,you will do far more harm than good.Make sure you have plenty of good healthy plants,planted in aquatic soil only,and be careful not to overfeed.

[gilgamesh]

Foaming ponds are normally a sign that you have free proteins knocking about, as Margaret says. This can come from algae (including unicellular algae that you can't really see with the naked eye), or from animal sources (if your filter is pureeing the daphnia or cyclopes, for example), and is unsightly, but no real problem. Unless you are getting surface water contamination (rainwater runoff from roads etc.) it's unlikely to be detergent foam, but if you are taking water from a surface source, it's just possible that that's the cause. If it is, and ONLY if it is, a water change is worth considering. The commonest cause of algal proliferating, be it bloom or blanket weed, is an elevated nitrogen level. Short of installing a straw bale filter, there's not much you can do about it, except removing excess blanket weed. Unfortunately, doing that means splatting too many invertebrates for it to be attractive in my eyes.

[lyn]

Thank you all for your comment,s.It is reasurring to know it isnt just my pond that is going haywire...The plants are thriving as are the fish...in my "bible of pondkeeping"it says that ailing fish and plants are an idication that something is amiss so i hadn,t got the foggiest what to do! I think i have leeches and things that look like earwigs but they live inthe plants are these the John Wayne (goodies) or are they baddies?.Do i have to get rid of all my plants and restock?Sorry to ask so may questions!
Lyn

[Margaret]

Hello Lyn.You feel free  to ask as many questions as you want.Better that than guess and get it wrong.The creatures you describe as "earwigs " are probably water lice.They are harmless and will actually make good food for the fish.They feed on decaying material so they are certainly beneficial.Leeches too are no threat and also feed on detritus.i have both in my ponds and never have any problems,though if the leeches become too plentiful you are better off putting them into the nature pond.

[lyn]

Thanks once again Margaret for your help.If this pond habit isnt addictive enough this site is worse!My hubbie says i need rehab!.as long as i can take the pond,cats and dogs with me i can live with it!