pond

[bribones]

by balance ,it means that once the plants establish themselves there will be less nutrients in the water for the algae to feed on ,also too many fish for the size of the pond will produce too much waste for the environment to handle,you need to work out how many gallons your pond is and stock it accordingly and a lot depends on how powerfull your pump is and what type of filter you have in line and wether or not you have a UV clarifyer in line all new ponds look like mucky puddles until the water stats sort themselves out and a balance (ie nature sorting itself out) is achieved ,

my large pond is clear water wise but i have algae growing abundantly round the edges ,this is becouse i have a bio filter and uv running,while my small pond which is for wildlife and plant propagation looks like it has a green oil slick floating on the top but is slowly starting to clear, a pond isnt like a tank where you can control everything ,90 gallons is most likely suitable for around 5 fish maybe more if the pump and filter are large enough to handle the waste but if your not sure 5 should be your maximum

 

[Iron Man]

You need some barley straw pads...float it at the top or put it in your filter...it will end your troubles as long as you keep replacing it (every six months?). Its sold in the pond dept of Lowe's and Home Depot (I think) and also at PetSmart.

 

[SConrad]

is it expensive

 

[Iron Man]

Here is an example;

http/www.petsolutions.com/Barley+Straw+P...1320201-I-.aspx

They're generally around that price.

It takes at least a couple weeks for it to take effect because the straw has to begin to break down in the water. Once it does that the water is crystal clear until the straw is completely dissolved in that pondwater...which takes months. One pad would be enough for your pond.