alge eater for ponds

[cramet]

a frend of mine is having trouble with elge in his pond i dont know what filter system he uses but he is after a fish to eat alge
the pond is mostly in the sun and it has a few plants in it
it has a 3 tear water fall set up
and 6 or7 large gold fish

[Woodsy]

Tell him to get at least 2/3 of it covered by shade, otherwise he's fighting a losing battle. Either that, or he starts chlorinating...

[joz]

If constant green water is the problem I'd really recommend a U/V sterilizer.
These when connected to a pump/filter system will clear up the water within a week.

[cramet]

thanks guys i thought that would be the case i will pass it on

[cichlidboy]

but is there an algae eater anyway?

[lil_fuzzy]

I'd put some azolla or duckweed in there. They grow extremely fast and will suck up nutrients that would normally be used by algae. The only downside is of course that he'd have to keep the azolla/duckweed growth under control. But they grow on the surface and can easily be scooped out.

For an algae eater I'd go with large mystery snails or just your regular old bristlenose catfish. But of course, those are tropical and would prolly have to spend winter in an indoor heated tank... And if it's green water that's the problem no fish can help you. But if it's algae that grows on surfaces they are good.

[Woodsy]

No. Mystery snails will get out and crawl off into your garden. If you're going to go for snails, you want something that is purely aquatic like Waterhouse snails or something along those lines, but be warned, they will breed like...well snails really, and you can end up with a problem there in itself.
Azola is illegal in most states, but you could try water lettuce or water sprite.
Shade is a ponds best friend, then either a UV as Joz has suggested, or something like EcoFix to stay on top of the clarity.

[lil_fuzzy]

I forgot to mention that goldfish eat a fair bit of algae too, so maybe try not feeding them for a few days and see if that inspires them to eat some of it?

[silkieboy]

Try azolla and duckweed as lilfuzzy said. But do note that they grow extremely fast.
Pond snails and even a bunch of glass/ghost shrimps will probably keep the algae at bay. That's what i have in my pond and the water's crystal clear.