Slimy garden pond!

[bertie21]

Hello everyone, I have a large pond, established about two years ago. For the last couple of weeks I have had a film of white slimy matter across the top, it is also very green. I have looked in a couple of books but can't find any answers. If any one can shed any light on it I would be grateful as I am a bit worried about the effect on my fish. Many thanks.

[WendyS]

I'm sure the heat and long hours of sunshine has made matters worse and the algae has grown out of control. I suggest filling a large bowl or dustbin with tap water, leaving it 2 or 3 days for the chlorine, etc to wear off first as an emergency temporary storage place for your fish. Once you've transferred them, put on some rubber gloves and pull out all the duck week and as much rubbish as you can remove and drain off some of the water and replace it. Putting in one or two of the small barley straw bales (from good acquatic suppliers) will help in the long term but they do take 2 or 3 weeks to start acting. Probably at this time of year all you can do is emergency repairs until the winter when you can give the pond a more thorough overhaul. If you can erect any form of sun shade over the pond for part of the day, this might help prevent some of the algae. I erect a large golf umbrella to shield my pond from the worst of the sun's rays but it is a very very tiny pond and if yours is large, then short of having a gazebo erected over it for a few days to reduce exposure to sunshine, there's possibly not much practical action you can take.

[bertie21]

Thanks Wendy thats good advice as I am a bit of a novice with ponds and fish. Do you have any suggestions what the white trail of slimy matter could be?

[tomtech]

i sorted out a friends pond a few weeks ago while they were on holiday. loads of white slimy cream on top and it stank. turned out the pump had packed up and all the fish were dead. the smell was enough to make you puke. had to clear out the whole pond and start from fresh. hope you havent got same problem ,its awful.

[WendyS]

It's quite possible that that the white slimy matter is some kind of putrefaction (i.e. rotting animal matter). Don't suppose a poor hedgehog accidentally fell in, couldn't climb out, drowned and rotted? It's a common problem with ponds - wildlife falling in and drowning. Also, possibly dead frogs? Does the water really stink? Can you see that your fish are all still alive and swimming around healthily? You may have to do a little delving around with a fishing net to see what you're up against.
My little pond is too small for a pump. I keep it aerated with lots of oxygenated plants and regularly bend down to smell that the water is OK It does rather sound as if you may have something rather rotten in there. Collect up some gunge from the bottom of the pond and smell it. (if you dare). If it makes you heave, you may have to scoop it out with a fishing net or an old saucepan and get rid of it. Watch out for any wildlife caught up in it (i.e. little tadpoles or baby newts) (Don't use your wife's best vegetable cooking saucepan though, otherwise you'll find yourself at the bottom of the pond too !)