Planktonic pond algae, commonly referred to as “pea soup” algae, is free-floating microscopic algae that gets its nickname because its color and opacity resembles pea soup. This kind of algae is common in new ponds for many of the same reasons why brown algae is common in new aquariums – an abundance of available nutrients from initial setup. In particular, planktonic pond algae feeds on phosphates, which is fairly common in tapwater. This explains pea soup algae’s presence in new ponds.
This pond algae can also appear annually during the spring and summer months, depending on nutrient levels. When ponds first start warming up after winter, algae reproduction begins to hasten before many of the organisms that feed on them gain in population. As a result, spring algae blooms are very common.
As rotifers and daphnia gradually repopulate a pond during spring, they feed on algae and bring the algae population back under control. Later on in the summer months after birth however, fish fry feed on the rotifers and daphnia, leaving an opportunity for a summer algae bloom.
So is there anything that can be done to prevent or get rid of this algae? Like any algae problem, I always recommend addressing the root of the problem first, which is an excess of nutrients. An investigation into the pondwater content and source is a good starting point along that path. If you already have an algae bloom and are interested in removal however, pea soup pond algae is unfortunately too small to be removed using a net or skimmer. So with that in mind, the easiest way to tackle the problem is to get a UV light or pile on the biological filters. Good luck!
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nice article, keep the posts coming