Why is the water in small ponds green. What can be done so that the water in the pond does not bloom

There was a time when springs of crystal clear moisture even protected from the violence of nature. Now, being in direct contact with precipitation and melt waters, forming ponds, begin to bloom. The phenomenon, of course, is unhealthy, and visually unsightly.

As expected, it is subject to mandatory certification. Subsequently, the extracted well water is packaged in containers and supplied for sale as a food product. But there is evidence that the source can become bright green tint. It is not uncommon for algae to appear inside an open or uncleanly washed container.

Algae are, first of all, factors of improper storage and transportation. For example, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight and fever storage.

The cause of greening may be:
. the fluid is not borrowed from a well;
. pollution of the internal space of the technological tank for water storage;
. contamination of bottles, small containers due to the fault of the consumer.

However, there is a cohort of experts who claim the benefits of green algae. Say, there are no specific studies that testify to their harm to the human body.

Unfortunately, well clean water, ready for use, does not pass tests for the presence of organics, pesticides, radionuclides and other chemically harmful infections. These parameters are not tested and their concentration is not measured. Underground water intake structures are the main suppliers of drinking water. At the same time, laboratory quality control is increasingly hypothesizing that flowering and, specifically, greening of water is caused by storage conditions and a low level of container cleanliness. Modern quality control devices detect the presence of weighted components that exceed the permissible norm. And the green tint clearly characterizes the presence of plants in the drinking drink.

Methods for Removing Green Water from a Pool

To determine the ways of their penetration into the container, blooming water must be subjected to laboratory tests to obtain an appropriate conclusion.

For example, to remove greenery in the pool, you again need to know the indicators and motives for their occurrence. For this purpose it is measured:
1. Free chlorine, water hardness, alkalinity, salinity and sulfate content.
2. Probable Cause green, cloudy liquid.

In case of detection of such or the appearance of a slippery surface of the walls of the pool, rechlorination to a level of 25 mg / l with free chlorine should be done.

Conduct and quality machining the entire area of ​​the pool. The chlorine content is preferably maintained at 3 mg/l. And to prevent the appearance of greenery, in the future it is recommended to use the drug "algicil".

Thus, only a competent choice of solving the problem can lead to the elimination, in particular from the pool, of green turbidity.

The flowering of water in the pond occurs due to the development of phytoplankton. So this phenomenon is called, because the clear water in the reservoir suddenly acquires a completely saturated color - most often green, but it can be yellowish and even brown.

Blooms usually begin at a threshold level of algae in water bodies. The norm is the concentration of algae in the range from hundreds to thousands of unicellular algae per 1 ml, depending on the size of the cells of individual species.

When the water blooms, the concentration of algae sometimes reaches a million or more cells per 1 ml. They fill the reservoir so densely that a person sees only clusters of single-celled organisms. And their color depends on the species that went into a state of outbreak.

It remains an open question why these algae multiply so rapidly that water is not even visible between their bodies.

In nature, all water bodies have a constant, balanced composition of substances dissolved in water. The same applies to the species living there - from unicellular organisms to big fish and even birds living on the surface of this water.

Species outbreaks never just happen. This is always accompanied by changes in environmental conditions. They can relate to any parameter of the life of the reservoir. There may be changes to:

• temperature regime;
• chemical composition;
• species composition at the level of any kingdom of living organisms.

All these factors are interconnected with each other. Each of them can be the beginning of a chain of changes that will turn a blue lake into a blooming pond. However, there will be no flowers on it: it will be covered with mud of one color or another.

How do the above factors work?

What can happen in water, for example, when changing temperature regime? Most often, this leads to the death of some species of organisms that are not adapted to more high temperature water. Several predatory fish may fall out of complex food chains and webs.

As a result, herbivorous fish begin to multiply. This leads to a sharp decrease in the food supply, that is, the number of plants. Herbivorous fish begin to die of hunger. As a result, a large ecological niche is vacated, formed by a sharp drop in the number of species from several links in the food chain at once.

Here comes the moment of truth. Some kind of unicellular plants, which had previously had a small number, because competitors killed it, begins to multiply rapidly, filling the entire space of the reservoir. This swiftness does not allow the former species to recover to the desired number.

Most often, flowering occurs due to eutrophication of water bodies. This is translated from ancient Greek means good nutrition. In science, this term describes the process when substances enter the reservoir that stimulate the growth of the bioproductivity of primary producers, that is, plants and, above all, algae.

Eutrophication can be natural or anthropogenic. An example of the first can be the ingress of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds into the reservoir, which lead to an outbreak of algae. As a result, a mountain lake with the purest water turns into a swamp covered with green mud.

Anthropogenic eutrophication is usually associated with the use of mineral fertilizers. Excesses of these substances flow into lakes and rivers, creating favorable conditions for a sharp jump in primary bioproductivity.

Changes in the species composition of a reservoir can occur at the level of long trophic chains, similar to the one described above. However, other situations are also possible. For example, a species of plant gets into the lake, which has not been here before and no one eats it. As a result, this plant (not necessarily an algae) grows rapidly and fills the entire body of water. Such plants may also include multicellular small plants- duckweed and salvinia.

The flowering of the reservoir should not be confused with its overgrowth. big plants like water hyacinth, lotus, water lily, etc. In this case, the parameters of the pond do not change. It’s just that there are so many large plants that, in the end, a swampy lowland is formed on the site of the reservoir, and then completely dry land.

Negative consequences

Usually, eutrophication and subsequent overgrowth of algae and duckweed does not bode well for the ecosystem. It would seem that the more oxygen, the better. In an isolated aquatic ecosystem, things are different.

Oddly enough, the flowering of water bodies leads to the fact that the amount of oxygen in the latter decreases. In parallel with algae and other plants, bacteria begin to multiply, and fungi begin to multiply at the bottom. Since there is no one to eat the plants, their dying parts fall to the bottom, where they become food for fungi, bacteria, and some surviving invertebrates. On fallen organic matter, in addition to fungi, putrefactive bacteria settle. As a result of the activity of all these organisms, the amount of oxygen in the water decreases. Plants cannot cope with the excess carbon dioxide released by bacteria and fungi and also die.

As a result, a reservoir that has undergone the process of eutrophication turns into a fetid pit where only anaerobic bacteria can live, from the activity of which smells of rot and hydrogen sulfide come. This is the sad result of the flowering of the reservoir.

Necessary measures

Eutrophication of natural lakes, rivers and even seas is a major environmental problem which is not so easy to solve. Another thing, if we are talking about a small pond in the country. Its flowering is a predictable process, since it is in conditions of ecological instability.

What to do if the pride of your site suddenly became covered with mud and rapidly began to swamp. There are the following ways to deal with this phenomenon:

1. 1 Water change. As a rule, this process is laborious, since powerful equipment is needed with which water can be delivered to its destination. However, by creating such ponds, people usually create a system for providing them with water.
2. 2 It is possible to use chemicals that can save the reservoir not only from the abundance of algae, but in general from all living things. This act cannot be called environmentally adequate, but a person uses pesticides that are highly toxic, fortunately, temporary.
3. 3 The optimal way out is to try to restore the bio-balance by populating the reservoir with organisms that purify the water. These include hornwort, marsh iris, cattail, etc. Eichornia, also known as water hyacinth, perfectly cleans water. However, it grows rapidly and can quickly capture the entire body of water. However, for temperate climate conditions, this is not scary - water hyacinth does not hibernate here. At this time, it must be transferred to a warm room. You can also put daphnia crustaceans into the pond, which feed on blue-green algae. Shellfish, including bivalves, can be good helpers in cleansing a reservoir. Finally, start herbivorous fish in the right amount
4. 4 If the pond is small, then you can simply cover it with a dark cloth for a while. After a few days, duckweed and algae will mostly die. True, this method is only good when you do not have other plants that you specially cultivate. However, shade can also be created using the plants themselves. If water lilies, egg capsules, chillim are planted in the pond, which take root in the ground, and spread the leaves on the surface of the water, then an outbreak of algae will not happen. Firstly, the leaves of all these plants create a shadow in the water, which will reduce the bioproductivity of bacteria and algae. Secondly, all these plants consume a large amount of minerals, including nitrogen and potassium, so there are simply not enough minerals for the flowering of a reservoir.

Natural lakes, in which all shallow waters are overgrown with egg-pods, water lilies and other similar plants, have dark, but still always clear water.

Fish can live and breed in tap water. You just need to keep in mind that usually tap water is chlorinated, and chlorine, when combined with water, forms hydrochloric, hypochlorous, chlorous and chlorous acids. The latter decomposes rather quickly. Therefore, before you put the fish in a pond with fresh water, you should let it settle for several days. It's even better to check with your local waterworks ahead of time what kind of disinfectant they add to the water, because some substances take longer to decompose than chlorine compounds.

In dry weather in summer, water should be added to the pond in a thin stream from a hose. If you add a lot of fresh water to a small pond at once, this will lead to a sharp change in temperature and an increase in the content of chlorine in the water. In addition to chlorine, the acid-base balance has a great influence on the quality of water. Fish are able to tolerate fairly large fluctuations in the acid-base balance of water, but in some cases the water may be too acidic or too alkaline for them.

Finally, both ash pipeline and rainwater get dirty over time, and this has to be dealt with somehow. Pollutants from the soil can be avoided from entering the pond, in your area there may be fresh air, but nonetheless chemical composition water will inevitably change as a result of the decomposition of fish waste and other organic residues. If you have a small pond with a lot of fish and plants, you will need to clean it from time to time. Below is how to do this.

GREEN WATER

The water turns green due to the large number of small algae that live both in the water column and at its surface. These small algae are harmless to fish, but the water becomes cloudy.

In any new pond, the water becomes greenish two weeks after the pond is filled, and if this is not dealt with in any way, the situation will worsen. If the surface of the pond is warmed by the sun and the water contains a sufficient amount of certain minerals and carbon dioxide, then algae will multiply very quickly. In order for the water not to bloom, it is necessary to create conditions unfavorable for the growth of green algae, the article is pond care. This can be achieved if the surface area of ​​the pond is large enough (at least 3.5 m2) and there are plants that shade the surface of the water and absorb mineral salts and carbon dioxide dissolved in it. To prevent water blooming, it is also necessary to remove dead leaves of plants in time, make sure that food not eaten by fish does not remain in the water, etc.

Unfortunately, dealing with water bloom is not so easy, even if you follow all the recommendations for maintaining balance in the pond given in the article. The main reason for failures is mud raised by fish from the bottom or strong mixing of water with an overly powerful pump.

Sometimes it is simply impossible to create the necessary balance in the pond due to the fact that the water surface area is too small (less than 3.5 m2), the depth in the deepest part does not reach 45 cm, from the surface of the soil or a paved area near the pond, mineral water enters it. substances or organic residues water, or there is little or no higher plants (for example, in a pond with koi carp or with a fountain). In this case, you need to resort to some method of dealing with algae. There are several of them, and among them there are both cheap and expensive ones. For example, a sack of barley straw or peat can be placed at the bottom of a pond, but this usually does not do much good. It is possible to put daphnia into the pond, although the fish will eat the daphnia faster than they will eat the algae. The obvious solution is chemical algae control. There are quite a few such algicides, and most of them act selectively on small algae and are less harmful to other plants and fish. Carefully follow the instructions for use of algicides. You should start applying them before the algae becomes too much. Algicides of selective action give only a temporary effect, they must be applied every 1-4 months. Another type of algaecides are substances that bind algae and organic matter that clog the pond, as a result of which they settle to the bottom. The third way to deal with algae is usually the most effective. This is a harmless dye that does not allow water to pass through, necessary for the development of algae. sunlight. But these are all temporary solutions. It is possible to solve the problem of water purification in a cardinal way only by installing a filter.

weeds PLANTS

There are several types of weeds that spoil appearance pond, interfere with the growth of the desired aquatic plants and make it difficult to look at the fish. First of all, these are filamentous green algae, or filaments. Their long and silky threads are attached to the bottom and walls of the pond or form balls floating in the water. Filamentous and microscopic algae usually do not occur in a pond in which balance is achieved with the help of higher plants. Installing a filter will rid the pond of small algae, but, conversely, will encourage the growth of thread algae. These weeds are best removed from the pond with a net, rake or two-pronged pitchfork. Rotate a rake or pitchfork to wrap as much algae as possible around it and remove it from the pond, putting it in a compost heap. Chemicals It is recommended to apply the fight against filaments only after mechanical cleaning. Plants floating on the surface of the water, sometimes growing beyond measure, such as duckweed, can also clog the pond. Such plants must be removed from the water in a timely manner with a net and not allowed to grow. Also dangerous are fast-growing shore plants growing on a terrace in a pond, which must be drastically cut back if they begin to drown out more delicate plants.

POLLUTED WATER

Contaminated water may not have an unpleasant odor or discoloration, but still be dangerous to plant and/or fish life. There are several types of pollution. As a result of rotting of the leaves of water lilies and other underwater plants, an oily film can form on the surface of the water, which prevents oxygen from penetrating into the water. This film should be removed - stretch a newspaper over the surface of the water. If dry leaves or dead fish rot in the pond, the water turns black. In case of severe pollution, you will have to pump water out of the pond, clean it and only then fill it again. Equally drastic measures should be taken if paint, herbicide or any other harmful chemical has entered the pond. Finally, in small ponds with a large number of fish and plants, after a few years, fish waste, food residues, organic waste, etc. accumulate, during the decomposition of which toxic substances are released. This problem is solved by partial replacement of water in the pond in spring and autumn. Pump out a quarter of the volume of water with a pump, and then add tap water to the pond in a thin stream to the usual level.

MUDDY WATER

Brown cloudy water is harmless to fish and plants, but spoils the appearance of the pond. Water becomes cloudy mainly for two reasons: fish digging in the silt raise turbidity from the bottom of the pond and from the surface of the soil in baskets with plants, or too powerful a pump creates a strong current, which also raises silt from the bottom of the pond. Of course, prevention is better than cure, so plant baskets should be covered with burlap, buy solid-walled baskets, cover the soil surface in them with gravel, and install the pump in such a way that the water movement is not too strong. You can get rid of this problem for a while by applying special chemical substances- flocculants, as a result of which the dirt will settle in flakes at the bottom of the pond. This layer of dirt on the bottom must be removed with a special vacuum cleaner or other means. Unfortunately, the water will turn cloudy again if you do not eliminate the root cause of the cloudiness.

ACID And ALKALINE WATER

To determine the pH of water, there are easy-to-use kits. At pH values ​​from 6.5 to 8.5, water is suitable, but at very low or higher values, it is dangerous for the life of both plants and fish. A pH value of 9.0 or higher means that the water is too alkaline. This is usually the water in ponds with waterproofing made of concrete or artificial stone. All concrete surfaces should therefore be painted over, try to remove as much algae from the pond as possible, and add buffering agents to the water, which can be bought at the same place where aquatic plants are sold. An acidic environment (pH value less than or equal to 6.0, which does not happen very often) occurs due to water entering the pond from the surrounding peatlands. In this case, you need to partially change the water, put limestone in the pond or add buffering reagents.

CLEANING POND

The pond needs to be cleaned if it has begun to leak, a thick layer of silt has formed at the bottom, or the water has become contaminated. On a fine day in late spring or summer, first remove all coastal plants from the pond, and then deep-sea plants. If possible, move them to a temporary pond; if this is not possible, wet the plants with water from a hose, preventing them from drying out. Build a temporary pond in the shade with plastic or butyl rubber sheeting, make separate compartments for fish and plants, and fill with water. Plants with floating leaves and oxygenating plants should be placed in plastic containers filled with water. Start pumping water. When there is not much water left, take out the fish with a net and put them in a temporary tank. Check the condition of the fish and cover their temporary home with a thin net.

Pump out all the water from the pond and remove the silt from the bottom. Scrape the dirt off the walls, being careful not to damage the surface. Refill the pond with tap water and add some old pond water if it is not contaminated. Plant the plants, clean the baskets if necessary, and return the plants to the pond. Finally, carefully release the fish back.

Everyone has encountered the “blooming” of water. In reservoirs, outdoor pools, bottles for watering plants, water acquires a greenish tint over time, and the walls become covered with a specific coating. Should we be afraid of "green" water?

These algae are in the process of photosynthesis and turn the water green.

Reasons for the "bloom" of water

To explain this phenomenon, it is enough to consider a drop of lake water under a microscope. The water is filled with algae.

Algae are capable of photosynthesis - under the influence of light, the cells produce the pigment chlorophyll, which gives the algae their green color. Under adverse environmental conditions - for example, when a reservoir dries up - algae form spores that can for a long time survive without food. These controversies spread different ways, including by air.

Why can water in a bottle turn green?

Water from artesian wells does not contain algae. They simply cannot live at such a depth without access to light. Protera bottled drinking water production technology excludes any external pollution finished products. Thus, water in a closed bottle cannot turn green.

But after opening the bottle, air enters it, with which algae spores can also enter. Natural natural water contains in its composition the minimum concentration of phosphorus, which is a nutrient medium for algae. Under the influence of light, their division and photosynthesis begin. In this case, the water in the bottle may turn green within 2-3 weeks.

Growing algae are attached to the walls of not only bottles, but also filling equipment: pumps, stoppers, coolers, etc. In this case, when changing the water bottle, the equipment can become a source of algae and “greening” the next initially clean bottle.

How to avoid "bloom"

Naturally, "green" water is unpleasant, so you should follow a series simple rules, which will avoid "blooming".

1. When replacing potable water bottles, thoroughly flush the dispensing equipment. Rinse all accessible parts: tubes, etc. Once every six months, call a specialist for a more thorough treatment.
2. Do not keep the bottle open, after removing the cap, immediately install the equipment. Do not take an opened bottle by the neck without a stopper.
3. If possible, use and store water bottles in a dark place out of direct sunlight. If not possible, use an opaque bottle cap.
4. After opening the bottle, do not throw away the cork, close the used bottle afterwards. This will protect against contamination and "greening" of water residues in the bottle.
5. Do not use self-refilling bottles on springs, columns, etc. Without washing and disinfection of reusable containers in a production environment, this can be hazardous to health.

The main problems associated with pond maintenance arise from water pollution. You can also keep fish in tap water, but given that chlorine is added to it, which forms acids with water, it is necessary to defend the water for several days before launching the fish so that the acid has time to decompose. During the summer heat, water should be added to the pond in small portions, if you add a lot of water at a time, this will lead to a change in temperature and an increased chlorine content in the water. When keeping fish in a pond, you need to monitor the acid-base balance.

Why does the water turn green

The reason for the green water is the small algae that live in the pond. The algae itself does not harm the fish, but the water becomes cloudy because of them. Already two weeks after filling the pond with water, it becomes greenish, this must be dealt with, otherwise the situation will only worsen. Algae multiply especially quickly when the surface of the pond warms up. sunbeams and the water contains a lot of carbon dioxide. In the fight against green algae, it is necessary to create unfavorable conditions for them. The situation will be better if the area of ​​the pond is more than 3.5 square meters and there are plants in the pond that shade its surface and absorb carbon dioxide and mineral salts from the water. It is also necessary to regularly clean the water from fallen leaves and food not eaten by fish.

Even if you follow all the recommendations for cleaning the pond, it is very difficult to deal with green algae, as fish raise silt from the bottom of the pond, a powerful pump mixes the water too much. The fight against algae becomes much more difficult if the area of ​​the pond is too small (less than 3.5 sq.m), if the depth of the pond is less than 45 cm, if there are no plants in the pond. In this case, you need to resort to chemical means of water purification from algae. It is advisable to use algaecides, which are the least harmful to fish and plants. There are selective algicides that give an effect within 1-4 months. Another type of algaecide binds organic matter and algae, causing them to settle to the bottom of the pond.

All of the above water purification products allow you to get rid of algae only on a short time. Only a water filter can fundamentally solve the problem.

weeds

Weeds can ruin the look of a pond, as well as hinder the growth of ornamental aquatic plants and make it difficult to see fish. Aquatic weeds are filamentous algae that cling to the bottom and walls of the pond and form balls that float in the water. Filamentous algae or filamentous algae do not form in those ponds where they are planted higher plants bringing the pond to a state of equilibrium. On the contrary, there are many of them where filters are installed. Threads are best removed with a net, two-horned pitchfork or rake. The pitchfork and rake must be turned in the water, thus winding the algae, which must be removed from the pond. Clog the pond and plants floating on the surface of the water (duckweed). They need to be caught out of the water in a timely manner, before they grow too large. It is also necessary to fight against aggressive coastal plants, which, growing, begin to displace tender plants.

polluted water

Dirty water is dangerous to fish and plants, although it may be colorless and odorless. Water can be polluted by rotting leaves of underwater plants, resulting in an oily film on the surface of the pond that prevents oxygen from entering the pond. Such a film must be removed, you can use a newspaper that absorbs it. When dry leaves or dead fish rot, the water turns black. If the water is heavily polluted, it is necessary to pump it out, fill the pond with new water after it has been thoroughly cleaned. Water must also be pumped out if chemicals (paint, herbicides, etc.) have entered the pond. In small ponds, fish waste gradually accumulates, releasing toxins during decomposition. Partial replacement of water in the fall and eternal will help to cope with this problem. Water is pumped out with a pump to a quarter of the total volume, then clean water is added with a thin stream to the usual level.

muddy water

muddy water Brown color although not dangerous to plants and fish, it greatly spoils the appearance of the pond. The causes of cloudy water are too powerful a pump or turbidity raised by fish from the bottom and from baskets in which plants are planted. Prevention will help to cope with this problem: it is better to cover the baskets on top with burlap or fill it with gravel, and install the pump so that it does not create a strong flow of water. Chemical agents (flocculants) will help to cope with this problem only for a while, while the flakes that have settled on the bottom of the pond must be removed, but the water will become cloudy again if the main pollutants are not removed.

Acidic or alkaline water

To determine the level of acidity of water, you need to use special devices. If the pH level is in the range of 6.5-8.5, then the water is suitable for use. If the level is above or below these values, then plants and fish cannot be bred in such water. At a pH value of 9.0 and above, the water is alkaline, this phenomenon is most often observed when waterproofing a pond made of artificial stone or concrete. Therefore, before using the pond, all concrete surfaces must be painted over, and buffering agents must then be added to the water. Water is acidic if the pH value is 6.0 or less. An acidic environment occurs when water from peat bogs enters the pond. In this case, you need to partially change the water and put limestone in the pond.

Pond cleaning

If the water in the pond is polluted or there is too thick a layer of silt at the bottom, this means that the pond needs to be cleaned. In spring or summer, shore and underwater plants are removed from the pond, which can be placed in a temporary pond made of plastic or butyl rubber sheeting. Plants-oxygenators and floating on the surface of the water are placed in plastic containers filled with water. The water is then pumped out of the pond. When there is little water left, the fish are taken out with a net and transplanted into the tank. After all the water is pumped out of the pond, silt is removed from the bottom. Dirt must also be removed from the walls of the pond. Then the pond is filled with water again (clean tap water with a small amount of old water added). After filling with water, you can plant plants again and start the fish.