How to best remove algae from your fountain

Algae is the green plant formation that can appear in most bodies of natural or man made water sources. When the water is stagnant, algae has a ripe breeding ground to multiple and expand. Algae is both an unpleasant sight and a harmful organism to the functionality of your pump. By running the fountain often and cleaning it you will be able to prevent invasive vegetation. However, we have plenty of suggestions on what to do when algae does from on your stone or metal water feature.

Add algae inhibitors

There are many algae forming inhibitors that we recommend to use. A natural method is to add barley to the pool or bottom tier of your outdoor fountain. Wrap the barley straw in some netting place it all under the water in the deepest areas of the fountain. If the barley flows, weigh it down with a rock or brick. The barely will decompose which omits an enzyme prevents the formation of algae. This is safe for fish in the water as well.

There are also chemical algae inhibitors which you can purchase from us in our pond products collection. Applying once every three months is a standard to be followed. However, you can add these chemicals more often if algae does visibly form. These chemicals are usually not safe for fish. It is best to simply check the label regarding this issue.

Shade your water feature

Algae love stagnant water will much sunshine. Just like any other plant, they require sunlight to perform photosynthesis. In fact, almost half of the world’s photosynthesis processes come from algae

If you can move our fountain easily, then place it in a shady area. You could also plant other vegetation that will grow and cast a shade on the water feature. These plants might include lattice, bamboo peach trees.

Remove algae as you see it forming

Aside from preventative measures, we also have tips on the best way to clean your fountain of disgusting algae. Firstly, use a pond net to pick up all of the algae flowing in the basin and tiers of the fountain.

Once the rogue algae is fished out of the water, you will need to drain the feature. Scrub algae off the sides using a nylon brush and vinegar. You could also use bleach if it will not discolor your fountain.  This should remove all of the algae. We recommend you rinse the feature thoroughly before refilling it. Follow up with the preventative chemicals that we discussed above.