When dealing with algae, many people don't think beyond the current problem of removing the stringy green mess or clearing the pea soup coloured water.  However, algae occurs for a number of reasons and if you can deal with some of these you have a greater chance of preventing it returning.

Algae thrive for three main reasons:

1 - they use sunlight and nutrients from water to produce food 

2 - they grow by cell division, which allows them to grow very quickly 

3 - they can also reproduce sexually and produce spores, which allows them to adapt to new environments and to remain in the pond as spores through the winter so that they can grow back in the Spring when the weather is warmer.

To help prevent the growth of algae, you need to think about these three factors and try to reduce the likelihood of them occurring in your pond.

1) Limit the amount of nutrients and sunlight to prevent the algae from growing.  You can do this by providing shade for your pond and by adding plenty of plants to the water.  (1/3 to 2/3 of the surface covered in lilies or other aquatic plants is ideal)  If you don't want plants in your pond, try adding them to a filter - a vegetable filter using plants such as watercress is an excellent way of maintaining good water quality - and you can use it in Watercress Soup and salads!  

Keep organic matter down by removing dead leaves from lilies and surrounding plants, as these contribute to the nutrient levels in the pond.  You can also use a product like AquaHydrotech Mud Muncher to reduce the amount of organic matter on the pond bottom.  Finally, don't overfeed your fish as excessive feeding produces excessive fish waste, or even just decaying waste food if the fish don't eat it.

2) Don't give algae the opportunity to grow - Algae are like grass; when grass is cropped by animals, it grows faster in order to maximise it's survival.  Every time you pull algae out of your pond, you are encouraging it to grow faster.  All the microscopic cells that break off as you remove the algae will form brand new algae strands. 

 3) Prevent algae from reproducing by using a good quality liquid barley straw product, such as AquaHydrotech Extract of Barley Straw, to keep the growth of algae under control.  Start dosing early and dose regularly as recommended on the product label.  A good sign that you should start dosing is that your lawn has grown sufficiently to need mowing, then it's also time to start algae prevention.

For further help and information you can contact AquaHydrotech on 01295 273676.