http://jeremybiggs.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/its-still-busy-out-there-in-the-pond/ "If only I had found this website last year when I started my pond!” Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:11:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://jeremybiggs.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/its-still-busy-out-there-in-the-pond/#comment-1079 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:17:29 +0000 http://thegardenpondblog.org.uk/?p=2882#comment-1079 My wildlife pond is coming up to eight months old now. It is healthy and lively with wildlife. I need some advice about filamentous algae – how much is too much? I have some of the algae on my aquatic plants and an amount at the base of the pond. I have lifted amounts out of the pond into a tray of the pond water and the algae is full of pond life – mayfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs, water slaters (louse), pond snails etc. Backswimmers and diving beetles are present in the pond, along with a variety of other aquatic critters. We had a resident common frog last year and I am waiting of its reappearance (I live in Warwickshire and it has been very cold up till now). Before the end of last season, pond skaters were seen on the surface of the water. I keep on getting mixed messages from people. On the one hand, I am told that if I don’t remove the algae, the oxygen levels will decrease to the detriment of the wildlife. However, it is clear to me that a certain amount of algae is important to the aquatic animals – as is evidenced from my trays full of lovely little creatures. Can you advise me: should I remove some of the algae from the pond, or should I leave it in the pond as shelter and food for the wildlife? Karen Weber.

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