My Water is Covered in Foam! What Should I Do Now?

Foam is a natural occurrence on your pond, and in small amounts won’t harm fish, but it is important to get a handle on it before it starts affecting the oxygen and light levels in your water. Not to mention that it’s not very nice to look at.

Why is My Pond Water Foamy?

Pond foam is caused by organic material breaking down within your pond’s water. Leaves, fish waste, or uneaten food can cause this. This is part of why a pond filter is so important because it helps keep you from getting a foamy pond.

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How to Get Rid of Foam on Your Pond

Improve Filtration

Checking in on your filtration is always the first step in pond cleaning. The most obvious place for this is your pond skimmer and pond filter. Ensure that they’re working properly, not clogged, and the right size for your pond. To double-check your filter’s capacity is right, multiply your pond’s capacity in liters by 1.5. That result gives you your ideal filter capacity. So, for a 9000-liter pond X 1.5= 13,500, you’ll want a filter that’s suitable for up to 13,5000 liters.

Another great filtration option is adding more living plants to your water. Plants are natural filters and will help keep the water clean.

Install a Pond Skimmer

If you don’t already have one, a pond skimmer is a great tool to ensure you get all the organic material off the top of the water before it starts to break down and cause foam. All this without you having to scoop up every leaf with a net. Pond skimmers usually sit at the side of your pond right at water level or a little lower, so gravity helps push the water and debris out.

The water is then pumped out without the junk. In this case, it’s critical to get the right size that fits neatly into your pump and can handle the amount of water coming in while still catching everything.

Get the PondMAX In-Pond Skimmer! If you are ready to order, visit our Dealer Locator to find a store near you: castleaquatics.com/dealer

Check Your Fish Load

If your filtration is working great, the problem might be too many fish in the pond. Overcrowding your fish will lead to more fish waste than the water and filtration system can handle. The calculation to determine if you have the right amount of water for koi fish is 1-2 koi or 2-3 goldfish per 200 gallons of water. So, if you have a 2400-gallon pond, you can have a maximum of 24 koi or 36 goldfish. (2400/200= 12 X 2=24 or 2400/200= 12 X 3= 36)

Cut Back on Meals

Even if you have the perfect number of fish, you could overfeed them. Feeding fish too much or too often can leave excess food in the water to be broken down later. Watch what happens after feeding, and tailor the amounts you’re giving so that you only give them the amount they can eat in a few minutes.

Try the PondMAX Automatic Fish Feeder! And fill the feeder with PondMAX Fish Food: Spring & Fall Wheat Germ Diet, Color Enhancing, or Staple Growth Diet. If you are ready to order, visit our Dealer Locator to find a store near you: castleaquatics.com/dealer

Test and Optimize Water Quality

Signs that your water can’t handle the amount of waste in it can include high levels of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. Having a water test kit on hand to double-check the levels can help you know when to use additives that bring these chemicals back into balance.

Foam Free Fun

Cleaning out the debris, ensuring you have the right amount of fish and filtration, and feeding the right amount of food will help you keep foam under control in your pond. For more tips and tricks on great pond care, visit our website or to connect with an expert, call ………

Check out our PondMAX (www.pondmax.com) and Teton (www.tetonus.com) websites to find all your water garden product needs!

If you are ready to order, visit our Dealer Locator to find a store near you: castleaquatics.com/dealer

Want to become an Authorized Dealer with Castle Aquatics? Click here to learn more!