In swimming and decorative pools, people consider green algae a messy, inconvenient nuisance. It clouds up the water and keeps people from swimming. But in ponds and aquariums that house fish or other animals, algae can be a valuable part of the environment. The microscopic plants provide additional nutrition for the animals, and help to oxygenate the water. Growing and harvesting algae can be a constructive enterprise. Take a couple steps to cultivate your algae, and then harvest it. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Provide light for algae growth. Like any other plant, algae needs sunlight to photosynthesize. Cut away any vegetation that's shading your pond, or provide UV lighting to give the algae six to eight hours of light every day. Provide your algae with nutrition; the nitrates excreted by fish make a nutritious food for algae, and algae wafers can be purchased at aquarium supply shops.
2. Control the water temperature and movement in your pond. Algae will grow and flourish in water that is slightly warm, with very little movement. Adding lights to the area will help warm the water and maintain the algae.
3. Harvest algae when it's blooming and is easy to see. Use a net with very fine mesh to harvest algae alone, or a bowl or cup to harvest algae along with a supply of water. Drag the net or cup through the water to scoop algae up. If you want to harvest algae that's growing on something, lift the object up out of the water and transfer it to a container for transport.
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