“New pond syndrome”…we all go through it at some point. New pond syndrome can be very stressful because you get handed beautiful masterpiece that you’ve dreamed of and waited for and then WHAM, the pond goes completely green. And then what do we do?

Panic and throw in as much algaecide as possible?

WAIT—read this blog first!

Some refer to it as “pea soup” green and if it’s in your water, then it means that your pond ecosystem is “out of balance”.  “New Pond Syndrome” or “Green Water Syndrome” typically happens with new ponds and shortly after a Spring Cleaning when the beneficial bacteria colonies haven’t quite began working for the season. 

It’s natural to want your pond to stay as clear as it was on Day 1 but a real outdoor pond with aquatic plants and fish is in its most natural state with some algae growth on the rocks and a leaf or two that did not make it into your skimming system. The more you feed your pond fish, the more they poop—so expect to have to add water treatments and perform necessary yearly cleanouts to help take care of the natural ecosystem living within your pond. Also- SUN: if you have sun and you have water, you will have algae! With the right steps, you can help prevent green water or simply combat it when it rears its ugly head.

If you have an Aquascape Filtration System (what Dreamscapes Watergardens installs with)—you should have BioMedia called "Bioballs" in your top box, also known as a Biofalls. BioMedia (along with the rocks and gravel in your pond) gives Beneficial Bacteria a place to grow and colonize. Beneficial Bacteria helps to break down the dead organic matter (such as decaying leaves or fish poop) in a pond once it exists. When you first start a pond up for the season, it takes a little while for those beneficial bacteria to colonize big enough to be able to take care of the fish load. We usually recommend double dosing with Aquascapes Beneficial Bacteria for a few weeks to BOOST your colonies. The good news is that you can not overdose with this stuff, meaning you can not harm the plants, fish or other wildlife by adding more than the standard dosing for your size waterfeature.

*NOTE: NEVER clean off your Bioballs once you get going for the season -- don't even lift them up into the air to clean off the filter mats in the Biofalls. Everytime you expose your bioballs (or lavarock if you're rockin' a different system) to oxygen or hose them off, you kill off ALL of your beneficial bacteria colonies and are starting over from scratch! They may start to look mucky and gross, but I promise you, it's okay!

 Plant roots fight for the same nutrients in the pond that algae does and if plants are pulling the nutrients first, algae has less room to grow. Marginal plants help filter water and lilies help shade the water from the sun. Until plants have fully woke up for the season and/or matured, algae unfortunately has free reign to grow. Therefore, it's going to be a little bit of a battle until your plants have grown up and your get into a maintenance routine.

For more information on aquatic plants in our area of Central Pennsylvania, read our Aquatic Plants Blog!

Once you have an algae problem in your pond, you have to kill the algae in order to get rid of it. The best way to do this as a REACTIVE measure is to apply an algaecide to the water by paying close attention to your dosing rates. Any algaecide from any company has to deplete the oxygen levels in your water in order to starve the algae of what it needs most. BUT, that means it's also taking the oxygen from your fish! Dosing more than your actual gallons of water can suffocate the fish and cause stress, reducing their slim coat, if not fatality.

SAB, Stream & Pond Clean. SAB is made specifically for STRING algae that exists in the pond, as it contains pure strains of concentrated beneficial bacteria and enzymes and is ideal for breaking down debris in ponds. This natural cleanser helps to maintain a strong biological balance, which ensures a clean and healthy pond.

Liquid Algaecide is designed to specifically treat PEASOUP green water (like the picture at the beginning of this post), as well as, mild cases of string algae.

Ecoblast Contact Granular Algaecide works great at killing off the algae that grows on the rocks and gravel of your waterfall. This algaecide treats controls and prevents a broad spectrum of planktonic and filamentous algae. In order to work, this granular has to make direct contact with the algae (i.e. unplug your pump and let all the waterfall water run into the pond before sprinkling this product on).

Beneficial Bacteria. While this is not an algaecide, it works hand in hand with an algaecide IN THAT your algaecide kills the algae while you're beneficial bacteria breaks it down! If you don't break down the dead algae, the algae will inevitably fertilize more algae growth: much like manure does in a cornfield.

Green water is rarely uncomfortable or dangerous for fish and they need no special treatment during this time, and feedings should continue as usual. However, for more specific information on your pond water balance, please contact us directly!

Located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dreamscapes Watergardens installs and renovates koi fish ponds and pondless waterfalls (disappearing waterfalls) all over the Central Pennsylvania area. For more information on koi ponds and waterfeature installations, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also carries a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania,

BY: Aquascape


Two basic methods exist for planting water lilies.

1. 1) Design plant pockets within the pond itself
2. 2) Aquatic Plant Pots.


3. The method you choose should be considered prior to pond construction. The actual planting of the lily will be the same, however, regardless of your chosen planting option.

The first thing you’ll want to do when planting water lilies is to determine the size and location of the lilies. Water lilies adjust their growth to the size of the area they’re planted in. Size the plant pocket or aquatic pot according to the size of the pond. As a general rule, your plant pocket should be 16” to 18” wide by 6” deep.  If you choose to use an aquatic plant pot, Aquascape’s Aquatic Lily Pot is a great choice.

In a large pond, you may want the lilies to grow larger. Planting them in even larger plant pockets provides them with enough space to grow proportionate to the size of the pond. The size of the plant pocket in a larger pond should be about 24” wide.
If you choose to plant water lilies using an aquatic pot, your hole in the pond should be just deep enough so the top of the pot is level with the bottom of the pond excavation. Allow a little extra room on the sides for folds in the liner. Ultimately, when the floor of the pond is graveled, it will have a flat, consistent appearance with no pots showing. If you are installing a water lily in an existing pond that doesn’t have planting pockets, you should create a ring of rocks around the lily pot to hide it.

Placement considerations are important, too. Water lilies do not like heavy water movement or water splashing on their foliage, so they should not be located close to a waterfall or the base of a stream. Also, the lily should not block the flow of water and debris into the pond’s skimmer.

After the liner is in place and the pond has been rocked, clean out any gravel that has fallen into the planting pocket. If you’re using an aquatic pot, place the pot down into the hole you created and fill the area around the pot with gravel so the pot isn’t visible.
If you’re planting the lily directly in the pocket, fill it to within one inch of the top with Aquascape Pond Plant Potting Media. Avoid using any type of potting soil that contains other added media, as it will float in the water. It’s also important to make sure the soil has not been treated with any type of chemical that might harm the fish.

Fertilizing water lilies on a regular basis is highly recommended to optimize their beautiful blooms. Time-released, granular fertilizer mixed into the soil at the bottom of the pot or plant pocket is a great way to fertilize lilies at the time of planting. When fertilizing existing water lilies, tablets are a great option since you simply push them into the soil.
Whichever fertilizer you use, be careful not to put it in direct contact with the plant’s roots. Instead, push tablets against the sides of the pot, away from the plant. Mix granular fertilizer in only the bottom of the pot or plant pockets.

To keep water lilies healthy and vibrant throughout the pond season, remind your customers to remove yellow or dead leaves, along with any spent flowers, on a regular basis. This prevents decaying foliage from sinking to the bottom of the pond and decomposing. Stems should always be pruned back as close to the water lily rhizome as possible.
Water lilies are the jewels of the water garden and are available in an amazing variety of types, sizes, and colors. Be sure to plant these aquatic beauties whenever installing a pond. Your customer will appreciate the Monet’s garden that you’ve started for them.

For more specific information on water lillies of varying colors for your pond, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also carries a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com


Dreamscapes Watergardens services the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania,