Choked pond.

Hostafan1

My pond is pretty choked with "weed". Is it doing any harm?
I was thinking of getting in and thinning it out , but will I be doing more harm than good if there are any tadpoles in there. 
After an attack by otter/otters some years ago,  there is only one little fish in there but it's so crowded, I can't imagine even the tadpoles are finding it easy to move about. 
Advice appreciated.

Posy

If there are tadpoles in there you will find it very difficult to pull out weed without harming them. You could wait until they leave the pond and then have a good clear out. It does look as if some tlc would be a good idea.

josusa47

When my pondweed gets to this stage, I offer it on Freecycle, there are usually a few takers.  Otherwise wait for autumn when the critters have all matured and moved out, and compost it.

Hostafan1

Thanks both. 
I've no idea what's in there, if anything ( apart from the lone fish ) .
My thought was to go in and just carefully lift some bunches out , nice and slowly so anything in there could "escape"  so as to have some clear water and let the waterlilies flourish . I fear they're struggling.

Lyn

Mine’s the same, I clear it in autumn, all goes on the compost heap. Think how wild ponds get, tadpoles probably survive better, they have more perching places.

Dovefromabove

@Hostafan1 Is that Elodea crispa?  It looks like it. It is problematic in the UK and will have loved the warm weather last year. 

https://www.watersidenursery.co.uk/elodea-crispa-water-hyacinth-ban/

It’ll start growing again now the temps are rising and will need thinning out or all you’ll have is a swamp. When the taddies are bigger and a bit more robust I would fill a large container with pondwater and put chunks of the weed in there so the creatures can be separated from the weed and returned to the pond. 

We have Native hornwort in our pond which is not as rampant ... although it grew like crazy in last year’s warm weather we had to thin it out several times in the autumn. 

Jellyfire

It certainly wont do the tadopoles any harm, they will benefit from the cover if anything, but I would thin it out, partly for your own enjoyment of seeing into the water, and also to create a wider range of habitat. Id agree with Dove and take it out, transfer to a bucket to try and save as much wildlife as you can. Its later than is ideal, but I would still do it now before the warm weather really gets it growing myself

Dovefromabove

And be careful where you dispose of it ... I believe it’s one of those that we mustn’t allow to ‘escape into the wild’. It’ll make good compost tho 👍 

Jellyfire

most definitely, dont let it anywhere near another pond or waterway

Hostafan1

everything which come out of the pond will end up in the compost bins, after any critters vacate.