Best Pond Dyes That Control Algae & Won’t Harm Your Fish | Product Reviews

Products recommended in this post contain affiliate links. If you buy something through our posts, we may receive a commission at no extra charge to you. See our full disclosures here.

If you want to adjust the color of your pond’s water, block out aquatic weeds, or prevent algae from growing, adding quality pond dye to your water can be one of the best decisions you’ll make.

Pond dye comes in a wide variety of colors and works to help keep predators away from your fish while also making your fish feel less stressed and more secure. Both of these lead to happier, healthier fish, with less maintenance required on your part.

Best Pond Dye Reviews

With so many different pond dyes available, choosing the right one can be difficult. We have done the hard work for you and sifted through hundreds of different products, as well as hundreds of customer reviews, to give you a list of the best pond dye reviews.
helps prevent algae - safe for lifestock and fish
  • easy to use and apply
  • Keeps The Pond A Really Nice Shade Of Blue.
  • No Mess Involved In Putting The Dye In The Pond
amazing blue - shades and protect pond all year
  • Works Great And Easy To Add To The Pond
  • Helped With Algae And Helps Great
  • Makes Water A Nice Caribbean Blue.
makes water pretty - creates a natural looking body of water
  • Looks Great, Especially If You Have Lighter Colored Rocks On The Bottom
  • No Harm To Fish Or Plants
  • No Staining Of Rocks
Excellent and Beautiful - Recommended
  • Totally Simple To Use And Totally Without Mess Or Waste
  • Great Color At A Great Price
  • Great Product And Long Lasting
protects and shade your pond - great quality
  • easy to use
  • Convenient Water Soluble Packets
  • Packets Break Open And Disperse Quickly
  • Helps Control Algae And The Dark Blue Color Is Great & Subtle
aqua blue water - enhancing the aesthetic qualities of a water body
  • Shades Your Pond An Aqua-Blue Color
  • Use In Natural And Manmade Ponds, Lakes And Fountains
  • Designed To Screen Or Shade Portions Of The Sunlight Spectrum
super concentrated - excellent value
  • Provides A Natural Blue Tint To Pond Water
  • safe for water animals
  • very attractive
beautiful color - highest concentration on the market
  • Worked In A Spray Water Fountain
  • True Blue Pond Dye
  • Safe For Humans And Animals
provides natural blue - designed for water gardens and koi ponds
  • Keep UV Rays Off Pond
  • Will Not Stain Rocks Or Plants Or Fish
  • Gorgeous And Safe For Fish
creates beautiful blue water - highly effective
  • helps reduce algae
  • affordable and simple to use
  • good value and last a long time

Highlights

  • easy to use and apply
  • Keeps the pond a really nice shade of blue.
  • No mess involved in putting the dye in the pond

If you want to dye your pond blue, the Sanco Industries Crystal Blue XL is some of the best pond dye you’re going to find. You do not need much of this to change the appearance in your pond. One jug can dye more than 1,000,000 gallons of water. It’s that strong!

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • The incredibly concentrated dye lasts a long time.
  • This is one of the best blue dyes you’re going to find.
  • It won’t stain your clothes or skin.

Cons

  • The concentrated dye needs to be diluted first.

Did You Know?

Pay attention to the amount of rainfall in your area before adding dye to your pond. More rain means you will need to purchase extra to keep your pond dyed.

Highlights

  • works great and easy to add to the pond
  • helped with algae and helps great
  • makes Water a nice Caribbean blue.

Airmax Twilight Blue is another concentrated dye. It’s non-toxic, will not stain your clothes or skin, and is perfectly safe for your fish and plants. It is known for helping keep algae blooms to a minimum and protecting your fish from predators. This jug is good for 10,000 gallons of water and does not need to be diluted.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This dye will not stain your fish or plants.
  • Airmax is a well-known, reputable company.
  • Hundreds of customers recommend this dye.

Cons

  • You will need to dilute this dye before using it.

Did You Know?

Pond dyes won’t kill algae that are already growing. It will, however, help prevent algae from being able to grow if it isn’t already blooming.

Highlights

  • Looks great, especially if you have lighter colored rocks on the bottom
  • No harm to fish or plants
  • No staining of rocks

If the light blue color of the two dyes above are too light for you, and you want a darker appearance in your pond, the Sanco Industries Sapphire Blue is the perfect solution. It combines two parts blue to 1 part black to give your pond a sapphire appearance that can be matched by any other manufacturer.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This is a uniquely colored black/blue dye.
  • Sanco Industries is widely regarded as the best in the industry.
  • The darker color is safe for your fish and will not stain their skin.

Cons

  • Some customers do not prefer the dark color of this dye.

Did You Know?

High-quality pond dye can help keep your fish safe from predators and hidden under the water’s surface.

4. Pond Champs Blue Lake & Pond Dye - helps control algae and balanced pond

Highlights

  • totally simple to use and totally without mess or waste
  • great color at a great price
  • great product and long lasting

At the other end of the blue color spectrum, the Pond Champs Blue Lake & Pond Dye creates a vibrant, bright blue. This is one of the best shades you can find if you are looking for a bright blue, natural-looking pond. A single jug will treat up to an acre of water that’s 6 feet deep.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • One jug of this dye goes a long way.
  • This shade of blue is bright and vibrant.
  • The dye is safe for fish and plants.

Cons

  • This dye takes longer to disperse in your pond.

Did You Know?

Some pond dyes are concentrated while others aren’t. If you are purchasing concentrated dye, you get more for your money but will need to dilute it before using it.

5. Airmax Nature’s Blue Pond Dye - Protects and shade your pond

Highlights

  • easy to use
  • convenient water soluble packets
  • packets break open and disperse quickly
  • Helps control algae and the dark blue color is great & subtle

Airmax Nature’s Blue Pond Dye may be blue, but it’s different from the other blue dyes that we’ve featured for one key reason. Instead of being liquid, like the rest, this is a powdered dye that comes in tablet form. Each packet is suitable for up to an acre of water.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • The powdered form tends to last longer than liquid dyes.
  • One tablet can treat a large pond.

Cons

  • The powdered dye takes longer to disperse into your water.

Did You Know?

When you add dye to your pond, you will want to operate your filter for at least 24 hours to ensure the dye is getting evenly dispersed.

Highlights

  • Shades your pond an aqua-blue color
  • Use in natural and manmade ponds, lakes and fountains
  • designed to screen or shade portions of the sunlight spectrum

If you want to control plants, weeds, algae, and predators, the Aqua Shade Organic Plant Growth Control from Applied Biochemists are one of the best dyes you can buy. It is some of the best dye you can use for controlling growth while ensuring you aren’t harming your fish.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This dye works great for controlling plant growth.
  • The dye contains herbicides and algaecides.
  • It will not harm your fish or other aquatic creatures.

Cons

  • This will kill plants that you may want to keep.

Did You Know?

Activated carbon charcoal can create problems if you add dye to your water. If you use this type of chemical filtration, you will need to add dye more often.

7. Sanco Industries KoiWorx Blue Pond Dye - ​super concentrated

Highlights

  • Provides a natural blue tint to pond water
  • safe for water animals
  • very attractive

The Sanco Industries KoiWorx Blue Pond Dye is formulated specially for use inside of koi ponds and outdoor gardens. It provides a subtle blue tint rather than completely dying the entire water column. If you’re looking for a more subdued dye, this is the best you can find.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This dye doesn’t block your view of the bottom.
  • The color is a subdued blue.
  • It is safe for aquatic plants and your fish.
  • One jug can treat 4,800 gallons of water.

Cons

  • none

Did You Know?

Make sure you remove decaying debris, like dead plants, sticks, logs, or other organic matter to keep the decaying matter from changing your pond’s color.

Highlights

  • worked in a spray water fountain
  • true blue pond dye
  • safe for humans and animals

The PondWorx Ultra Concentrated Blue Lake & Pond Dye is a lighter shade of blue that doesn’t completely take over your water column like others will do. This type of dye is best used when you’re looking for a particular aesthetic without necessarily blocking algae or weed growth.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This dye is entirely non-toxic and safe for fish and plants.
  • The dye is a subtle shade of blue that tints the water.
  • You can apply this directly to your pump.

Cons

  • This dye will not prevent algae and weed growth.

Did You Know?

You can choose from a wide variety of colors to use in your pond. Choosing the right color is a personal decision, and there is no “perfect” color available.

9. EasyPro Pond Products Blue Pond Dye - provides natural blue

Highlights

  • keep UV rays off pond
  • Will not stain rocks or plants or fish
  • gorgeous and safe for fish

EasyPro Pond Products Blue Pond Dye is another affordable pond dye. It provides a light blue color to your pond. When you dilute this correctly, it will give some algae and predator prevention, but it doesn’t dye the entire water column like some others we’ve featured.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • This is a lighter, more subtle shade of blue.
  • The EasyPro dye is more affordable than most we’ve featured.
  • The dye is safe to use and will not harm your fish or plants.

Cons

  • The dye will not prevent algae or weed growth.

Did You Know?

High-quality concentrated pond dyes can keep aquatic weeds and other invasive parasites from growing in your pond by blocking out the sunlight they need to grow.

10. TotalPond Pond Blue Dye - ​creates beautiful blue water

Highlights

  • helps reduce algae
  • affordable and simple to use
  • good value and last a long time

Finally, the last (but not least) on our list is the TotalPond Blue Pond Dye. The smaller bottle is capable of treating up to 4,000 gallons of water, which makes it great for Koi ponds. The color is darker than most others we’ve featured. If you are looking for a deep blue color that helps prevent algae and weed growth, this dye is an excellent choice.

Pros & Cons 


Pros

  • The deep blue color is incredibly attractive.
  • The small jug is affordable and highly effective.
  • This is specially designed for Koi ponds.

Cons

  • You’ll need two to three bottles for larger ponds.

Did You Know?

Your dye will last longer in your pond if you live in dry climates and areas that do not get as hot during the summer months.

Pros & Cons Of Pond Dyes

With so many different products available, choosing the right ones for your pond can be challenging to do. Making sure that the products you’re going to be using are safe for your fish and effective at doing what they promise is the first order of business.

To help understand why you should be using dye in your pond and ensure that you’re getting exactly what you need, we’ve broken down the pros and cons of pond dyes.

Pond Dye Pros

  • The most significant benefit of pond dye is controlling the growth of algae and weeds. Pond dye helps block out the light from the sun, which works to promote algae blooms and weed growth. Plants and algae will starve your pond of oxygen, which can harm your fish.

  • Algae and aquatic weeds require significant amounts of ultraviolet light to sustain themselves. Pond dyes create a barrier in your pond that prevents algae and plants from getting the light they need to grow. While dye cannot remove algae, it can prevent it.

  • Quality pond dye can help protect your fish from the elements. Birds and other predators will feed on your fish if they can see where your fish are hiding. Dying the pond makes it harder to see the fish, which makes it harder for predators to feed on them.

  • Pond dye can make your water look deeper than it is. This is perfect for people who have shallow ponds but want to make their pond appear deeper or avoid seeing the bottom when they are enjoying their aquascape.

  • Dyed pond water is more environmentally friendly. By preventing algae growth, aquatic weeds, and harmful bacteria, you do not have to worry about harmful parasites or disease forming in the water.

  • With proper dosing, you do not have to worry about pond dyes staining your liner or your clothes while you are maintaining your pond. This is especially true with organic pond dye that makes it easy for you to mix into the pond without worrying about staining your hands.

  • Quality pond dyes will also make your pond look more attractive. This is the primary reason most people decide to keep a pond, so giving your water more visual appeal is often the first thing people want to do.

Pond Dye Cons

With the various different advantages of using dye in your pond, there are also a few disadvantages that you want to understand before you make a purchase.

While these do not necessarily prevent you from using dye, you may need to make special accommodations in your pond before you start adding dye to the water.

  • Make sure you are using protective gear while you are handling the dye. Eye protection, at a minimum, is recommended. You will also want to ensure you are taking adequate precautions if the dye is known to stain your clothes or skin. Many dyes are stain-free. However, some brands for commercial use are known to stain.

  • Pond dyes are not a completely foolproof system for keeping algae growth from happening or preventing predators from feeding on your fish. While they do work great, you will still want to ensure you are using proper filtration and putting in safeguards to keep your fish safe.

  • Take note of the amount of rainfall your area receives each year. If you have constant rain, you could find yourself dealing with pond dye in the area surrounding your pond. If your pond regularly floods, that could mean dyed rocks and landscaping around the pond itself. You will need to add more dye as rainwater replaces old water.

  • On the same token, most dyes are organic and biodegradable, which means they could fade as the dyes become exposed to sunlight. Adding more dye into your pond could be required if you live in bright areas or during the hot summer months.

  • Pond dyes are not going to kill the weeds and plants that grow in your pond. This is great if you have planted them yourself. However, if the weeds and plants are invasive, you will need to take other steps to prevent them from growing out of control.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you are adding new chemicals to the pond that you have worked so hard to build and maintain, you are always going to have questions. Even if those chemicals are organic and proven non-toxic, there are still questions that come up time and time again.

Below are just a few of the most frequently asked questions we have encountered when people are considering adding dye to their pond’s water. If you are looking for answers, go through each of the questions to give yourself a little extra peace of mind.

Is Pond Dye Safe For My Fish?

For the most part, a majority of the pond dyes you can purchase today are rated as being safe for your fish and plants. You want to ensure that you are purchasing a non-toxic variety and that it is specifically advertised as being safe to use in your fish pond.

A high-quality dye will not only be safe for your fish but can also help keep algae down and predators from seeing where the fish are hiding. Both of these will keep your fish happier and healthier, less stressed out, and you’ll enjoy your pond more because of it.

How Long Will Pond Dye Last?

The length of time that dye will last in your pond depends significantly on the size of the pond you’re putting it into, how much sunlight the pond receives, and how much average rainfall your area receives each year.

The package that you purchase will give you an estimated dosage for the average acreage in your pond. Following these instructions should make the dye last for up to 30 days. However, rain could reduce the amount of time it lasts by adding new water into the system.

Will Pond Dye Kill Algae?

Pond dye will not directly kill algae. It will, though, keep algae from growing by blocking out the ultraviolet light created by the sun. Algae and weeds require sunlight to thrive, and adding dye to your pond’s water creates a barrier that prevents sunlight from getting through.

There are even specific blends of pond dye that are designed to block out enough sunlight to completely prevent the photosynthesis process. This means that, as long as you don’t have an algae problem, algae will be unable to grow.

Will Pond Dye Kill Duckweed?

No, pond dyes will not kill the duckweed in your pond. It will control its growth, though. Much like dye blocks algae growth, a quality pond dye will prevent sunlight from getting through the water column and allow the duckweed to receive the nutrients it needs to grow.

By blocking out a large portion of the ultraviolet light from passing through the water column, pond dyes help keep organic matter from building up and breaking down on the bottom of your pond. This means the duckweed cannot receive the nutrients required to grow properly.

What Are Pond Dyes Made Out Of?

The ingredients in your pond dye will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Most are manufactured using food-grade, non-toxic ingredients that are safe for fish, humans, and other animals.

To give you an example, Aquashade dyes use a combination of blue #9 and yellow #23 as the base for their active ingredients. Each different manufacturer may use other ingredients to achieve the shade and properties that they are advertising on the package.

If you are in doubt, read through the label and marketing materials for the dye. Most manufacturers list the ingredients so you can ensure that they are safe to use in your pond.

How To Get More Bang For Your Buck

Pond dyes won’t all come with the same efficiency or help your pond in the same ways. There are high-quality dyes and low-quality dyes. There are standard and concentrated dyes. The type of dye you purchase will determine how you are able to get more bang for your buck.

There are a few steps you can follow to ensure you are getting the most mileage from the dye that you have purchased, even if it isn’t a concentrated variety.

Step 1: Don’t overdo it!

You want to avoid adding more dye to your pond than what the manufacturer calls for. Some people add more dye, thinking that they’re going to get more benefits or have to add the dye less often. However, this isn’t the case.

It’s always better to use less than it is to add too much. If you are using too little dye, you can always add more in. You can’t take the dye out of the pond, though, if you happen to overdo it and add too much. Using too much could create dangerous situations and should be avoided.

Step 2: Get rid of algae first!

While pond dyes will help keep algae from being able to bloom, they will not kill algae that are already growing in your pond. If you are dealing with active algae blooms, you are going to want to address it before you start adding dye to the water.

Algae can cause the dye that you add to the water to be ineffective. This means you will need to add it more often, which can quickly add up. Getting rid of the algae in your pond before adding dye not only helps your pond’s health but also saves you money in the long run.

Step 3: Consider your filtration system.

If you are using chemical filtration, such as activated carbon charcoal, you will want to plan on using more dye than usual. Activated carbon charcoal is known for removing dye from the water, so your filtration system could end up working against you.

Step 4: Plants could change your dye’s color.

If you have dead or decaying plants and sticks or logs in your water, the decaying plant matter could affect the color of the dye that you are using. The decaying plant matter is known for changing the colors and creating yellow or green water. It also helps promote algae growth.

Step 5: Provide a decent flow of water.

Ensuring that the dye gets evenly dispersed throughout your pond will require running your filtration system or pump for at least 24 hours. Once you add dye to the water, turn on the pump and allow it to operate an entire day to ensure the dye is evenly spread across your pond.

What Is The Best Pond Dye In 2019?

After extensive research, we have found that the best pond dye available in 2019 is the Sanco Industries Crystal Blue XL Pond Dye. It is safe for your fish and plants and can help block out ultraviolet light that gives algae the food they need to thrive. This dye will help your pond look beautiful while also making it easier to maintain.

Top Editor's Choice on Pond Dye

[amazon bestseller="Pond Dye" filterby="price" filter="30" filter_compare="more" filter="available" orderby="percentage_saved" order="desc" template="list" items="10" tracking_id="tnk0c-aawp-cro-b-20"]

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Join our mailing list to receive the latest tips and news of our blog.

Leave a Comment