The BS Pond report for 08-13 2005 (The power of Hornwort)

[Bill Stock]

As most of you know (ad nauseum) I've been fighting the dreaded Hair Algae
all summer. I've been adding nutrients (Iron, Potassium, Magnesium,
Nitrates), Aquazyme and Water Lettuce but the Algae kept marching on at the
expense of the other plants. I even tried the miracle grow bath for the WH a
couple of weeks ago (helped a little) but the plants were losing to the
Algae. Except for the Lilies which I've been supplementing with plant tabs
and they've claimed half the pond from their two small pots. Well a couple
of weeks ago I started dumping my excess Hornwort from the tropical aquarium
into the pond, probably 10 gallons over a two week period. This stuff
doubles every week in the aquarium (CO2 added) and takes the light away from
other plants. This has forced the WH and Water Lettuce to the outside of the
pond, starving the Algae of light and out competing the Algae for nutrients
(Phosphate I suspect). So the WH has finally started to perk up, adding new
white roots and putting up a second story (knuckle).

The Water Lettuce is still yellow looking, but I added some more Nitrates
today, which really perked it up last week. I suspect a number of factors
have finally helped to curb the Algae, but it's nice to believe in the
miracle of HW. :)

[Reel Mckoi]

"Bill Stock" > wrote in message
...
> As most of you know (ad nauseum) I've been fighting the dreaded Hair Algae
> all summer. I've been adding nutrients (Iron, Potassium, Magnesium,
> Nitrates), Aquazyme and Water Lettuce but the Algae kept marching on at
> the expense of the other plants.

** I had the same problem with one of my 150 gallon pools of fry. I finally
removed the fish and carried all the infested plants to the compost pile,
hosed out the pool, relined it with a new dropcloth and started again. So
far so good.

I even tried the miracle grow bath for the WH a
> couple of weeks ago (helped a little) but the plants were losing to the
> Algae. Except for the Lilies which I've been supplementing with plant tabs
> and they've claimed half the pond from their two small pots. Well a couple
> of weeks ago I started dumping my excess Hornwort from the tropical
> aquarium into the pond, probably 10 gallons over a two week period. This
> stuff doubles every week in the aquarium (CO2 added) and takes the light
> away from other plants. This has forced the WH and Water Lettuce to the
> outside of the pond, starving the Algae of light and out competing the
> Algae for nutrients (Phosphate I suspect). So the WH has finally started
> to perk up, adding new white roots and putting up a second story
> (knuckle).

** Fantastic! My hair algae all but killed my pond week (elodia) and
hornwart in that one pool.

> The Water Lettuce is still yellow looking, but I added some more Nitrates
> today, which really perked it up last week. I suspect a number of factors
> have finally helped to curb the Algae, but it's nice to believe in the
> miracle of HW. :)

** They're heavy feeders and will shade out what's under them! :-))
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Bill Stock]

"Reel Mckoi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Bill Stock" > wrote in message
> ...
>> As most of you know (ad nauseum) I've been fighting the dreaded Hair
>> Algae all summer. I've been adding nutrients (Iron, Potassium, Magnesium,
>> Nitrates), Aquazyme and Water Lettuce but the Algae kept marching on at
>> the expense of the other plants.
>
> ** I had the same problem with one of my 150 gallon pools of fry. I
> finally removed the fish and carried all the infested plants to the
> compost pile, hosed out the pool, relined it with a new dropcloth and
> started again. So far so good.

I think I'll take the fish out in the spring prior to the first feeding and
nuke whatever is left. The String Algae seems to have survived the winter,as
it got a very early start this year.


> I even tried the miracle grow bath for the WH a
>> couple of weeks ago (helped a little) but the plants were losing to the
>> Algae. Except for the Lilies which I've been supplementing with plant
>> tabs and they've claimed half the pond from their two small pots. Well a
>> couple of weeks ago I started dumping my excess Hornwort from the
>> tropical aquarium into the pond, probably 10 gallons over a two week
>> period. This stuff doubles every week in the aquarium (CO2 added) and
>> takes the light away from other plants. This has forced the WH and Water
>> Lettuce to the outside of the pond, starving the Algae of light and out
>> competing the Algae for nutrients (Phosphate I suspect). So the WH has
>> finally started to perk up, adding new white roots and putting up a
>> second story (knuckle).
>
> ** Fantastic! My hair algae all but killed my pond week (elodia) and
> hornwart in that one pool.
>
>> The Water Lettuce is still yellow looking, but I added some more Nitrates
>> today, which really perked it up last week. I suspect a number of factors
>> have finally helped to curb the Algae, but it's nice to believe in the
>> miracle of HW. :)
>
> ** They're heavy feeders and will shade out what's under them! :-))
> --
> McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
>

[Reel Mckoi]

"Bill Stock" > wrote in message
...
>
> I think I'll take the fish out in the spring prior to the first feeding
> and nuke whatever is left. The String Algae seems to have survived the
> winter,as it got a very early start this year.
===========================
I don't know how many types of string algae there is, but I know some are
worse than cancer - difficult to get rid of and reappearing again and again.
I had one that was like green tangled hair. Another was straight and looked
like fine hair. They covered and strangled the other plants.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Bill Stock]

"Reel Mckoi" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Bill Stock" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> I think I'll take the fish out in the spring prior to the first feeding
>> and nuke whatever is left. The String Algae seems to have survived the
>> winter,as it got a very early start this year.
> ===========================
> I don't know how many types of string algae there is, but I know some are
> worse than cancer - difficult to get rid of and reappearing again and
> again. I had one that was like green tangled hair. Another was straight
> and looked like fine hair. They covered and strangled the other plants.

I have it in the aquarium (came in from the pond) and pond. The stuff in the
aquarium is manageable, I just cull it once a week. Some of it floats in the
water among the Hornwort and some grows on the back wall of the aquarium. I
leave the stuff on the back wall for the fish (loach food) and the floating
stuff I can collect with my fingers. Occaisonally there will be a single
strand of Hornwort that gets strangled by the stuff and I have to toss it.
Although for the most part the HW seems pretty immune to this stuff. As you
mentioned it just strangles the pond plants, especially the Water Hyacinth.


> --
> McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
> My Pond Page http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
>

[sean mckinney]

Re "The BS Pond report for 08-13 2005 (The power of Hornwort)"
sorry but I dont think hornwort is a miracle cure, I have loads of it
in my pond, and I do mean loads. In case you think I am joking about
loads of hornwort, yesterday I removed an armful that when floating
free fills a 3'x2'x2' cistern. It is in the cistern, flow through, as
I am trying to wash nymphes off it before I compost it, what I removed
didnt even leave a clear patch of water.
In spring I still get blanket weed growing on top of the hornwort. The
blanket weed is mostly gone now having been shaded out by an azolla
bloom. When you have a surplus I think removing hornwort or any surplus
floater helps greatly in removing nutrients from the pond.
Azolla, if legal for you, is another floater that is good for
harvesting, to harvest hose it into a skimmer and compost it.


--
sean mckinney

[Reel Mckoi]

Bill Stock wrote:
> As most of you know (ad nauseum) I've been fighting the dreaded Hair Algae
> all summer. I've been adding nutrients (Iron, Potassium, Magnesium,
> Nitrates), Aquazyme and Water Lettuce but the Algae kept marching on at the
> expense of the other plants. I even tried the miracle grow bath for the WH a
> couple of weeks ago (helped a little) but the plants were losing to the
> Algae. Except for the Lilies which I've been supplementing with plant tabs
> and they've claimed half the pond from their two small pots. Well a couple
> of weeks ago I started dumping my excess Hornwort from the tropical aquarium
> into the pond, probably 10 gallons over a two week period. This stuff
> doubles every week in the aquarium (CO2 added) and takes the light away from
> other plants. This has forced the WH and Water Lettuce to the outside of the
> pond, starving the Algae of light and out competing the Algae for nutrients
> (Phosphate I suspect). So the WH has finally started to perk up, adding new
> white roots and putting up a second story (knuckle).
>
> The Water Lettuce is still yellow looking, but I added some more Nitrates
> today, which really perked it up last week. I suspect a number of factors
> have finally helped to curb the Algae, but it's nice to believe in the
> miracle of HW. :)
>
>
>

Your right. it al BS