Algae from He**

I have a 12X18 pond, 2 feet at the deepest. I added some plants last
year and a very messy algae soon began to develop. My water isn't green
and I am fairly dilligent about keeping organic matter out. I have a
waterfall , and the pond is lined with stone. I am in Southeastern PA
and this stuff did not seem to be affected by the cold. It looks like a
fuzzy mat about 2-3 inches thick that covers the entire bottom. It is
now even present in the stream that leads from my outlet tank. This
stuff makes the pond look like a water filled sink hole has developed
in my yard. In other words, the bottom is as green as grass.

I know that nutrients are usually the issue but this stuff was thriving
since last spring in clear water with more plants than I had in
previous years.

I have been using a pool skimmer to lift it (and skim it) from the
rocks but this action soon clogs my filter box to where the pump is
sucking air.

Finally my question:

I am thinking of skimming what I can and using a chemical treatment to
wipe it out. The question is, will the SAME type comeback if it is not
native to my area and will the chemicals break the algaes reproductive
cycle?

I have never used and chemicals in my four year history and hate to
start now. I have had the regular light fuzz on the rocks in the past.
That was fine and, from what I understand, is a good thing.


Thanks all!

Steve

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 12X18 pond, 2 feet at the deepest. I added some plants last
year and a very messy algae soon began to develop. My water isn't green
and I am fairly dilligent about keeping organic matter out. I have a
waterfall , and the pond is lined with stone. I am in Southeastern PA
and this stuff did not seem to be affected by the cold. It looks like a
fuzzy mat about 2-3 inches thick that covers the entire bottom. It is
now even present in the stream that leads from my outlet tank. This
stuff makes the pond look like a water filled sink hole has developed
in my yard. In other words, the bottom is as green as grass.

I know that nutrients are usually the issue but this stuff was thriving
since last spring in clear water with more plants than I had in
previous years.

I have been using a pool skimmer to lift it (and skim it) from the
rocks but this action soon clogs my filter box to where the pump is
sucking air.

Finally my question:

I am thinking of skimming what I can and using a chemical treatment to
wipe it out. The question is, will the SAME type comeback if it is not
native to my area and will the chemicals break the algaes reproductive
cycle?

I have never used and chemicals in my four year history and hate to
start now. I have had the regular light fuzz on the rocks in the past.
That was fine and, from what I understand, is a good thing.


Thanks all!

Steve

Sounds like Hair Algae, I've had it two years in a row. It took most of
the summer to control it last year. I kept adding Water Hyacinth until I
had it shaded out. It never did completely go away, but it was manageable
near the end. I did have to add Nitrates (KNO3), Phosphates (KH2PO4) and
Trace Elements (Iron) most of the summer though, as the Algae was using all
the nutrients the WH needed to thrive. I also added Pondzyme, but I don't
know how much that helped.

This stuff doesn't seem bothered by cold weather and will live well into the
Fall. If I see any in the pond this year BEFORE I start it up, I may nuke it
with Bleach. My fish and plants won't be going in until May.

On 26 Mar 2006 13:08:00 -0800, Steve wrote:

I have a 12X18 pond, 2 feet at the deepest. I added some plants last
year and a very messy algae soon began to develop. My water isn't green
and I am fairly dilligent about keeping organic matter out. I have a
waterfall , and the pond is lined with stone. I am in Southeastern PA
and this stuff did not seem to be affected by the cold. It looks like a
fuzzy mat about 2-3 inches thick that covers the entire bottom.

Like a fuzzy sweater, or is it actually like long hair, that Bill
mentioned?

It is now even present in the stream that leads from my outlet tank.

Now that is probably hair algae. If your stream isn't very long or wide,
cover with black plastic for a few days, the algae will slough off.

This stuff makes the pond look like a water filled sink hole has developed
in my yard. In other words, the bottom is as green as grass.

You have no idea how many people want this affect. I bet you were hoping to
see those rocks in their natural colors, Right? The rock salesman didn't
mentioned that anything in water soon becomes the natural color of
algae.... all-la green. Is your water clear? Must be if you can see the
bottom. Would you rather have it as green as pea soup? A pond reaches its
own natural balance. Right now you should be patting yourself on the back
to have reached that natural balance, seriously! ;o)

Finally my question:

I am thinking of skimming what I can and using a chemical treatment to
wipe it out. The question is, will the SAME type comeback if it is not
native to my area and will the chemicals break the algaes reproductive
cycle?

Worst could happen, algae comes in hundreds of forms. Like I said, the
dreaded pea soup, all you see is fish lips when you toss in koi kibble.

PLEASE, PLEASE, don't use chemicals. All that algae has sucked up all the
bad nutrients out of the water column, kill it and it will release all
those nutrients.

I have never used and chemicals in my four year history and hate to
start now. I have had the regular light fuzz on the rocks in the past.
That was fine and, from what I understand, is a good thing.
Steve

Okay, so perhaps we're not talking sweater algae? Still, don't use a
chemical. What kind of fish do you have in this pond? If koi/goldfish,
usually if you cut back on feed, or hold back on feeding (if your water is
still too cool) they will eat a lot of that algae off. If you nuke it, you
will kill the good with the bad, and worst will come.

What to do? Shade cloth your pond, especially in the winter
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/lilypon...os/set1/05.jpg. The good algae
will survive this, string algae will not. ~ jan

--------------
See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

Thanks for the info. I did a skim job yesterday and now that things
have resettled, the water could not be clearer. I am solidly against
chemicals and have worked very hard (or should I say smart) to get my
"balance". As far as fish go, I have about 12-14 goldfish up to 5" long
and I never feed them. There is also a green frog who has taken up
residence. It seems that the mosquito larvae and other food are enough
for the fish since thay have been thriving since the first two went in
a few years ago. I must say that it is amazing to see them lie on their
sides and wiggle over rocks to get to a morsel at the waters edge or to
jump like trout after a gnat. They are far from starving as their
growth and breeding can attest.

Anyway, back to the algae.
From descriptions here, I would have to guess that this is "hair
algae". How long will shade be required to wipe this stuff out? I know
that as it dies it will release nutrients and unbalance things a bit. I
plan to try and counter this by feeding some of my downspout water as a
flush. Has anyone tried this tactic?

Here is the plan:
I have a downspout that I will be feeing into a rectangular bucket.
Under a screen at the bottom, I plan to connect a length of garden hose
and drop it in the pond. At the top of the bucket will be an overflow
to take the bulk of the water away from the house. This should provide
a slow but steady feed of fresh water that should effectively flush the
pond in a similar way to a natural "stream fed" one.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again all!

Steve

plan to try and counter this by feeding some of my downspout water as a
flush. Has anyone tried this tactic?Steve

Wasn't it just last week we had another thread going about this?

All pretty negative. Anything on the roof gets washed in, pH is usually
acidic and has no buffering, so you'd be reducing your buffering in the
pond.

I think, in the long run, it would feed the algae. Algae floats in the air,
gets caught in rain drops, and that's one of the ways how it finds a clean
pond in the first place. If the water is clear, do more shading, shade
cloth above it, water lilies on the surface. You don't happen to have any
pictures you can put on the web or send to me in an E, do you? ~ jan

--------------
See my ponds and filter design:
www.jjspond.us

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

Steve you might want to check the nitrate level in your pond. It is
the end stage of effective biological filtration. Plants and algae
consume the nitrates. So if the nitrates are high, then you might want
to do some partial water changes. Some people use trickle, or media
showers as well to control nitrates. Happy ponding.


--
Koitoy