gem_scott Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 :-? Every year this gross algae takes over my pond! It never hurts the fish or the plants but it looks horrible and i want it gone! I will put some photos on of it tomorrow but just before i do does anyone know of a good multi-algae killing something that is safe for the fishies and plants and will permanently remove it? We have used several (cant remember the names) and it just returns year after year. If you dont know what i should use do you know what could be causing it? Any info would be very helpfull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 8, 2009 Report Share Posted September 8, 2009 We will need to see the photos to see what sort of algae it is. What size is the pond? Is it filtered? Does it get full sun? Is there water movement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 There seems to be an error with me trying to post my pictures Nah its sorted now, i think just trying to put them all on one overloaded it or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 9, 2009 Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 What sort of error? Are they too large? You can email them to me if you want and I will put them up for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 Ok lets see if this works Here are my pictures: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 And the rest: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted September 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2009 the brown strings are not part of the algae, they are roots of the Duck weed type plant we have The pond is about 3x2m but as you can see its not square so i cant really tell, the lowest part is about 1.5-2m deep. It is not filtered but we do fill it up with the hose a couple of times a week so it does get fresh water, its still. It does get full sun for most of the day, up until about 4pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted October 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2009 Please someone help with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 Hi gem, I'm not a pond-person and I can't identify that specific kind of algae, but I have had to deal with algae in my tank so I can give you some general ideas. I hope someone else will come along and help you with specifics. Algae-removing chemicals may kill off the algae temporarily, but they will never resolve the problem permanently. In fact they might make it worse because the dead algae will rot and cause extra problems in the water! Algae thrives where there is a lot of nutrient in the water, and plenty of sun. Obviously you can't move the pond out of the sun, but is there any way you can stop nutrient running into the water from surrounding land, or plant more marginal plants that are high nitrate users? That will mean there is less goodness in the water for the algae. Is there a compost heap or garden near the pond? Do you put fertilisers on the lawn nearby? Is there anything else that could be leeching nutrients into the water? Also extra water movement may also help, if this is a type of algae that likes still, low-oxygen water. Then there is physical removal - which I would recommend anyway so it doesn't rot and cause more problems. You might need to rake it out of the pond, then take it away from the area and put it on your garden as mulch - to make sure it doesn't rot and release nitrates back into the pond again. The fact that it is seasonal suggests that there is a certain combination of factors that cause the algae bloom - sunshine hours, water temperature, etc. If there was some way to interrupt this cycle you might be able to get on top of the problem permanently. I hope that helps in some way! And I hope someone will be able to give you better advice soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 use that hay - straw- barley thing. I cant remember its name now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1CK Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 it's barley straw , I think its filamentous algae its caused by excessive nutrients (you can tell by pulling it apart which is similar to wet wool) try getting copper sulfate, dissolve it in water then spray it directly onto the floating algae with a plastic spray bottle (it corrodes metal) although its toxic to goldfish so it might not be an option http://ohioline.osu.edu/a-fact/pdf/A_3_09.pdf have a read though this as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 I had similar small clumps of that algae in summer when temps were hottest. It disappears over winter. It was in the still bits. I just scooped out as much as I could (to get rid of the unsightly factor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 When I had a small pond that got a similar algae I tried a product that I cant remember the name of but it looks like a blue chocolate bar. It cleared the pond and didn't harm the fish, snails or plants. My LFS told me that they sell heaps over summer to the forestry guys that use it to keep their fire fighting ponds free from algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-town... Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 wow whats that plant in that last pic of the first set of pics though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supasi Posted October 2, 2009 Report Share Posted October 2, 2009 wow whats that plant in that last pic of the first set of pics though? Which one A-Town? There are several. Gemz, have a read of this http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/aquaculture/pondscum.htm http://www.blanketweed.info/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-town... Posted October 3, 2009 Report Share Posted October 3, 2009 the one to the far left the very dense one. thanks simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Thanks everyone for your help, any additional information i can gain would be very appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 When I had a small pond that got a similar algae I tried a product that I cant remember the name of but it looks like a blue chocolate bar. It cleared the pond and didn't harm the fish, snails or plants. My LFS told me that they sell heaps over summer to the forestry guys that use it to keep their fire fighting ponds free from algae. We have used something similar i believe, i cant really remember though, over the last 5 years we have used almost every algae killer their is. wow whats that plant in that last pic of the first set of pics though? There are two on the far left. . . Um one is a daisy plant that has over grown and run into the pond and the lighter green one is Ranunculus lingua, dont know the common name. The plant is actually a pain! Its pretty and flowers yellow but we have to cut it back often as it overgrows and covers almost half of the shallow. The fish like it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrimpy_boy11 Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Can i ask...do you have substrate at the bottom of your pond for your plants?? Or are all the plants in pots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem_scott Posted October 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 There is alot of dirt at the bottom in the deep parts for the pads and just stones everywhere else. The marginals are in only the dirt that came in their pots but we removed the actual pots. Why do you ask? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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