string algy help
- Thread starter Harmonyx
- Start date
Filamentous algae usually isn't harmful to aquatics, that's the good news... it's means the pond is healthy (maybe a little too healthy 
).
What kind of filtration does the pond have?
UV won't be effective on string algae except when use before an outbreak.
Copper based medications are indiscriminate, so be careful.
Slow way ... Barley straw (usually start this in early spring).
Quicker ... Hydrogen peroxide @ 3% / 1000g (physically remove as much algae as you can before you use this method). This can also re-introduce nutrients to the pond, kind of a catch 22. I apply this thu a PVC pipe to direct it to the algae.
Dr Joe
.
).What kind of filtration does the pond have?
UV won't be effective on string algae except when use before an outbreak.
Copper based medications are indiscriminate, so be careful.
Slow way ... Barley straw (usually start this in early spring).
Quicker ... Hydrogen peroxide @ 3% / 1000g (physically remove as much algae as you can before you use this method). This can also re-introduce nutrients to the pond, kind of a catch 22. I apply this thu a PVC pipe to direct it to the algae.
Dr Joe
.
Thanks guys. The client who the pond was built for is kind of annal. We did spring start up with his pond last week and had a very sunny week. I got a phone call with him screeming that we made all of this algy grow in his pond, but when I saw these pics it looked normal. He is just being melodramatic.
he figures that the pond should be drained and scrubbed and refiled and his problems will go away.
for future reference does the hydrogen peroxide harm fish?
he figures that the pond should be drained and scrubbed and refiled and his problems will go away.
for future reference does the hydrogen peroxide harm fish?
Get a rake and spin it like pasta. This is a normal occurance in spring and fall. Tell the client it happens and is totally natural. After the marginals and floaters begin putting on serious growth, the algae will begin to fade. I use a bacteria that has S.A.B (string algae buster) in it. Basically it has barley powder and BB that eat the sludge and debris in the pond. Def. clean out any leaves and old plants that maybe adding extrs nutrients to the water. The S.A.B. takes a couple of weeks to show real results, (barley activation)but after I added, the next day algae was floating to the top, where the skimmer and myself caught it. Don't worry, and don't drain the pond, unless you plan on keeping a few hundred gallons of water avail. New watermay harm any BB already there.
thanks for the help. some of the people who complain about algae don't want to spend the money on plants. I tell them they have to build a balanced eco system (of which I am still learning about). I did start a massive pond that had loads of plants last week that had crystal clear water. it had a creek that was 80 meters long. I wish I had a camera.
Harmonyx;1810637; said:
Not in that concentration with regular pond fish.
Good Luck with THAT customer.
Cameras are getting really cheap ($20) maybe if you save up for a few months
.Dr Joe
.
Sounds like a tough customer.... Just point out that ponds in nature do have algae, fish, snails, and other organizms that all make the complete eco-system work and look great.