Blanket weed removal
- Thread starter Phew777
- Start date
All ponds go through growing pains some more so Than others. Blanket / or hair is one such growing pain but don't give up hope it is also a sign of health though not one WE ENJOY LOOKING AT. Plants and bacteria need time to get establish in our ponds. This can take over a year or two to reach this. Point but often it's lack of filtration, over population, and over feeding or feeding improperly.
We generally feed like we fed our selves 2 or 3 times a day. This works for us as we have stomach's where we can store the collected food until it's digested by the intestins and flushed out.
Fish generally don't have the stomach so how ever much they eat goes right to the intestines. So if to much food is collected it pushes any other food out before it has a chance to be digested FULLY. Thus we end up with semi digested food rotting in the pond. Perfect for algae growth.
Blanket weed also has spores the more you squeeze it and it's done so above or even in the pond. Your reading the spores into the pond a viscous cycle.
We generally feed like we fed our selves 2 or 3 times a day. This works for us as we have stomach's where we can store the collected food until it's digested by the intestins and flushed out.
Fish generally don't have the stomach so how ever much they eat goes right to the intestines. So if to much food is collected it pushes any other food out before it has a chance to be digested FULLY. Thus we end up with semi digested food rotting in the pond. Perfect for algae growth.
Blanket weed also has spores the more you squeeze it and it's done so above or even in the pond. Your reading the spores into the pond a viscous cycle.
Mmathis
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The green hair-like growth on the pond liner and on the rocks in my babbling brook. Most of the length of this ‘hair’ can be pulled out where I can reach it but the base or ‘ roots’ are still attached to the liner/rocks. I can remove the rocks and allow the weed to dry out then it brushes off easier but I can’t deal with it on the pond liner that way. I was wondering if there’s a tool to scrape it off the pond liner without damaging the liner! If it’s loose my pond vac will suck it off the bottom.
The stuff that's growing ON the rocks and liner is the good stuff - that's sometimes called carpet algae. That's all part of your biological filtration in the pond and a sign good things are happening. Don't ever try to get rid of that.
If it's STRING algae - which is the long floating stuff that you can twist around a stick or toilet brush - that's a bit more annoying and can get out of control. But again - it's a SIGN that something is happening. Don't be too quick to erradicate it until you figure out what that something is. It could be:
1. new pond that hasn't yet found it's balance
2. not enough plant growth - either it's too early in spring or, again, it's a new pond
3. too many fish
4. overfeeding
In any case, overgrowth of algae is a sign that the nutrient balance is off. Sometimes it just takes being patient. Other times you need to adjust one of the things mentioned above.
If it's STRING algae - which is the long floating stuff that you can twist around a stick or toilet brush - that's a bit more annoying and can get out of control. But again - it's a SIGN that something is happening. Don't be too quick to erradicate it until you figure out what that something is. It could be:
1. new pond that hasn't yet found it's balance
2. not enough plant growth - either it's too early in spring or, again, it's a new pond
3. too many fish
4. overfeeding
In any case, overgrowth of algae is a sign that the nutrient balance is off. Sometimes it just takes being patient. Other times you need to adjust one of the things mentioned above.
j.w
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