BLANKET WEED

[slick]

Call it what you want, I have a few words for it right now. I know the water is cold and there is nothing doing in the pond, but over night the dreaded stuff has arrived in my beautifull crystal clear pond!!!
I have 3 very lazy grass carp that would rather eat expensive koi sticks than weed, ( the fish seller saw me coming, they are butt ugly too) do I treat the pond and get rid of the stuff, or do I leave it, cut back on the feeding (bit hard to do) wait and see if the carp start to graze on it? When I say hard to cut back on feeding at this time of year I know your all saying WHAT is the man mad? But I have two sturgeon one is 3 feet long a common black and a albino at around 18 inch long and they feed all year round, infact they grow more in the cold winter than in the summer months any thoughts any one?

 

[Dave 54]

Blanket Weed is a long thin filamentous alga, its growth is increased by bright sunlight and shallow fast running water so that it will be found in water-falls and unshaded pond areas.
In ornamental ponds which tend be stocked with fish, the tendency to overfeed causes additional fish excrement which contains nutrients favoured by Blanket Weed particularly nitrates and dissolved ammonia. what this means that apart from normal growth by photosynthesis the weed will grow even faster.
The proliferation of Blanket Weed is due to the fact that it grows very quickly in sunlight and if left unchecked can cause serious oxygen depletion in ponds at night ( so put extra airstones in the pond)...
Additionally it can also cause stress to larger fish that find it an obstruction especially sturgeon and in some cases kill them if they become entangled in it, because they cant swim backwards so I would find a way to get rid of it thats safe for them.
Weve never suffered from it and I do sympathise with you on this slick from what I've heard from other keepers over the years its a damn pain in the preverbial .
There are probably some sturgeon safe blanket weed treatments out there but that would be down to you to find out about , might be an idea to have a chat with your dealer
We do have algae on the sides and bottom of the pond but that about it mate
I did win a tub of Nishikoi in an online raffle which is a 8 week treatment for ponds of up to 1,000 gallons but gave it away to another pond keeper with the same problem, as you I've yet to hear back from them .
Its no good relying on fish to do the job mate


Dave

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Blanketweed and other filamentous algae are usually a sign of elevated Phosphorus levels. A P test kit would be helpful. Ideally the Phosphorus should be <0.05 ppm. Any Phosphorus binder will work i.e. PhosOut by rendering the Phosphorus unavailable to the algae. I would recommend removing the existing algae manually at the time of treatment otherwise you may need to re-treat.

 

[Dave 54]

Blanketweed and other filamentous algae are usually a sign of elevated Phosphorus levels. A P test kit would be helpful. Ideally the Phosphorus should be <0.05 ppm. Any Phosphorus binder will work i.e. PhosOut by rendering the Phosphorus unavailable to the algae. I would recommend removing the existing algae manually at the time of treatment otherwise you may need to re-treat.

The API pond test kits have started with phosphous test kits the last time I purchased one I noticed the change check so check them out slick

Dave

 

[adavisus]

Let it mass up, twirl and hurl it out from areas you want clear, that will deplete the excess fertiliser that has gone into the pond which is feeding the algae

Regards, andy
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[slick]

Many thanks ever one im on it right now

 

[slick]

So now I have hooked up my new moving bed k1 bio filter will this help with the blanket weed problem when the bacteria starts to wake up and start working?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

So now I have hooked up my new moving bed k1 bio filter will this help with the blanket weed problem when the bacteria starts to wake up and start working?

Simple answer is No. The bacterial demand for Phosphorus is practically non-existent and the end product of the bio-filter is Nitrate, another nutrient.

 

[slick]

Oh bugger, so how would you do it? Chemicals?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Oh bugger, so how would you do it? Chemicals?

Read my earlier post. Use of a Phosphate binder quickly corrects the problem. Completely harmless to all aquatic life.

 

[slick]

It seams the more questions I ask the less I understand im now thinking is what iv been doing completely wrong the is just over 1800 gallon the water is critical clear at 2200 hours with the pond lights on I can watch a black sturgeon taking 5mm pellets from the pond bottom at a depth of 5 feet of water ,, well now im not sure that the pond is as good as I thougt it was, time to rethink but thank you lost a bit of confidence now

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Never confuse Water CLARITY with Water QUALITY. Just because you have Blanket Weed does not mean you are doing something wrong. Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element. It is a necessary nutrient for all plant life and most animal life, including fish. Many times elevated Phosphorus levels can be traced to over-feeding. It can also be attributed to the decay of organic matter, most prominently leaves. It can also be in elevated levels in your source water. This is where a test kit is important. The test results will provide a somewhat complete and accurate picture of the levels of the various parameters.

 

[slick]

Thank you for that, there is no rotting leaves or wast food on the pond bottom thanks to the 4.5 inch bottom drain and vortex filter so I will ask my dealer and also ask him about the binder and agin many thanks

 

[MitchM]

I use a phosphate binder that contains Lanthanum Chloride.
I find it very easy to control the dose, plus it's very effective.
Every time you feed your fish, you are adding phosphate to your pond.
Be careful of pool additives that are meant for algae control though. They may have other contaminants.

 

[Dave 54]

One thing you must not do i loose confidence Slick ponds are very often in the first year or two a steep learning curve , we can only anser yur questions in general and suggest answers, sometimes it can all seem a trifle confusing.
Your best bet is your local club who have boots on the ground so to speak and can come out to help you face to face, to acctaully stand by the pond test your water perameters, to look at your problems and make suggestions.
Remember what I first told you its all about the fish not the size of them or the size of your pond its the love of koi that binds us all together into a group.
Between them your local section has yeaars of experiance, so what if they have bigger more expensive koi o larger ponds comapred to some members in our own section our pond is a puddle , due to circumstanes I cant affoard the really exppensve fish nor can we build a bigger pond but I learn and pass that knowlege on
I'm the nearest person to understanding your weather variatons etc sadly though I dont live next door if I did I'd be out helping you
Dont fall into the trap of well I dont know this or that , one thing all of us will tell you is you "NEVER" stop learning in our hobby , there are always new ways oof doing thngs
Buy a number of books and educate yourself some on the workings of pond and koi health "YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID".
When we first started I lost goldfish after goldfish then on my birthday 28 years ago Val bought me the now Interpet Manuel of Fish Health back then it was Salamander and now 28 years on we are still going strong even having to relearn much of what we knew but this time in a pond situation .
In that I was lucky to have the Head of the BKKS Health standards Committee in our section who was willing to be my mentor .
Its not somehing we learn overnight , I always tell a novice "dont run before you can walk", the ones who listen last the course those who dont last a few years and quit........
Go into my link here and look into buying the books that I think suit the UK koi keeper and written with UK and European koi keepers in mind , the Interpet Manual of koi Health would be another good book for you to educate yourself from both have been extenscively rewritten and are up to date.....

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/articles/our-updated-library-with-reviews.11/

Otherwise you may only serve to confuse yourself Slick, by the way the first ever book I still use from time to time its dog eared and falling to pieces but it turned us around and I'm glad it did as I wouldnt be around , I'd infact be dead the PTSD I suffered from would have destroyed me.
Ask a friend of mine Big Lou who is a fellow sufferer how dark a place it takes you too
Exagerate that by my alcohol intake from my military days and you'll see where it was leading me too "an early Grave" even my mother thought I'd not get passd my 30's....
Yet here we are 58 on March 4th with a lovely lady who stuck by me the whole time, founding fathers to a section and in the koi magazines koi hall of fame 2009 happy that we'll hopefully keep this hobby going till our late 70's
Back on track though for a few quid the cost of the books and help from your section as well as GPF and you'll be passing on that knowlege to others 12 months on .


Dave