Cheapest way to clear algae?

[Phaewryn]

If you use household bleach it will temporarily kill the algae, but eventually new spores will get into the pond and start growing. It's the basis of life! ALSO, IF YOU DRAIN THE BLEACH INTO A DITCH OR CREEK, IT WILL STERILIZE THAT WATER TOO. NOT RECOMMENDED. Draining it into a sewer might be OK.

I think it's socially irresponsible to drain active bleach into anywhere it might enter our waterways. That includes the hundreds of thousands of people draining their swimming pools and fountains every fall by dumping the water onto their lawns.
I dechlorinate before I dispose of water that I've added bleach to unless it's going straight down into the sewer. I'm on sewer...it's worth mentioning that bleach sent into a septic will harm the bacteria working in there to break down waste, so be sure it's municipal sewer, and not a septic system. Or just dechlorinate all bleach water before disposal. Seachem Safe is concentrated so it doesn't take much to dechlorinate an extremely large amount of water.

 

[Evguy1]

My stream is now a couple of years old and after adding the bog filter its had nice clear water so that's a win. This year the bog is producing this colorful algae and I dont know what's causing it since it was not there in past seasons. This stream/pond has no fish.

 

[j.w]

My stream is now a couple of years old and after adding the bog filter its had nice clear water so that's a win. This year the bog is producing this colorful algae and I dont know what's causing it since it was not there in past seasons. This stream/pond has no fish.View attachment 165361View attachment 165362

All I can say is yuck on that gooey looking stuff! Don't know what kind it is tho. Maybe it's dying? Looks like you have dye in your water?

 

[Phaewryn]

My stream is now a couple of years old and after adding the bog filter its had nice clear water so that's a win. This year the bog is producing this colorful algae and I dont know what's causing it since it was not there in past seasons. This stream/pond has no fish.View attachment 165362

That's nasty. Time to get out the toilet brush!

 

[Evguy1]

Yes a bit of black dye in the water. Just got in there and scooped it out with my hands. I'm going to put a big piece of pond filter at the bottom of the stream where it drops into the pond and then wash the rocks and stream with a garden hose. Just had no time for maintenance this summer and paying the price now. I just had never seen such colorful algae before.