COPPER FITTINGS TO CONTROL ALGAE???

[donny young]

someone said if you put copper plumbing fittings in a container with holes in it. it would can control the algae.
is this true and will it harm the fish/ frogs/snails?

 

[j.w]

someone said if you put copper plumbing fittings in a container with holes in it. it would can control the algae.
is this true and will it harm the fish/ frogs/snails?

I think it is bad for them all! I know they use some kind of copper to kill snails! I wouldn't chance it. I have read it will kill plants and algae. Not a good thing to use tho IMO!

 

[dinm]

The goal is not to kill algae, it's a waste of time. Use plants and be patient, you have water you'll have algae is the reality.

 

[donny young]

I think it is bad for them all! I know they use some kind of copper to kill snails! I wouldn't chance it. I have read it will kill plants and algae. Not a good thing to use tho IMO!

thank you, it sounded too good to be true

 

[donny young]

The goal is not to kill algae, it's a waste of time. Use plants and be patient, you have water you'll have algae is the reality.

thank you

 

[Mmathis]

@donny young Think of algae as a ”symptom.” It is a sign that there are more nutrients in your water than your biological filtration can handle. The “cure” is to address why you have too many nutrients (ammonia), and take care of that issue. Most of the time it’s from a too-heavy fish load, inadequate filtration, and more things…… (read up on the nitrogen cycle — it’s your friend, believe me). And sometimes excess algae is just temporary like when your pond starts up new every season, or the weather gets hotter.

Do you have a water test kit? Liquid dropper tests are more reliable than sticks. See what you levels are for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, Ph, KH, and GH. Let us know what the results are (either give us the actual numbers, or take pics of the results). Please don‘t say “OK,” or “good.”

 

[donny young]

@donny young Think of algae as a ”symptom.” It is a sign that there are more nutrients in your water than your biological filtration can handle. The “cure” is to address why you have too many nutrients (ammonia), and take care of that issue. Most of the time it’s from a too-heavy fish load, inadequate filtration, and more things…… (read up on the nitrogen cycle — it’s your friend, believe me). And sometimes excess algae is just temporary like when your pond starts up new every season, or the weather gets hotter.

Do you have a water test kit? Liquid dropper tests are more reliable than sticks. See what you levels are for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, Ph, KH, and GH. Let us know what the results are (either give us the actual numbers, or take pics of the results). Please don‘t say “OK,” or “good.”

T.M.,
Thank you for your input. I don't have a huge issue with algae.
What I do have is four bluegill, two planters & no filter so I get an occasional bloom of string algae.
I use API Algaefix when it gets too large. I was just curious if my question would resolve the issue entirely.

 

[YShahar]

Some people use an Ion generator to kill algae. The problem is that algae is the basis for a whole complex food chain. And, as @Mmathis pointed out, algae is a sign of excess nutrients. Sometimes that algae is needed to clean the water and keep your fish alive. So killing off the algae is like taking a lot of pain killers while continuing the activity that caused the pain in the first place.

Most algae issues resolve on their own once your plants get their roots down and start outcompeting the single-celled critters. If the algae persists too long, it's a sign that something is out of balance. As an example, when I brought home a new waterlily from a nursery, my pond water went from crystal clear to pea soup over a couple of days. Evidently, the nursery had been using regular liquid fertilizer for their water plants. The fish were fine, but it took a couple of weeks for the algae bloom to finally play out.

So use the algae as a sort of free "test kit" for water quality, as well as the basis of the food chain in your pond.

 

[GBBUDD]

As @YShahar mentioned ion generators do help control algae but it's a fine line between success and killing your fish
It's basically copper probes electrified. Anyone who uses them will probably tell you if they go on vacation for a week or more that they shut them down.

 

[Jhn]

Surprizing those ion generators are still being used in ponds containing fish, every time someone comes on here with one of those on their ponds it usually is causing other issues for them.
For me wouldn’t put anything copper in my pond, as that is acutely toxic to invertebrate life and the base of the food chain, and chronically toxic to fish.

As mentioned much better ways to control algae, by getting at the cause. Reminds me of how our medical system kind of is treating the symptoms Of disease and not the root cause, and their medications while working can cause more issues than what it is curing, but I digress.