Does anybody eat string algae?

[brokensword]

@kaari, I'm also in San Jose, and have also had an issue with string algae this spring. I have a lot of underwater plants in the pond (don't have a good shelf so no bog plants), but also have many fish (goldfish & minnows), which I suspect have multiplied and may be overpowering the plants.
For the first time, I ordered snails, which should be coming soon and I'm hoping will help fight the algae and not hurt the pond. Also, I had replaced my two filter materials a while back, and I don't think I put enough filter material into the top layer, meaning some water was coming through without always being filtered. This past weekend I smushed in another piece of filter to make it tighter, which I think/hope is helping curtail the algae too.

well, you can't filter out algae; not the free floating kind. And if you're trying to filter the string algae, I imagine that's going to make a mess of your filter. Best to just get a cheap toilet brush and wind it up out of your pond. Having a lot of plants (floaters and/or marginals) help keep the string algae at bay as they out-compete it.

Consider a bog too; even more benefits as you'll not ever need to worry about filter pads or cleaning them.

 

[kaarl]

@kaari, I'm also in San Jose, and have also had an issue with string algae this spring. I have a lot of underwater plants in the pond (don't have a good shelf so no bog plants), but also have many fish (goldfish & minnows), which I suspect have multiplied and may be overpowering the plants.
For the first time, I ordered snails, which should be coming soon and I'm hoping will help fight the algae and not hurt the pond. Also, I had replaced my two filter materials a while back, and I don't think I put enough filter material into the top layer, meaning some water was coming through without always being filtered. This past weekend I smushed in another piece of filter to make it tighter, which I think/hope is helping curtail the algae too.

What sorts of underwater plants are growing there? As I mentioned on a previous post, this year there's been peculiar weather: hot in January, cold in late March, the string algae got a head start on the larger plants I've got such Typha angustifolia (Narrow leaf Cattail). My perception is that, as the weather settles, the larger plants will start taking up the phosphorus and other fish poo excess and your pond will stabilize.

 

[Lisak1]

My perception is that, as the weather settles, the larger plants will start taking up the phosphorus and other fish poo excess and your pond will stabilize.

100% correct. In the meantime, consider that algae a great helper for your pond, keeping your water healthy for your fish.

And @bonnie4747 - snails are a fun addition to a pond, but don't expect them to make much of an impact on your algae. Don't get me wrong - they will eat it. You'll see clean trails on rocks and surfaces where they have been. But you'd need an army of them to eat the amount of algae you can grow in a pond. And they don't address string algae at all - they snack on the stuff that grows on the rocks, typically referred to as carpet algae.

 

[brokensword]

100% correct. In the meantime, consider that algae a great helper for your pond, keeping your water healthy for your fish.

And @bonnie4747 - snails are a fun addition to a pond, but don't expect them to make much of an impact on your algae. Don't get me wrong - they will eat it. You'll see clean trails on rocks and surfaces where they have been. But you'd need an army of them to eat the amount of algae you can grow in a pond. And they don't address string algae at all - they snack on the stuff that grows on the rocks, typically referred to as carpet algae.

not to mention the fish love such snacks!

 

[kaarl]

By the way, there was a smaller crop of string algae again this spring until the cattails started taking up the nitrogen. I've found that ducks devour string algae voraciously.

 

[GBBUDD]

Ducks might eat it in one end but it almost appears twice as much comes out the back end. Now if you can make an agreement with them dinning only no rest rooms you'll be all set

 

[kaarl]

Yes, I need to keep the ducks out of the koi pond, there's a fence between the two but occaisionally they jail break. In lieu of throwing the stuff into the compost heap, though, they make good use of it.

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm not sure what it taste like but it sure messes with your head when you SMOKE IT