Good afternoon
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bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
Any help in identifying what this stuff is and how to control it most welcome. In gloop 5 you can see how its suffocating the Myriophyllum
j.w
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Looks like algae to me. You can take a clean toilet brush and attach it to a longer handle for reaching it if you need to. Wind the algae around it and pull it out. Get some good algae sucking plants to put in your pond that will suck up the excess nutrients so algae can't use it to grow. Lots of plants will really help I'm thinking. Sedges are good suckers and so is Sweet Flag but watch it as it can grow big and take over in a pot. Just take it out when it looks like it is getting too big and cut it in half or whatever and plant the extra pieces in the garden if you like.
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
j.w
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Lots of plants will really help but don't cover the whole surface of the pond. Not sure what the percentage of coverage should be. Maybe someone else will know. Here is a link to an online site about how many plants. https://backyardway.com/how-many-aquatic-plants-in-pond/ They don't mention sedge plants or sweet flag but those are good types of plants and you can buy them at most any plant nursery like Lowes or H-depot etc. they should be planted in a pot tho as they only like their roots in water. Lots here use 100% clay kitty litter w/no perfumes or additives. I buy mine at Walmart called Special Kitty in big huge bags for cheap!
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
Had a read, I think I need another oxygenator and some floating plants. My pond is about 20% plants, probably need to double that.
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
Hi looking for some thoughts, Build a sort of bog filter out of a large ceramic plant pot. Water in through the bottom and out through the top via a copper pipe back to the pond. Fill with pea gravel and plant watercress with a few irises in the pot. Thoughts?
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Absolutely a bog will help, but watercress will keep you busy! But it will help - there are lots of plant choices so make sure you get a big pot 
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
@ Hound Heaven, I visited you state recently. I visited Memphis and Nashville with a day trip to Graceland. Next time I'll visit the mountains.
Pulling out water cress seems less hassle than pulling each plant out and hosing the string algae off each one. My pond is small 1m by 1m don't have any more space, but the multifunction filter that is in it can split and you can control the flow in each branch.
So one branch I was thinking about feeding a big pot from the bottom and drilling a hole near the top that will have a 15mm (probably about 3- 6"" long) pipe where the water can flow out of the pot and fall back into the pond.
If the pot was full of gravel and plants this should reduce the nutrient content of the water entering the pond.
Just now the pump/filter/uv just recirculates the water.
I think the problem in the pond stared when I introduced plants. Mabey the compost in the pots has boosted the nutrients.
One thing I have noticed is the algae loves red stemmed parrots feather. It was absolutely coated in it. It took 10min just to blast the algae off the goots never mind the leaves. The next worse affected was the fibre optic plant, then the water mint.
I digress, so I bought a bag of watercress from the supermarket and have slung it into a bucket of pond water. We will see if any of it grows roots.
On the plus points. water as clear as can be and the lilly is sprouting new leaves. Also the pond has at least two tadpoles in it that are doing well, starting to grow legs. I have also noticed strange wee round black things that are swimming about, I await with bated breath to find out what they are.
Pulling out water cress seems less hassle than pulling each plant out and hosing the string algae off each one. My pond is small 1m by 1m don't have any more space, but the multifunction filter that is in it can split and you can control the flow in each branch.
So one branch I was thinking about feeding a big pot from the bottom and drilling a hole near the top that will have a 15mm (probably about 3- 6"" long) pipe where the water can flow out of the pot and fall back into the pond.
If the pot was full of gravel and plants this should reduce the nutrient content of the water entering the pond.
Just now the pump/filter/uv just recirculates the water.
I think the problem in the pond stared when I introduced plants. Mabey the compost in the pots has boosted the nutrients.
One thing I have noticed is the algae loves red stemmed parrots feather. It was absolutely coated in it. It took 10min just to blast the algae off the goots never mind the leaves. The next worse affected was the fibre optic plant, then the water mint.
I digress, so I bought a bag of watercress from the supermarket and have slung it into a bucket of pond water. We will see if any of it grows roots.
On the plus points. water as clear as can be and the lilly is sprouting new leaves. Also the pond has at least two tadpoles in it that are doing well, starting to grow legs. I have also noticed strange wee round black things that are swimming about, I await with bated breath to find out what they are.
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Well I hope you enjoyed your time in TN.
Not sure if the compost contributed, but in my experience, water movement seems to motivate the string algae too. Two things I have found that will slow it down - air drying it in the sun and hydrogen peroxide. I have to admit though, I'm seeing a lot less of it this year. Good luck with the watercress
Not sure if the compost contributed, but in my experience, water movement seems to motivate the string algae too. Two things I have found that will slow it down - air drying it in the sun and hydrogen peroxide. I have to admit though, I'm seeing a lot less of it this year. Good luck with the watercress
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
mmmm water movement, something to think on. My filter pump (just now) just recirculates water.
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
Well I added a temporary "bog filter". (will make it permanent when I get some black hose and a big ceramic plant pot)
So the pond has an air bubbler now.
A UV/filter/pump (that feed the bog filter)
Plants wise 4 oxygenators, 1 lily, 1parrot feather, 4 water soldiers, 1 water mint, 2 irises, 1 fibre optic plant, a striped reed, and a marsh marigold. The watercress did not survive in the pond.
The pond is in the shape of a 1/4 of a cake. and is 1m by 1m.
Well went away on holiday for a few weeks and when I got back it was covered in gloop. Took me 2 hours to get rid of the most of it. It tends to attach to the plants and their roots.
The coverage of the surface of the pond is about 30-35%
So this stuff is caused by light, and nutrients. I cant do much about the light so I kinda have to look at reducing the nutrients?
So can anyone recommend some really nutrient hungry plants? I was planning on placing them in the "bog filter"
Cheers Bjorn
So the pond has an air bubbler now.
A UV/filter/pump (that feed the bog filter)
Plants wise 4 oxygenators, 1 lily, 1parrot feather, 4 water soldiers, 1 water mint, 2 irises, 1 fibre optic plant, a striped reed, and a marsh marigold. The watercress did not survive in the pond.
The pond is in the shape of a 1/4 of a cake. and is 1m by 1m.
Well went away on holiday for a few weeks and when I got back it was covered in gloop. Took me 2 hours to get rid of the most of it. It tends to attach to the plants and their roots.
The coverage of the surface of the pond is about 30-35%
So this stuff is caused by light, and nutrients. I cant do much about the light so I kinda have to look at reducing the nutrients?
So can anyone recommend some really nutrient hungry plants? I was planning on placing them in the "bog filter"
Cheers Bjorn
bjorn_toulouse
more of a puddle than a pond
Well the daily battle with the gloop continues. I was away for a week and the algae killed the water cress. Took a few hours to remove as much as possible. On the bright side my water lily flowered. So has anyone got any surjections for planting in the bog filter? One thing I will say is the water is very clear.