The algae never quits

[Meyer Jordan]

I can't believe there is still so much algae floating free in my pond. I still have to do daily cleanings of the pump baskets, including full disassembly twice a week. A couple days ago I netted a large clump of algae off the bottom of the large pond. It's really nice to see the fish again though. The phosphates continue to hover around 0.25ppm. I might have to start adding the treatment more often to really knock it down. Is it possible that with so much algae dying off, it is adding more phosphates to the water? I guess there's not much else to do but continue treatments and give it time. Maybe the stuff will completely die off over the Winter.

Your goal should be to reduce the level of Phosphorus to LESS than 0.05 ppm. As the algae dies off, it WILL release the Phosphorus back into the water column. This is why manual removal is also important. Hang in there, you are on the right track.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

@addy - I would have loved a bog, and considered it when I planned out the current pond, but just couldn't find a way to fit it into the space I have available. I sort of made it half way though, using a gravel bed in my stream as a sort of bog area, but there's no forced water flow *through* the gravel, so definitely not as effective.

@Meyer - good to know what the target is, and yeah a large water change is planned, but we're still getting rain on and off. I intend to blow the old water out onto my yard once it gets really dry. Actually this long weekend might be a good time.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

@addy - I would have loved a bog, and considered it when I planned out the current pond, but just couldn't find a way to fit it into the space I have available. I sort of made it half way though, using a gravel bed in my stream as a sort of bog area, but there's no forced water flow *through* the gravel, so definitely not as effective.

@Meyer - good to know what the target is, and yeah a large water change is planned, but we're still getting rain on and off. I intend to blow the old water out onto my yard once it gets really dry. Actually this long weekend might be a good time.

Have you tested your source water? I like knowing what I am putting in a pond as well a what I am removing.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

No, but it can't hurt to test it. We have very well-filtered mountain water here, so the chlorine is generally the only thing I have to worry about.

 

[addy1]

@addy - I would have loved a bog, and considered it when I planned out the current pond, but just couldn't find a way to fit it into the space I have available. I sort of made it half way though, using a gravel bed in my stream as a sort of bog area, but there's no forced water flow *through* the gravel, so definitely not as effective.

Sure can understand that. I also have a ton of plants in the pond proper, lilies pickerl, lizard tail etc etc.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Larkin sent me some pickerel when I set up the new pond, but unfortunately it didn't survive the Winter. I do have a lot of lizard tail making its way across my pond, plus of course the irises and various grasses. There's no shortage of plants in the water, but I do need to get the gravel stirred up and flushed again.

 

[addy1]

well bummer I am out of ideas

 

[Shdwdrgn]

I may have hit the motherload today...

Early this Spring (or late this Winter?) I was trying to drain out the bottom of the filters, but neither one was moving well. After working with one I got the ice cleared out of the pipe and netted a bunch of large decomposing leaves from the bottom, allowing the water to drain properly and clear that filter. Due to a storm I was never able to get around to the other filter.

Today I was finally able to drain about 500 gallons of water off the pond and stir up the gravel bed. While that was proceeding I decided it was time to drain and tackle that other filter. Boy what a surprise I found! Using the hose to try and flush the mass out of the way of the drain proved fruitless, so I finally resorted to grabbing the large-mesh net to see what I could scoop up. The horror! I found this mass of black jelly-like stuff that was so thick it wouldn't even fall through the net. I scooped out more than 5 net-fulls of the stuff before I was finally able to get the drain flowing. With any luck the stuff will make great fertilizer though, so I spread it around my yard on some problem areas. It breaks down easy enough with a hose, so it won't suffocate the grass.

Well I finally got things drained and cleaned, so I started refilling again. Used some of the fresh water and turned on the pump to that filter to flush out the rest of the gunk from the bottom before letting the pond fill back up. And once I got the pumps running again I threw in a fresh dosage of PhosOut. I have this funny feeling that black mass of stuff may have been the source of food for the algae, but regardless today's cleaning should make a huge difference on the overall health of the pond water. When I went to feed this fish this evening there was still a little cloudiness in the water, but I could see the bottom again. It should be crystal clear by morning and then we'll see how it shakes out through this week.

In the meantime... oh god my elbows are killing me! I can't even lift any weight with my left arm. Work tomorrow should be 'interesting'...

 

[Lisak1]

I can't even lift any weight with my left arm. Work tomorrow should be 'interesting'...

Priorities! Your pond needed you!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If the black mass was gelatinous as you say, then what you had was a build-up of bacterial floc. This is very similar to biofilm only it does not usually adhere to surfaces. It is rarely seen floating in ponds as the fish quickly devour it.
Don't add PhosOut or any pond treatment without testing first. If the treatment is not needed it can do harm.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

@Meyer Jordan: thanks for the info, but none of that was happening. The stuff wasn't floating and didn't adhere to anything (it was pooled up in the bottom of my filter), and the PhosOut is because my phosphates are still hovering around 0.25ppm.

 

[Rach]

Well,here we are again, febraurynand the algae is back. Still have parrots feather that hasn't died down from out mild English winter and the Algae is clung to,it. That and the oxygen weed I have a lot of. In the stream too. I think I am going to try and leave it as nothing cleared,it last year!

Anyone else's returned?

 

[tbendl]

Mine has!

 

[Lisak1]

We have some beautiful healthy string algae on the waterfall flowing into the pond...and it's barely been above 30 degrees in three months! I consider it my early filtration system that kicks in before the plants get to growing.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

We have some beautiful healthy string algae on the waterfall flowing into the pond...and it's barely been above 30 degrees in three months! I consider it my early filtration system that kicks in before the plants get to growing.

Nature's way of providing temporary help.