A while back I discovered a brown "blob" floating in the pond. When I scooped it out it broke apart had a terrible smell. Thought it was an old dead fish. Now a month or so later I am finding them all over my 1/2 acre pond. Some the size of a mouse, others the size of a squirrel. They just break apart and there is nothing solid to them (i.e. no bones). It's like a "skin" covering a brown blob of goo that really stinks when it breaks apart.

Any ideas?

Sounds like these might be bryozoan colonies. Google Image that to see if that fits.

It sounds to me like JHAP sent the GSA deathstar to yer pond.

I googled "bryozoan colonies" but did not find a picture or description that matches. Some are close but here are some of the differences in what I have:

It is smooth, no star-shaped growths on the outside.

It is not solid. I can not pick it up. It will disintegrate into a thick brown liquid out of the water or smaller brown "gobs" in the water.

One description of the smell was accurate though. "The gel inside, once opened, was obviously not silicone and it had a foul odor. Not a rotten type of a smell but not unlike feces. It's rather hard to describe."

Tecman,

Where are you located? We're in SLO. We have equipment at a community lake in Atascadero that has the same stuff, although theirs is black but has the same description otherwise. I always figured they were globs of anaerobic muck that build up gasses which make them float. I don't know what they are but they certainly look and smell anaerobic.

Did it happen to resemble this image?


If not, what about one of these pair of images?

A couple of those look like a goose crapped in your hand! That's a serious commitment to "getting the shot" Kelly!

Not to worry. A close sniff-test confirmed it wasn't goose crap - I hope.

I sent a sample of the specimen pictured on the left to Bill Cody for IDing last year. I'd need to go back in my emails to remember his response. But, whatever it was, it did not respond to any conventional algaecide treatments - and caused a very serious problem in an urban lake that I managed.

That's interesting - I'd have guess stuff like that (whatever it is) would have responded to some kind of treatment. I want to compliment your photographic skills, too, by the way. The pics you've posted recently are all fantastic shots and show outstanding detail of the subject you're shooting. Very nice work!

Thank you all for you suggestions. After closer observation, I think WaterWizard is right. I finally saw a glob come up from the bottom. Several days later it looked just like the ones I described in the original post. Not sure what to do about it except scoop them out. Oooh that smell!