Alright I do not have a day time picture but during the day I have a neon green film on my pond when its calm out or it is easily pushed to one corner if there is any breeze. Once the sun goes down I get this.

It turns to a grey film over the entire pond, there is one spot towards the left that it was still a little green when I got home last night and by morning the film will be completely gone only to restart as soon as sun gets on the pond in the morning. Ive never seen anything like this before, anything I should/can do about it?

Heavy plankton bloom. When the sun goes down dead plankton release cytoplasm which looks like what you describe. Have seen it many times exactly as you describe. However that does not mean that the above is the only thing going on in your pond environment. Keep an eye on things. Get a visual depth reading (sechi reading)and a day time pic.





http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=20172&Number=259527#Post259527

I will try to get a pic when I get home tonight. Water has been fairly clear but I do not have a sechi disk or a way to get my boat in the pond right now. (daily driver is on jackstands with the transmission out of it in front of the boat in the shed...)

The other thing that seems to be going on that I know of is a large amount of a plant that had been in the shallow waters since spring has died off with heat and lack of rain the last couple weeks here. Not sure what plant it is but was only growing to a couple foot of depth so I was leaving it for the small fish to hide in.




It was pretty dense over 50% of the shore line, so I have been running my aerator 24/7 to make sure I dont get a kill from a sudden o2 drop from it dying off.

Well no dice on pictures last night, pretty decent breeze out of the north and temps back down in the 80's today meant no green and/or grey film last night. See what it does today....

Does it look something like this? It's just starting and earlier than last year, and for me it will get worse, covering the entire pond. At it's worst, Bill Cody tested it for me last year and confirmed it was BG algae (cyanobacteria, etc., IIRC).





Too many hot, calm days (at and near 100 degrees). If like last year it will get so bad it's hard to be near or on the pond.

Nasty stuff

For Bill C:

Is there a ratio of N:P that promotes BG algae? Is there a ratio that prevents it as well?

Keith, would spraying the surface with Cutrine Plus liquid help?

Esshup that is what it looks like on a calm day for sure with the exception mine is a very bright lime green during the day time, goes grey at sundown and has vanished by sun up.

I am hoping that the cooler temps that have moved in will take care of it for the time being and as of this morning we have rain in the forecast over the weekend.

Would I be close in guessing it's turning gray at night due to other plant life consuming DO, leaving little for the algae to thrive on?

Just a WAG on my part, but mine doesn't turn gray and I have no plant life in my pond to utilize DO.

Scott, I don't know about spraying with Cutrine Plus liquid, but if/when it gets really bad and maybe blows to one end of the pond I can give it a shot. I still have some on the shelf. But wouldn't it just come right back?

I have no doubt my pond is very high on the N and P.

Cant imagine that being the case with my pond as my aeration setup is running 6-7 hours a day. I think whatever it is dies off as soon as it looses direct sunlight.

Also know signs of low DO from my fish at this point, granted they are all young small fish at this point but they are still feeding like crazy and no floaters.

I get that that down here from all the pine trees looks like green pollen all over my pond.... blows it from one end of the pond to the other.... Just saying this may not be your case but mine is a thin film almost pea green looking not neon......One medium rain and its gone.... if you have a lot of trees around your bank this could be part of what your seeing.... I say could be....

RC

So still not the best shot of it but this is when I got home last night. It was close to 8p.m. and somewhat over cast so the green wasnt as bright as I have seen it and you can see where it was starting to change over to grey in areas...

From what I can tell that looks a bit thicker then green pollen.... It does look like some form of light FA.... strange ... I hope it doesn't take off on you or it could get real bad quick!!

RC

The green to grey could be the green algae migrating to deeper water. Grey could be the surface film that remains after the algae has moved downward.

Sounds/looks like a strong algae bloom to me. Cutrine could kill some, and alum can bind up the phosphorus to limit growth.

The heavy rain forecast will help a lot in diluting the nutrients, unless a watershed field was recently sprayed with fertilizers

Rc Isn't your pine pollen more yellow than green? Is it the same stuff that gets all over your car in the spring? I am getting some of this lime green stuff also and it definently is not pine pollen. Still have 20 inch visibility on a sechhi dish. No floaters and feed like crazy. I do get a brownish gray film on the top some days also but will be gone in a couple of days. Right now mine is a pretty green color similar to limestone water in Arkansas. Very pretty hopefully not dangerous!!

Yeah definitely not pine pollen my yard is full of oak trees and only 3 or 4 pine trees within 100 yards of the pond.

I switched the aerator to running at night now to try and lower the pond temp some if possible and hopefully some rain will do it good.

Rex if you remember right my entire watershed is out of peoples yards and I havent seen anyone fertilize a yard out here in the 5 years I have owned the place. Hopefully a good down poor will get some fresh water in and some of whatever this crap is out the spillway.

ON the comments about it being thick it isnt at all, the little dark spots that you see in it is clear water where fish have came up and hit the top for something and it opens up a hole in that area that lasts for quite some time.

Last night when I got home there was no green on the pond surface but when I came out of the shed from working on my car right at dark the gray film was present so I am now wondering if the two are even related or two separate events happening daily.

Mine is looking like that too. It seems the more I upped my aeration time, the greener it got.

Mine runs 24/7, Shorty.

Maybe bringing up or stirring up too much N & P? Cooler weather has been keeping it at bay but we're back up into the 90's next week.

Maybe tomorrow's rain will help,,,, short term .

I am running mine just at night, I have upped the run time and the water has gotten greener. Secchi dish readings went from 12" to 14" down to 9" to 11" with the longer aeration run time.

Summer cold fronts are when you need your aeration the most, I will surprised if I don't hear of few fish kills by Tuesday.

Sago pondweed is the weed I think. I dont think its got anything to do with the alge bloom.My son lives west of carlinville. His pond is just like yours looks. So far so goo

@Lovnlivin and @Blue72Camaro... Did you guys ever figure this out and what to do? I have the same exact issue going on as pics above. Gray film at night and in the morning. Then turns to blue green during early morning hours, then eventually bright green by midday. a good rain and it's gone.

Most likely a heavy algae bloom, easily knocked back with an algicide. Best if done in the early stages.
Cutrine Plus, projected out from cheap hand pump sprayer, zig-zagged around out off shore, it don't take much so don't over do it.

Thanks, gonna give curtrine Plus a try today. Anyone have any luck with Pak27 on this stuff above. It’s a non-copper Algaecide. Supposed to be good for blue-green algae.

Still have this in the heat of the summer. One thing I have learned this year is when moss gets heavy if I run my aerator around the clock it knocks the algae back to next to nothing in a few days time but as soon as i go back to 4-5 hours a day I have the same as the pictures above from several years ago.