Seed ended up in an algae mat in my yellow perch production pond.

Can't say I have ever seen that before. I know red maples can grow just about anywhere and it would seem that about proves it!

It's actually not a red maple though. Not sure why the leaves are red.

That's a Silver Maple. Very angular "V's" between the lobes of the leaves.

Makes sense since silver maples like to grow in wet areas.

I can show you Sugar Maples growing side by side with River Birch trees in an area that typically floods and has standing water in a wet Spring.

May be red cause it's embarrassed to be photographed with FA

Ha Ha!

Could also be it's getting stressed as it's not an optimum environment. I think it was originally green.

Cecil, how has that Bojo light been working out?

It's actually a Wil-O-Wisp light from Fresh Flow. Been working for several years now above my belt feeder to feed train perch fry. I disconnected the fan. I have just a shop clamp light on the other end of the pond that works just fine.

Unfortunately the perch harvest this year may not be so good. Couldn't get a good algae bloom going in that pond and have been fighting FA all spring. Conversely the bluegill fry pond next door started out with FA, the FA disappeared, and it's been an awesome algae bloom all spring. However it has let up just a little recently with some FA coming back, but not much.

Cecil, you need something to whack back the FA? I've got some fertilizer here too.......

The FA seems to have peaked with a increase in phyto without the use of a fertilizer. I'm removing the algae mats with a rake.

This time of year the phyto increases and it can get dangerously high in the small ponds. Not sure why. In fact, had D.O. issues with to much of an algae bloom a couple of years ago this time of year. Therefore I'd rather not fertilize. Besides the perch should be on the feed in that pond with the use of the belt feeder and light.

Go figure I have an algae bloom when I don't need it but when I do earlier in the year I don't have it so much. I need to learn more about nitrogen/ phosphorous ratios. I had a presenter tell me too much FA means to much phosphorus and to increase the nitrogen. Too much macropytes means too much nitrogen and to decrease nitrogen.I had a good fertilizer used for corn once, but they stopped selling it to me. And there was the guy from Helena that said I was crazy for applying it to a pond. He did apologize though after I sent a letter of to his corporate headquarters.

Thanks for asking though.