Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants FA, take out by hand or buy some fish?

My pond has FA around 50% of the shoreline and some in the shallow areas of the pond. It is starting to (if it hasn't already) when the war. Should I just rake it out of my 1/2 acre pond or get some fish that eat it? We have mild winters here in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Will the FA die down in the winter? Thanks for any advice.

Hi Mt. There aren't many fish that we can get in central/northern CA that will eat FA (at least as far as I know). Grass Carp are illegal and FA doesn't seem to be something that they like to eat. Tilapia are great at controlling FA but once again, it's not a fish that we can have.

Cutrine Plus is cheap, easy, and readily available if you are considering a chemical solution.

FA does die back in the winter (at least at my elevation of 2,100 feet). But it always rages back in the summer.

You can also buy water "shading" products (aqua shade, etc) but they have other side effects that are not disirable (IMHO).

That's my two cents worth.

Check out these videos a whip antenna and cordless drill set on slow

What do you guys think about killing off the FA this time of year when dissolved oxygen is an issue? I am worried about the FA decomposing when it is killed off. Also, does FA produce much oxygen when alive?

Thanks

I have a 30ac lake I moved to with what I think are FA problems. It is all broken up into .5" strings and thick from top to bottom of the lake. I am thinking I am heading for a fish kill once it decomposes. I have 1000 10" rainbow trout in it.

FA grows on the bottom of your pond and when it gets enough oxygen, it floats to the surface. I saw a video on this board that used a 10 foot 3/4 pvc on a cordless drill. I bought a steel nipple that I attached to the pvc. You walk the edge of your pond and stick the end of the pvc pipe into the floating algae. Then you fire up the cordless drill and the algae raps around the pipe. You can get quite a bit on the pipe. You drag it to shore and it slides off. It is in a nice long twisted pile that is easy to get rid of once it dries out. Excellent way to get rid of algae.

One good thing about manual removal is it gets rid of the excess nutrients tied up in the FA. Excess nutrients are one big cause of FA. Plus it does not kill the plankton thus less chance of a DO problem.

Thanks for the replies.

I applied 1 gal. Cutrine Plus about a month ago and it really seemed to help. Today I applied another gallon to the remaing FA. My water drops pretty quickly and I refill it with ground water irrigated down orchard rows. The pond is as low as it has been since I filled it the first time in Dec 2007.

My plan is to add water in 2 or 3 days to let the Cutrine Plus work at a higher concentrate. When the FA begins to die I will add water to help out with the DO and refill my pond to full pool. Does this make sense or am I flurting with a die off? I can have fresh water to the pond within a couple hours of starting the pump.

I couldn't handle it so I started the pump.

Seems like your post on 8/26 got lost in the shuffle Mt.

I have forgotten, are you aerating your pond?

Is the water that is being pumped into the pond being aerated, water fall over rocks, etc?

I'm glad to hear the Cutrine worked out.

Experts?

Hey Jeff,

No the pond is not aerated and the well water is simply flooded down the orchard rows, anout 1/4 mile. The only times the water falls is when it drops 6 feet or so into the stand pipe and it also tumbles into the pond.

I will be turning off the pump in a hour or so.

Two comments first, a quarter mile of orchards? Dang that's some orchard you have there!

Perhaps the water traveling down the orchard rows and then dropping the 6 feet and then tumbling into the pond provides enough aeration for the water entering the pond.

EXPERTS, Are you guys on a coffee break or what?????

well i aint no expert, but what about all the fertilizer that water could pick up comin down the orchard rows? i'd think it had plenty of O2, but i'd also think it'd keep charging the pond w/ nutrients...which'd keep that FA growin strong...

mtalley:

I understand that you have added two gallons of Curtine + to a half acre pond in the last two months. Do you mean two gallons of Cutrine + solution mixed as recommended or two gallons of Curtine + in solution. I am no expert but if it was two gallons of chemical that seems like a lot.

Bing

Two gallons of cutrine is probably about the right dosage considering the timeframe and depending on the depth of the pond. The label says 2.4 gallons for 4 acre feet. Double that dosage for chara.

In my experience, the effect from a treatment of cutrine plus only lasts 5 or 6 weeks.

Incoming nutrients from the orchard definitely sound suspect to me.

Bing & Ryan,
Yes two gallons of Cutrine Plus in solution. I then diluted it down to use in a hand sprayer. According to the label that was about right. It really has done a great job so far.

Yes, the water does flow down about 1/4 mile of orchard rows. We do not fertilize the orchard but yes there has to be some nutrients being picked up. The water usually starts off tea colored but after a few hours begins to clear.

Hi Mt. I think that Mortimer hit it on the head with his concern about nutrient loading. Do you fertilize your orchards? Regardless of whether you do or not, I would contend that water can pick up plenty of nutrients in a 1/4 mile regardless of land use. In addition, the historical long term, extensive use of fertilizers in the central valley have contaminated some aquifers with nitrates meaning that your well water may be a source of nutrients.

The question is what are your goals for this pond. If it is simply an irrigation retention pond and you don't want a stinking eye sore then dump chemicals in it. But, keep in mind that this is not addressing the problem but rather a symptom of the problem. In addition, long term use of copper compounds can create an accumulation in the sludge layer of your pond. Now, if you go to dredge your pond there is the potential that the copper levels are high enough to deem your dredge tailings as hazardous waste which is VERY expensive to have hauled (probably all the way to Kettlemen City).

If you are trying to establish a fishery, swimming hole, aesthetic amenity, or irrigation reuse I would suggest an aeration system and bacteria. An aeration system for this size pond would be very affordable while the bacteria would help consume some of the organic nutrients that are actually causing the problem.

Good luck.