Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Pond Scum/Floating Algae etc.

Hello, I am attempting to place some pictures in this post; if I'm successful then I thank Mr. Condello and Mr. Baird for their excellent instructions. If I fail I will continue until I get it right (please pardon the multiple posts if this is necessary). My question, is this pond algae identifiable from my pictures, assuming of course that they show up? I've read several post concerning it but I haven't been able to see any pictures that positively identify it. I think what I have in my pond is the same as what I’m reading described in others posts. If it is then I’ve read a lot of different ways to deal with it. If I decided to pull it out is there a preferred method or is that even feasible? There seems to be a fair amount of it but I think that if I was able to physically remove it I would also be removing some unwanted nutrients with it. Any help will be appreciated it. Thank you, Joe Street.

That's what I call FA ("pond scum" to his friends).

We probably have more threads on controlling, removing, and ignoring FA than on any other type of pond plant. Several seconds before I complete this post, ewest should have presented you with a number of links to excellent discussions and information on this topic. If for some reason this fails (say, the power is out in Jackson) do a search for filamentous algae under "Controlling Unwanted Plants" and you'll get about two screens of threads on FA to peruse.

To assist the FA control experts, can you give your pond size, extent of FA coverage, pond goals, and the amount of FA you are willing to tolerate?

I think Ewest is at the Academy Awards to see if he gets techical assistant award for the March of the Penquins.

I'm here. Been spreading lime. No hollywood types for me. I think Sunil's SMB are smarter. There are way to many links on this topic here are a couple good ones.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000131#000000

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000096#000005

http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000185

http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000104

This is enough to start with.

Mr. Gallus, to answer the questions my pond is about 2.5 acres. I have a ¾ hp rotary vane pump with 3 separate diffusers on it. The narrow end of my pond is about 5’ deep and it gradually goes to a depth of about 25’ by the dam. There is a fair amount of this algae but it is pretty much limited to the perimeter of the pond. My pond goals are to fish and swim in it, I’m particularly interested in the bluegill fishing. As far as the amount of FA that I’m willing to tolerate, if I could get rid of it all I probably would. It is unsightly and if it gets bad the swimming probably won’t be much fun which is really bad because the swimming is the main reason that my wife likes the pond and has allowed me to throw as much money into this watery pit as I have. If it is bad for the fishing I would probably be willing to do just about anything to get rid of it. Of course what ever resources that would take would have to be utilized for the sake of making the pond suitable to swim in . I followed your advice about doing a search for filamentous algae in the “Controlling Unwanted Plants” section and came up with 20 threads and read them all plus the 4 that Mr. Ewest posted. It seems that there are several options for getting rid of the stuff, unfortunately none as easy as I had hoped. I’ll have to think on how I’m going to try and tackle this situation. Thank you all for responding to my call for help.

One hopeful note on FA in swimmin' holes. It seems to be it's most extensive in cooler water (late Spring & early Summer). By the time our pond has warmed to the point we enjoy swimming, the FA has been in decline for a while and there is much less of it present.

Just came in from spraying my "scum". Now is the time to spray in Central and Southern Ohio. 50 deg water temps or higher are a must.

ejrfan,

Whatcha spraying your scum with? We had some winds saturday night that pushed all the floating FA to one side of the BG pond. Spent 30 minutes sunday morning removing 98% of it.

ejrfan,

How long have the diffusers been in the lake? What type are they? It may be time to clean them if they are a stone-type. You may not be receiving their full potential if they are clogged with calcium deposits.

At 25' of depth, do you have one of them at that depth? If so, your compressor may be working too hard to get the air to that one and not allowing the correct volume of air to the other two.

Just some thoughts on how to tweak what you already have.

I buy most all of my stuff from A.T.A.C. Check them out @www.atac.com I installed my aeration unit 2yrs ago and use the rubber membrane diffuser for the best results you can buy. I run it with a 3/4 horse Gast pump. I treat my algae with Cintrine plus liquid and Sidekick. Ialso had the wind here and when it lays down a little I spray. The treatment last a good couple months. I don`t think you can stop the algae bloom by any other way and I also will say you can only try to control it. My pond is 1.25 acres and 13ft deep and that is where the diffuser is.

I calculate the volume of your pond to be roughly 4.5 million gallons. With a single diffuser unit, you should be turning over the entire volume about 1.13 times per day. This should be more than enough for your pond. As for your compressor pushing air down 13' it should be reading on a pressure of about 6psi. That 3/4 should be running fine at that pressure.

Adding Sidekick to your mix helps keep the copper in solution especially if your water is hard. You should get as you mentioned, 2-3 months control with this mix.

Thanks for the info!!!

We are loading up with the FA in Catskills of New York this spring. Had very little snow this past winter so there was no melt and it has been bone dry this spring. I have been manually removing it using a big pool skimmer but this is back breaking. We are running the aerator 24/7 but with no run off to drain nutrients and help flush out the FA I feel like I'm loosing the battle. We have as much FA now as we did during the drought last summer in July/August. I'm worried about how bad it may get this summer. Does anyone have advise on dealing with it with out chemicals?