Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Dark green water

My water is really green-blue green alsmost looks like moss or something growing on the bottom until you try to rake it or disturb it thats when you realize it is suspended in the water...Is this what you would call a "Bloom" of some sort?

Yep, if the green color is in the water itself, that's what we call an algal bloom.

How thick is it - at what depth does your hand, a white object, or (better yet) a Secchi disk disappear? 12" to 18" is usually considered optimum. Less than 12", we worry about an oxygen crash resulting (when the bloom dies or when cloudy, windless days occur).

Thanks I will have to check to see how thick it is, no fish yet, well other than a few gold fish that are still alive, kinda the "canary in the mine" mentality.

I am dealing with this bloom again this year and it is thick, you can see the lime green water in the pond which may be more concentrated in areas and give the apperance of swirls in the pond then a couple days later I have a complete covering of the pond with the lime green bubbly looking algae possibly the platonic type. Cutrineplus seems to control it but I have also be using bacteria this year to help get the pond back in check and it is recommended not to use chemicals when using the bacteria becasue it will have an effect. I am thinking of applying cutrineplus this time so that my pond is clear by the 4th of july as I have a bunch of people come over and all of them would surely exspect the family pond expert to have a clear clean pond when they showed up.

I hope that the cutrine wont set me back too far on the bacteria progress.

Any thoughts on how to address this issue?

My thoughts are an algae bloom is a good thing as long as you clearity doesn't go below 12 inches. It keeps your macrophytes in check (bottom growing weeds) and is the base of the food chain. When you end up with crystal clear water you have weed problems on the horizon.

I have an algae bloom this year after not having one for the last two years. The water was crystal clear the last two years and the chara went nuts. I'll take the algae bloom any day.

We swim in the pond with the algae bloom daily with no problems. Please don't take offense with this comment, but if you want crystal clear water build a swimming pool and treat it with chlorine.

If your pond had an algae bloom initially with no nutrients purposely added by you, I have to question where your nutrients are coming from. Do you fertilize your grass around the pond? Do you have an farm run off?

Keep in mind if you're have having a lot of sunny days this can temporarily enhance your bloom also.

No offense taken, but does your algae bloom normally end up as scum on the surface? I may be experiencing something different. Its a green bubbly slime on the surface dang near looks like water meal but it hasn't any texture or grainy feel to it just small slimy bubbles that dissolve when you run your hand through it, but leaves slime on your hand.

I am afraid my neighbor fertilized his field up hill from my pond before we had all the rains and now it has effected me, I see the pictures of algae bloom but none show slime on the surface which would cover the entire pond if there isn't any wind.

I would like to get my pond suitable to swim in, and I don't mean crystal clear. its has at the moment about 6" visibility. it could be muddy all year and I would swim in it as long as the surface was clear of slime.

My pond has come along way in the last couple years so I think I need to stay patience and hopefully it will come out of it in the next couple years. But I have never been known to be patience

Post a pic of the pond and let us take a look. It could be a real thick plankton bloom. That is a lot easier to deal with than DW/WM.

The top pic is a plankton bloom with about 16in visa. The second pic is a later stage plankton bloom with a red euglena bloom on top and it is thicker and like a film on top. Plankton blooms can get much thicker than these and look like a sewage pond all gummed up.

I thought you would never ask
here you go. This pictures shows the difference in water color from the brown to green area this is where it has gathered
another picture of the green water
I dont know why but when this is viewed on the camera it is clear but when I post it it is blurry, but this is what it looks like close up, if needed I will try and get another pic. I wanted to show the little black specks that were present with the slime, smaller than pepper

I am leaving in the morning for 2 week 7o mile back packing trip in New Mexico, Philmont Scout ranch and I am wondering if I should give it a little cutrineplus before I go so that it will be cleared up for my company on the 4th of July, What do you guys think?

Aside for TG:

Don't wear Philmont out, my Son goes in 2 or 3 weeks! :p

Not a chance! It is a wonderful place where you can get back to nature, TWO WEEKS without my work cell phone.

It is a close call but I think I would crop the plankton bloom back a little - not much but some.