Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Is this what FA looks like?

I was wondering it the growth in my pond is FA and could by controlled with tilapias? The pictures are more of the scenery but they happen to show the algae.

From the pics that looks like FA. BTW welcome to the PB forum. Nice pond.

Fairly typical FA:

100% FA, possibly Lyngba. Treat with copper products at labbelled rates. Nice looking place bTW.

Chetorba, Yes on the FA as many many kinds exist. Talapia in PA would have a very short lifespan per season,late stocking each year with early demise when cooler water temps set in 50-55F They would not address the cause of the FA however.Consider looking into the source of the nutrient load to curb your FA, also some FA will probably always exist in your pond and may not be a bad thing when managed correctly.Copper will knock it back for a few weeks and it will be replaced by FA again until your water temps go down, you then may get a cool water type called spirogyra,thus more reasoning to go after the problem vs the symptom. Good Luck

very nice lookin place chetorba, i'll bet there's some cool rocks up in that hill country (old metamorphic schists?)

if thats all the FA you get, you're in better shape than many of us. with that amount it would seem manual removal would work just about as well if not better than chemicals. as greg mentioned above, if you use copper, do not over apply.

this year i thought i would get pond covering blooms of FA (as in years past) but after my renovation last fall, it never happened. I was actually glad to have some (mostly around pond edges) to provide cover for YOY fish.

Thanks for the advice. I try some copper and try to figure out the source of the nutrients. It is an old dairy farm so I am sure the ground has lots of fertilizer/manure. The pictures are from late fall and early spring. By mid summer, it looks like you could walk across the pond.

We are in bluestone country. There are quarries all over. Here are some of the bluestone "sliders" on top of the hill

well that was for my benefit.....thank you chetorba for sharing those pics...beautiful.......i can not possibly think of anything better than having a pond and cool rocks in the same place.......

those look like some ancient limestones of some sort, they have a unique looking texture, and am sure tell an old story. are the quarries for marble or limestone?.........sorry i know its off topic.....so fire me :rolleyes:

actually if your pond substrate is limestone soils, in addition to the former dairy, that might explain some of the nutrient load source?

It is bluestone:

Pennsylvania Bluestone is a unique sand stone found only in Northeastern Pennsylvania and mostly in Susquehanna County. As sediments fossilized into rock, minerals carried by groundwater through rock deposits created other colors, including: blue, green, earthtone, and lilac or a combination of these shades. Pennsylvania Bluestone is a strong, stable stone that resists cracking and won’t discolor. Pennsylvania Bluestone is highly prized as a building material and for adding architectural details because it can be easily separated into slabs of desired size.
Web site with details:

http://www.susqco.com/subsites/ecodev/pages/bluestone.htm

Nice read on the link, and thanks for the education. I guess somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I recall the famous PA bluestone, it just didnt kick in right away.

what a great place to live!

i want a slab.