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#419986 08/01/15 11:08 PM
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Is this blue-green algae?

Is the pond safe to swim in when this is blown mostly to one shore line?

Is this the kind of algae that can make a person sick?

Pictures below.

Kind of pretty if it was not so disgusting. When there is much wind it all piles up on one shore line and is not much of a problem. But if it is real still it will spread out over the pond.

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John

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Snrub, I'm no expert but it certainly appears to be BG algae and I have it as well.

Last night the entire pond was blanketed, in swirls I think due to my 4 diffusers. Kinda cool but it's nasty stuff! And fortunately we had some decent winds last night and early this morning pushing it to one side. But even approaching the pond I could smell it.

Even if it's blown to one side, I personally wouldn't take a chance!

I was at Milford lake in Kansas last week (16,000 ac lake) which has BG Algae warnings out and here's some good information about it. Towards the bottom of the page is where they discuss the hazards of BG Algae:

http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/

And here's instructions on a "jar test" to check for the potential of having BG Algae:

http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/


Keith

PS - Whatever you do, keep your dogs and pets away from it!

Last edited by Lovnlivin; 08/02/15 08:15 AM.

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Ok, thanks for that info Keith. The second link goes to the same place as the first link, but the first link had the information I needed.

I had heard years ago that cattle that had no other water source and were forced to drink from contaminated ponds would get sick. But since I never had first hand experience with blue-green algae, I had never researched it nor paid much attention.

Sounds like nasty stuff and a good thing to stay away from.

We caught fish, cleaned and ate them last night. Hope that is not a problem.

The BG seem to be feeding pretty much normal (active in the cooler parts of the day but a bit lethargic from the hot water during the heat of the day). I did have three LMB that mysteriously died within the last ten days. One I chalked up originally to a hereon strike because of a puncture behind the gills. But when two other bass were upside down near death, decided the hereon might have just speared an already sick fish. So far no other dead fish have turned up the last few days. Fingers crossed.

When I feed I avoid the bank where the algae has floated up against so the feed don't get coated with it and force the fish to eat it.

Last edited by snrub; 08/02/15 09:01 AM.

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Snrub - good test to see if it is one of the harmful bluegreen algae is to gather some in a glass jar and 'cap it'. After a few hours cautiously smell it. If it smells nasty it is one of the harmful bluegreens.


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Sorry about that, Snrub!

Try this one:

www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/download/Jar_Test.pdf


Keith - Still Lovin Livin

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Don't think I will have to do the jar test. Till today never noticed any smell. Went out to feed the fish this morning and the south breeze blew a nasty putrid smell off the water.

Last edited by snrub; 08/02/15 03:15 PM.

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I've had very similar floating algae for about a week in my 1/3-acre put-and-take pond. My other down-stream ponds are not affected. I'm assuming it is some kind of blue green algae.

A few days ago I added some dye, which seemed to help a little. I'm hoiping to drain the pond down about 2 feet overnight tonight with my semi-trash pump.

I bought four barley straw bales. In the morning, I've got a helper coming over. We plan to build about a four-foot wide inflow of 6-8 rip-rap, underlaid with landscaping cloth, going into this pond. We will build a rock wall just beyond end of this inflow where its bottom will be several inches below the normal water line. The wall will be covered with silt-cloth on the bottom, inside, and outside of the rock wall. The four barley bales will go on the inside of the wall. I then plan to run the output of the semi-trash pump over the rip-rap, which will move through the bales and the two layers of silt fence.

We'll see if it does any good.

If not, I may have to drain this relatively new pond this winter and re-excavate it. It was originally my setting pond, just a lot smaller, for my other ponds.


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Thanks for the corrected link.

Here is a link from the same web site with a lot of examples.

BG algae examples

My shore line looked textbook.

Now I wish the FA was back. At least it was not toxic.

Several days of relatively calm winds. Some good wind today so hopefully it will wash most of it ashore.

As Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say, "it's-always-something".

Last edited by snrub; 08/02/15 07:06 PM.

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Here is also a link from Nebraska that gives some good information about the dangers to humans and if fish are safe to eat from waters that have blue-green algal blooms.

FAQ's blue-green algae


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Thanks for the links!

But be careful what you wish for. As I read in one of the articles; "Harmful Algae Blooms can appear (or disappear) rapidly.", unlike FA.

Originally Posted By: snrub
Now I wish the FA was back. At least it was not toxic

Removing the FA from my pond and getting it under control was a royal PITA and I really don't want to go through that again. And I too had some good winds today pushing it to one end of the pond and hopefully this week we'll get some good rains and cooler weather which should help.

It's hard to even approach my pond due to the smell, as the winds today blew it all towards the dock-end of the pond frown .

Hopefully it won't last long for any of us dealing with it right now!

Last edited by Lovnlivin; 08/03/15 06:20 AM.

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Lovnlivin #420051 08/02/15 09:17 PM
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Pretty much dissipated. Had a lot of wind today. Went out just before sunset to feed the fish and fish for a while, and if I had not known it had been there, would not have even have suspected it ever being.

I suppose it did not actually go away but dispersed throughout the water or sunk to the bottom or washed ashore, but at least it is visually gone.


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snrub #420101 08/03/15 12:17 PM
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Some fresh bright green stuff back today but wind keeping it corralled in the two northeastern corners of the pond. One are probably 25'x25' and another 25'x50'. None of the paint looking stuff, but I imagine the bright green stuff eventually as it ages and dies turns into the paint looking stuff. That seems to what happened earlier.

Rest of the 3 acre pond looks fine as long as the wind is blowing. If the wind quits blowing it seems to spread out and bloom all over the pond area. At least that is my observation so far. The concentrated green stuff smells too. Distinctive smell when I get downwind of it. Try to avoid any significant time exposed to the vapors.

Last edited by snrub; 08/03/15 12:17 PM.

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I have some floating algae like yours, a bit more on the olive green,tan color, floats around and disappears with rain then comes back. I assume it is algae like yours but no smell and not as thick. We'll keep an eye on it.

snrub #420107 08/03/15 01:12 PM
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Just nasty stuff, isn't it?

No wind today or expected over the next several days, but I'm hoping for some rain. Although I also get worried with several overcast days (no sunlight).

Here's what I have, pics taken this morning:





Feeding fish this morning, just the pellets hitting the water and the fish feeding would make that stuff airborne! So it was "toss and run" shocked

I'm going to try a beneficial bacteria treatment to try and tackle that problem and hopefully bring back some water clarity.

Such a balancing act but this stuff HAS to go! I really need to clean my 4 diffusers but I'm not getting in the water with this stuff around!


Keith - Still Lovin Livin

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(a short video tribute to the PB members we met on our 5 week fishing adventure)

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Lovnlivin #420124 08/03/15 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted By: Lovnlivin


I really need to clean my 4 diffusers but I'm not getting in the water with this stuff around!


Wise decision on your part from my perspective. I've been wanting to go swimming it has been so hot, but not with that muck in there. Also would like to clean my diffusers.


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snrub #420945 08/14/15 12:41 AM
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Had a couple nice rains that raised the pond to within 2" of full pool. Pond cleared up enough to feel safe to swim. Got diffusers cleaned.

Then.............. its BAAAAAAAACK! eek

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snrub #420998 08/14/15 03:04 PM
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Snrub,

My system has been down since Monday as I'm rebuilding my compressor/pump, but I was quite surprised when I went out to the pond last night and had over 26" of clarity, with just traces of the blue/green algae along one bank. Previously (including the night before) my clarity was about 8-10"!

Yet, all for naught as this morning it was back frown .

On your diffusers:

* When you pulled up the diffusers how did they look?

* How did you clean them and did they come clean easily?

* Did you notice a marked difference after cleaning?

Thanks! (and that was 17 questions short of 20 smile )


Keith


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When treating algae on golf course greens the conditions are generally acidic. Manually applying hydrated lime directly to the algae will take it out and help bring the PH up.

Do not get the lime in your eyes or if you do get it on your hands it will burn when wet.

There is a peroxide product that is out there that some golf courses have been using to great success.

Hydrated lime works for me and my FA too.

Cheers Don.

EDIT: Cleaning air stations, We just put on a life jacket and grab the weighted hose going to the air station. Just keep pulling myself along till the defuser comes off the bottom. Then just floating there with it I just rub it down with my hand and scratch off any hard bits with my finger nails. Swim out to where I want the air station to be and drop her away.

Last edited by DonoBBD; 08/14/15 03:20 PM.

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Lovnlivin #421000 08/14/15 03:28 PM
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I swam out with mask, fins and snorkel, held my breath, dove down the 9' while following the buoy rope down to the diffuser (in pitch black darkness because of all the algae in the water only about 18-24" visibility), and with gloves on scrubbed the diffusers with my hands while they were in operation with air coming out.

Did this when the blue-green algae subsided after a couple of rains and the water looked fit to swim in. Grandson came along for the snorkel.

Never pulled them up. Still need to though, as now two of the three double Matala diffusers only have air coming out one of the two diffusers. The last time I cleaned them a couple months ago only one of the three had a collapsed diffuser.

For some unknown reason, all the air is going to one diffuser and none to the other. The collapsed diffuser is setting flat with the membrane center resting on the internal built in check valve. There is nothing but a simple Tee connecting the two diffusers so nothing to change the air pressure being equal to each diffuser. No internal restrictor like on some other brands, nothing. The only thing I can fathom is that when I have shut the pumps off and back on to flex the membranes to partially clean them, the diffusers collapsed onto the check valve and rubber membrane "stuck" somehow in the middle. Maybe because of the design the rubber in the middle that covers a hole to act like a check valve imbeds in the hole and sticks????? Don't know. Will not know till I pull one of them up. Right now getting ready to go cross country on motorcycle again so likely will not know till later this fall. May just pull all three up for the winter, plug the lines, and leave them out till re-installing next spring.

I'm not too worried about it. The single diffuser seems to move "almost" as much water. It just bulges up a little higher in the middle than the double that is still working. They all get the same cfm of air via three identical pumps, so same air flow just coming out one single diffuser instead of two seperated diffusers (couple inches in the middle).

Yes cleaning them definitely helps. I saw this both last time and this time. My north diffusers always have more crud on them than the south. The middle - don't remember anything special about it. Last time when the water was more clear and I could actually see the diffuser working on the bottom, the clogging had the north diffuser about 2/3 clogged up. The air was all coming out the remaining open holes. When cleaned the bubbles were finer and on the surface I could visable see more water movement after cleaning. This time it was pitch black down there and had to do the job by feel. More modest improvement this time, but keep in mind I cleaned them a couple months ago.

Also cleaned for the first time the singles in my forage pond and sediment pond )they are run by a single pump with a valve to balance desired output). The forage pond was nearly completely scummed over with stuff at least a quarter inch thick. Amazed some air was still coming out of it. The sediment pond was not bad. Have no clue why the difference. I do turn the air down to the forage pond so there is less coming out it because it is only about half the size pond as the sediment pond (roughly 1/20th and 1/10th acre).

That is what I can tell you. I think I will just pull them all when water temps get down past fall turnover and plug the lines. Leave my rope and buoy along with some sort of weight on the air line. Find out the problem with the collapse of one side, recondition, and re-install next spring.

That is "the plan". Sometimes my plans change. grin

Hope that answers your questions. I made the post long enough to answer 20. Good luck with yours. I think you likely will find improvement with cleaning.

Last edited by snrub; 08/14/15 03:36 PM.

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Yes, that answers all my questions and thanks for the great detail! And DonoBBD, thanks for your input as well!

I plan on pulling mine up (double vertex diffusers) for full inspection and cleaning as I'll be able to set them on the deck of my bass boat, but 3 of the 4 are shallow diffusers and are only in about 5' of water. With the one deep diffuser in about 9' of water.

I also plan on putting them on bases as they're now just sitting on the bottom (since May-2012). I can only imagine what I'll find!

With a rebuilt pump that had scored cylinders, and piston cups that were shot (I can't believe it was still pushing air!), with that and clean diffusers I'm in hopes they'll start moving water like they used to!

Thanks again!


Keith


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