Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Should I be worried?

Being totally new to this pond management thing, I may be asking a silly question but here goes. I recently stocked my 1.2 acre pond in southern Louisiana, after it finally filled up (it took 17 months). I have started feeding my fish twice a day with only a 4 second blast from the feeder to get them used to the pellets. My concern is some algae that has shown up around the edges of the pond. It is floating all around the pond edges but mostly on the side that is normally downwind which is also the side with the feeder. It is not excessive at this point but not sure if it will continue to increase. I have pics but cannot figure out how to upload them into this post. Any help would be appreciated and I would be happy to forward pics to anyone that thinks they may be able to identify and determine if I should take any action.

Welcome to the forum Barry, from a fellow South Louisianian.

It's hard to say exactly what you have without seeing it, but chances are, it's probably FA (Filamentous Algae), but it could be pollen as well. If it is FA, it usually doesn't become much of a problem as the summer months come on, but it's a good indicator that you've got a fertile pond. It may become an issue this fall and winter tho. It grows on the bottom in shallow water, and when it starts to die, air bubbles get trapped in it and it floats to the surface and looks like a mossy mess. With it being a young pond, you probably dont have much for shoreline vegetation yet. Without another source to use up excess nutrients, it's a battle to keep it under control. There are some algaecides you can use to knock it down. Copper Sulfate works well, but be careful not to treat too heavily all at once.

I've been battling pollen all spring and it gets stacked up as a greenish brown scum on the windblown side of the pond. If you touch it and it seperates like oil on water, it may be pollen. If it doesnt seperate, it may be a phytoplankton bloom dieing off. A couple of questions...

How deep is your pond and how deep is the visibility? If it's real clear, sunlight can penetrate into deeper water and let FA and other plant life grow deeper. 16-24" is another good indicator of a fertile pond. Not a bad thing because it's the base of your food chain.

When you feed, how quickly do your fish clean it up? If there is feed still floating after about 10 minutes, you may be adding nutrients for algae to feed on. It should be gone pretty quickly.

Do you have plans to put in an aeration system? Algae has a hard time growing in water that is well oxygenated, and I can tell you, down here, around August/September, your pond is going to get HOT!!! The hotter it is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold, good for algae (especially blue green algae), bad for fish.

Do you plan to source some plants to start growing around the banks? They will help use up excess nutrients and make it tough on algae to grow. Iris, arrowhead, rushes, and some forms of lillies will help. Just be mindful of aggressive/invasive plants like milfoil, coontail, hydrilla, and hyacinth. They are all bad news down here.

Hope this helps a little. You're in a good place to learn a lot about managing your pond. Good to have you!!

Thanks for the reply. I have pics that I can post or send if that helps. I just can't figure out how to attach them to this thread. To answer some of your questions: 1. the pond is 12-15 ft deep in the center and clarity is about 18-24 inches. I fertilized it about a month ago just before the fish were put in. 2. The fish do not clean up the food - they are just fingerlings and they are just starting to come to the surface to eat. I figured a short 4 second blast (0.8 lbs according to my feeder) twice a day wouldn't overfeed but give them enough to help start the training process. Do you think that could deposit too much feed in the pond? 3. Yes I plan on using plants around the bank but haven't decided on which is best to use. I want something that won't take over and relatively short if possible. 4. I was hoping to not use an aeration system. I do not see the pond daily (once or twice a week) and want it to be relatively self supportive. My concern is if I loose power without knowing it, I may have a fish kill.

Send me a pic and I'll try to at least post a link to it. I'll send you a PM.

Since you just started feeding, I doubt there's been enough feed deposited to impact your nutrient load, but I'm not sure how long it would take for leftovers to be converted. Maybe someone with knowledge will step in.

I'd say the algae was just starting to get going when you fertilized and that caused an exposion. You didnt say....is it kinda fluffy, or more scummy?

24 inch visibility is really a good level IMO. It blocks enough sunlight to keep stuff from growing too deep and helps keep deeper water cooler.

Since your pond has exposed banks, you should get enough wind action to keep the DO stirred up, the issue may come this summer when it gets hot, tho. Hot water cant hold enough O2, and nighttime respiration may become a stressor. We'll hope not.

Link to Barry's algae pic. Looks like FA to me.

[img]https://photos.app.goo.gl/fqzyYVmhv2zuPuJS8[/img]