Superficially it looks like Cladophora (coarse wooly algae) which grows well when phosphorus is at higher levels. A local algal professor calls it a phosphorus hog.
I don't suggest you add copper sulfate as granules. That is an improper way to apply it resulting in waste, requiring way more than necessary, and sinking granules does not give efficient distribution of the chemical to effictively kill the vertical growing filaments. Granules on bottom only effectively treat a very small diameter at each granule and only at the basal portion of each filament. Dissolved copper quickly gets chemically bound before reaching any distance above sediment. For effective kill You want even coverage over as much of the entire vertical filament as possible, not just at the bottom. For bottom growth it is best to use: 1. The largest granules you can find (best 1/4"-1/2 nuggets, slowest dissolving), 2. Divide dosage into several applications, thus making less last longer befoer all is disolved. 3. use a fine porus bag or sac holding the CuSO4 with a few larger stones for weight to quickly drag among the algae for maximum distribution of dissolved chemical.
Copper is a heavy metal and stable in the environment. It never goes away or deterioriates in the sediment. Build up of copper can occur over time, sediments get saturated (high accumulation) and over time cause chemical/biological problems in the sediment habitat or biota. Copper is on at least 3 government agency lists as a hazardous chemical. IMO it is not the best chemical to use as a algacide if one is concerned about the overall longterm health of an ecosystem.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 09/01/09 08:31 PM.
