last year I had tilapia that kept the pond pretty clear of algae. This year I decided to try without. I had no algae until mid August and over last 6 weeks it started as a thin rim on the very edge and grew gradually to about 2-3' around the edge. Since it stayed at about 10% or less of pond surface I left it alone.
This year the algae seemed to be different. It was massively tenacious, stringy and much more lime green than the typical darker green of algae from other years. In other years I could rake it with my landscape rake, then tip the rake, shake a bit and it would slide off, and then go at it again. This afternoon I decided to get to raking it. It was amazing, stringy, tenacious, every pull I had to pull it up on the bank (HEAVY) then bend over and lift big matts of stringy stuff over the end of the rake and pull it down off the tines and leave it in a mass on the ground. I don't wish this kind of FA on anyone! I was told that FA floats because it is dead and air traps under it. This stuff seems amazingly alive to me
After going around the pond once, I touched up the bottom on the 2nd go round. The black nasty stuff that was laying on the bottom under the green FA was raked out and left a nasty smell. There must have been an anoxic layer under the FA. Glad to get that on the shore to dry, and later to be raked and carted off.
Painful on the back, but one advantage I keep reminding myself of is that I'm removing hundreds of pounds of 'nutrients' from the pond which should be to my advantage at some point.
But the other advantage is that I could see all the critters in the algae. I caught a few 2-3" goldfish in their natural drab (nice fat bodies, almost like like golden shiners but much more fat bodied. They are going to be perfect snacks for the predators when they get in the pond next year!) A few baby RES and a few baby perch. Lots and lots of polywogs (see picture below, can someone identify are these bullfrog tadpoles?)
Still raking in a fair number of invasive chinese snails. A few adult frogs were hanging out in the algae and one turtle got raked out of his submerged home and looked at me like what in the world, where am I? Then went back to the pond again.
And also was very delighted to catch something I thought was long gone. See below....
At least ONE PK SHRIMP survived Another reason to keep a little algae around for a hiding place.
So, I would recommend to others that 10% or less coverage of FA is not so bad. Tons of refuge for tiny critters, tiny fish, frogs, turtles, young perch, etc. Surprised but even a 5" goldfish was right at shore and had to swim under about 2' of FA to get where I got to him.
Since tilapia weren't eating FA this year, and no sight of crayfish and I can't trap a single one, I'm wondering if maybe the goldfish are eating my algae or plants? I know my father in law wanted a few of my goldfish in his waterfall fountain. His fountain is only about 3' deep and he can watch them sucking algae off all the rocks in his fountain. (of course there is nothing else for them to eat either...)
Also this year lots of young LCS and shiners, didn't have that last year. Either my stocked fish are big enough this spring to finally have offspring, or the tilapia (absent this year) were eating the eggs since both LCS and shiners broadcast their eggs.
With clean edges the kids can now run their remote control boat in the pond without getting caught in the algae so they are happy too
Water level is down about 6" when the weather has been fairly wet. Still happy with results of my 2nd soil floc application but I haven't tracked the levels with a ruler so can't say exactly how it is faring. I just know that winter is coming and I'd like clean edges and will pump it full right before ice-in.
Handraking has its benefits. Just glad my pond isn't bigger than it is. I wouldn't want to rake a 1+ acre pond
