Originally Posted By: teehjaeh57
GC in my experience will consume Chara. I stocked 3 12" GC into a .2 ac pond with entire basin active chara growth in Spring, by the fall we drained and seined the pond and roughly 50% of the chara had been consumed and GC had grown to about 20". Interesting to note the clean basin area was circular - didn't appear the GC touched anything outside the circular pattern. Looked just like a crop circle! So....in the absence of any other vegetation, I can confirm GC will utilize Chara as forage.

Crayfish also will readily consume Chara and filamentous algae based on my experience densely stocked. Realize your fishery consists of LMB, so the density required to achieve management may never be reached, but if you could pen crayfish in an specific area of Chara preventing predation or escape I bet you'd be blown away by the results. I don't believe this is possible...just an observation.

If you are only interested in clearing some areas, raking chara isn't difficult and while not a permanent solution, it's an immediate one...as is treatment via algaecide [copper sulphate]. These don't have the long term ramifications of stocking GC and may be perceived as a benefit by you. Not sure of your goals.

I've managed many macrophyte species in my 7 ponds over the last 10 years, in addition to planktonic and filamentous algae even some duckweed and cyanobacteria - Chara ranks as one of the easiest to manage and one of the least invasive/problematic. Just food for thought.


Thanks for the feedback! Don't want to dye because fish are more important to me than a "pretty" pond. GC I'm ambivalent about, just because I've heard too many stories of them eating all the plants, including the helpful ones.

Up until this year, my plant issue was too few. YOY fish just didnt have anywhere to hide, CNBG recruitment was pathetic. However, this year I fertilized a total of 75 lbs over a period of 3 weeks. Even though pH and alkalinity were up from last fall due to liming, still couldn't get a really good bloom & maybe it went mostly to the plants. Which greatly helped CNBG recruitment, but clogs shallow back bays.

It's really true: No BOW ever remains perfectly balanced for long.

Think I'll give the silver tarp a shot in one of the shallow bays. Much more precise in dimming light exactly where you want to dim it than pond dye, shouldn't harm the fishery much if at all.


Last edited by anthropic; 06/14/18 09:20 PM.
7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160