I don't have any greenish cotton candy lookin stuff, that is what I meant by "stringy". Mine must be a floating algae, hopefully easily treatable. I was told to start with a gallon of a Copper based algaecide type product, (didn't catch the name, I'll have to go in there and see what she is talking about) she said to mix the gallon on a 9 to 1 ratio, any helpful ideas for what to use, without harming the fish, or should I let it go and let the hard frost this fall kill it?