Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Very High Carbonate Hardness

I have a new pond in Michigan that I just began to stock this spring. ( 25 cats, 100 perch, and 3gallons of fatheads which have really multiplied) and I am having an outbreak of filamentaous algae and something else I can't identify. I previously posted the unknown in another section under "White Film". Anyhow I purchased some cutrine plus to treat the algae and had my water tested for hardness before I applied it. The test came back twice as 272 ppm. I know this is extrememly high and would like to know if I need to be concerened about "fish kill". The white film is still an unknow. I can get rid of it for about a day by screening but it comes right back and after a day or two it starts to look green. It is like the algae is attaching itself to whatever is floating. It appears to be very slimy in texture cause when I agitate the water it creates large bubbles that don't go away right away. The pond is 1/3 of an acre in size, about 12 feet deep uniformly with aerators running 24/7. Should I treat it with Cutrine or is their some way to bring down the Hardness? Pictures can be seen at Fozzys Photos

I personally wouldn't worry about it. It sounds like some kind of precipitate associated with a new pond (sometimes thing leech out of the soil intially when a pond is new).

As far as the hardness mine must be hard enough to get the ice fishing gear out (362) (LOL). Acutally low hardness is more of a problem when it comes to fish than high hardness. Hard waters produce better fish growth. Soft waters have all kinds of problems.

I wouldn't treat for algae if it is not that big of a problem this early in your pond's history. Why add copper if you don't have to?

I had quite a filamentous problem in my new trout pond a year ago, and now the rooted plants and suspended plants are uptaking the nutrients and the algae is virtually gone.

If you are not having any fish health problems I would just give it some time.

Thanks Cecil, I will give it some time and see what happens. The kids just hate swimming in it with that junk on the top but it doesn't stop them. I like the Ice fishing reference.

After looking at your pics I see the algae your are talking about. Once temps drop this fall it will disappear. Is your diffuser in the center of the pond? If it was, all that floating algae would be pushed to the shoreline and probably dissapate. Of course I would make changes before winter sets in. Have you tried augmenting with bacteria? I would still stay away from the algaecide unless absolutely necessary.

Any idea where the nutrients are coming from? Do you fertilize your yard? Did you before you dug the pond?

Another possibility is your diffuser in churning up the bottom and putting nutrients into the water column. Is it about a foot off the bottom or do you have a good underlayment under it? Could it be oversized for the pond size?

No I haven't fertilized the yard yet. If I do which I may have to to get the grass to grow, I am going to use organic with little or no phosphorus (sp?). The diffusers are located in the center of both ends. The pond is kinda peanut shaped so Stoney Creek suggested the two diffuser setup. My kids aren't to glad about my choice of locations for the diffusers since it tends to collect the stuff right in front of the swim platform. The diffusers have a two foot by two foot underlayment beneath them. I haven't put any bacteria in it since it was a brand new pond. Should I? The only thought I have had about the film is that when the pond was dug, last November, the material that was taken out was peat and marl. The marl obvioiusly is very light when dried out and since I have been almost contiuously watering the new grass, I thought it may be Marl particles that are being carried into the pond from watering and floating. Then algae is attaching itself to it thus giving the inital white color to the film and then the green after a few days.

Followup with a few questions. I used cutrine plus about 4 days ago around the edge of the pond after using the paddle boat to push all the floating film into the filamentatous mats around the edges. The green film has all but disappeared and the filamentatous algae mats have started turning brown rather than the yellowish color it was. Do I start to rake this out around the edges or am I taking out the algaecide by doing this? I am also going to be adding bacteria to the pond to be on the safe side. Anybody have a particular type that they like better?