Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Algae issue:

Hey, It's been a while since I've posted. It's been a crazy year. Built a retirement home 83 miles north of Houston. Moved in to it. Got a home in Houston ready to sell right before Hurricane Harvey blew through. Had another surgery that week. Finally, got the house sold. Am picking up more acreage that touches our south fence line. I really wanted to attend the Conference in Conroe, but that was not to be. I'm still working for another few years. Oh well....

I'm not sure where this Algae issue came from. I've cut the feeder off so as too not dump excess feed in the water as the fish go dormant here. Not sure if this is an over-abundance of nitrogen issue introduced into the pond or what. It's just an area up against the bank where the wind blows it. My pond was built in 2014 and does not have aeration. It has a bottom siphon overflow system and the water stays fairly circulated out during the rainy season. We have not had rain in a while. The pond water level is down about 8". Is there a natural way to get this issue cleaned up, do I need to add chemicals, or do I just let it run it's cycle? All I've ever added to the pond since it was renovated was ag lime 2 years ago.

Can you post a better pic ? Looks like FA. Lots on here about FA. If a very limited area then rake it out. You can also treat a small limited area with hydrated lime which will kill most stuff in that area.

X2 I am a huge fan of hand treating wind blow alga piles in our pond.

Not only will the PH burn the alga but the lime nutrients will tie up free soluble nitrates, and phosphates into calcium nitrate and calcium phosphate. These bonds are difficult to break and will stay tied up until plant roots want to feed of it.

Cheers Don

I completely forget about hydrated lime for small area spot treatments. Thanks for reminding me.

Just be careful handling the stuff. Keep it out of the eyes.

The stuff in the picture looks to me similar to some of the surface films produced by a specie that forms 'floating' blooms because it appears to lack fine strands and is against the downwind bank/shoreline. Some of them are weakly mobile and can migrate up and down in the water column. When at the surface a gentle wind moves them to the leeward or downwind side.

Bill,
You are correct in your observation that it is a floating species of sorts. It does lack the filamentous strands of FA. It seems to float near the surface up against the bank. Just curious if there was any reason for it's appearance (was it man made) and is it of major concern? I will provide more pics if necessary for identification.
Charlie

If its wind driven plankton remains and only a small area I would not worry about it unless you think it is invasive or a problem. You could still treat it (small area) with hydrated lime and kill it if necessary.

I have seen similar small surface scums or films caused by Euglena types of algae. Euglena types are not harmful and usually grow well in water with high amounts of dissolved organic compounds sometimes caused by feeding lots of fish food. Sometimes they are temporary and disappear when the dissolved organics concentration subsides. To test if it is Euglena collect some of it in a water or soda bottle 2/3 to 3/4 full. Cap it. Allow to sit for a few hours then uncap and smell the air in the bottle. It it has strong offensive / vile odor it is bluegreen algae (aka Cyanobacteria).

Eric / Bill,

I left the issue alone for a couple of days, and with the feeder turned off in this colder weather, the issue just dissipated. I appreciate the help. It has me wondering if I was introducing too much uneaten feed into the water. Regardless, we are good for now...

Charlie

Glad to hear this. Many things can contribute to excess blooms including to much food , excess nutrients and water loss to mention a few.

Thanks, Eric...with the recent rains, we are back up over full pool. I'm not sure if the siphon ran as we were down a few inches from the lack of rain since September. I'll keep an eye on it. My LMB are starting to get some size on them and they are continuing to work on the forage base. It's going to be interesting this spring how things evolve. Thanks, again.
Charlie