Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Filamentas Algae, Grass Carp, Fertilizer:

East Texas New Pond- 3/4 ac- filled up in Feb.all excited. put in coppernose bream, redear, fatheads. Have large filamentas Algae bloom or crop on top of the water. Fish supplier said to get grass carp for this.So I put in 5 ($50). Fellow pondmeister says grass carp don't eat Filam.Algae. just grass, and fish food. The only grass I have in the pond is when I mow. He suggest that I fertilize, but researching earlier posts states that fertilizing should have been done earlier. before it bubbles to the top and almost covers the pond surface. and that now it will just increase the filam.Algae Did not want to use copper stuff for fear that it would mess with fish and future use of water to water flower beds.

So do I seem confused Could use some help !
Thanks

Bob Fish supplier saw a novice. You friend is correct g.carp do not lkike fialmantous algae very well. You will see how much they like it in the next couple months. some types of filamentous they will eat some of it. Do not trust that fish man again. He is shady and only tells part truths. However 20 to 30 g.carp in your pond may clean up the filamentous algae. G.carp & fatheads are very sensitive to copper, so if you use any product with copper in it use it SPARINGLY and treat only a small section of pond each time.

Bob--

A couple of observations. First, the bad news. Grass carp: The second word is an anagram, in my opinion, for their usefulness in most situations (unless you have a lot of bottom-growing weeds, which they will actually thrive on). They will get very large--as in 10-30 lbs (or more in your warm water), and will eat anything ornamental within a foot or two of the pond's edge (except water iris, which happily they leave alone). They will not, however, eat filamentous algae unless they are starving. And you will end up begging your friends with bowfishing equipment to come and find them. Second, the good news. Filamentous algae can be easily removed "mechanically"--i.e., by hand--which can be good fun and the stuff can be used as compost or, if you like the cowpie look, mulch; but even better, chelated copper sulfate products like Cutrine Plus (Tractor Supply, among many other sources) kills the stuff like a hot knife melts butter and has very, very little impact on the aquaculture EXCEPT for adding to the organic load at the bottom of the pond, and has a decent prophylactic effect. The chelated copper will not hurt any fish except grass carp (unless you kill a huge amount of algae, which will drop the dissolved oxygen and cause a kill), and I cannot imagine that the minuscule concentrations necessary to wipe out string algae would affect the water for purposes of watering gardens of any sort. I spray down the margins of my 3/4 ac. pond about 3x a season and use a bottom-diffuser aerator and beneficial microbes, and the results are considered generally acceptable by spouse and friends.

couldn't he just put 5-10 lbs of Tilapia in. they'll take care of the f. algae.

What are you doing with the pond as far as predators or goals? adding bass, catfish, etc?

If your adding predators the tilapia might even help you out more by allowing for you to add them earlier in the game than originally planned as they will keep the predation load off the CNBG and Redear and let them multiply more successfully.