There are at least a couple applications / situations where pond dye will not work well to control FA. 1. ponds with a measurable inflow that reduces the retention time of the water body. Ponds where the dye concentration is not high enough - too weak, too aged, too diluted. 3. Not all FA is the same species, genus, class or even Division/Phylum of algae. some algae are more tolerant to the light that the dye does allow to pass through the water column.The dye filters out specific wave lengths of light. It all depends.
In my experience, grass carp will sometimes eat certain species or genera of FA algae. It all depends. Not FA algae are the same. The algae species I think the GC will eventually resort to eating are those with coarser fibers/strands and those that have a mild flavor - Cladophora and Pithophora are two examples of genera. Less favorable FA for GC are very fine stranded and slippery feeling genera such as Spirogyra and Mougeotia. Who wants to eat plants that have offensive flavors or stuff that tangles and lodges on the gills rakers and filaments? Some of the filamentous Bluegreens (Cyanobacteria) are now known to produce toxic substances to other animals (mammals and fish) to the point of making them sick or causing death.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/16/10 01:16 PM.
