Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Algae problem

I'm in NC Kansas with a 3 ac. pond used for livestock water and fishing (LMB, channel cat and bluegill. Evidently my grass carp died over the winter or the volume of algae is so great it doesn't look like they are making a dent in it even before the water warms up. It has very clear water for a Kansas farm pond. You can see usually around 2.5 to 3 foot into the water..

Have a Kansas District Fisheries Biologist close to me that recommended Captain. I have a pickup sprayer with hand wand that can apply it. Anyone with experience using this product.

Do a price comparison with that against Cutrine Plus and Cutrine Ultra (both in liquid form) and for water over 24" deep see about Cutrine Plus Granules.

Let us know what you find out.

Do channel catfish or bullheads have any effect in controlling RA?

That should have been FA.

Tilapia can be used in Kansas to control FA, both better and probably cheaper than chemicals. Grass carp do not intentionally eat FA. It's a common misconception that grass carp will eat FA.

Only if stocked in enough numbers that they muddy the water and reduce sunlight penetration to the pond bottom.

Tilapia aren't on the approved list in MO.

I saw a post on the forum some time back about how a bunch of bullheads were caught and they had all been eating FA. A fellow who used to operate a fish farm told me that CC will eat more FA than bullheads, and they will do a pretty good job of controlling it. My pond is just about wall to wall and floor to ceiling FA now. Soon there won't be room for my fish.

If you want to try it, let us know how many you stock, and how well they control it.

I stocked 25 CC in each of two successive years in my old pond and never had an FA problem. After 9 yr, I had about 10 adult CC and a few 1/2 lb to 1 lb young ones, despite the pond having a couple 3-4 lb LMB and a number of smaller ones (also a lot of BG).

Were there any underwater weeds in the pond? What was the water clarity? Have you done any water testing to see what the alkalinity, hardness and other water parameters were?

In my old pond, there were never any water weeds other than FA, and never much of that. There was something on the bottom that came up when the pond turned over, and that happened only once or twice in nine yr. The pond was seldom if ever clear. I could generally see objects down a foot to a foot and a half. After a heavy rain it would get muddy and stay that way for a few days. My new pond is very clear. Even after heavy rain, it doesn't really get muddy, only cloudy, and clears up quickly.

The suggestion of Tilapia was for postrock, in Beloit KS, where tilapia are legal to stock.

I think you will find that no catfish or grass carp will intentionally eat FA, unless starving to death. Catfish may have FA in their stomachs, but it happens incidentally, when foraging for things living in the FA...like fry and craws.

I might be way off base here because I am pretty new with ponds, except for fishing them, I have done that as far back as I can remember. One might consider adding crawfish. Last year I added a lot of them to my pond and they denuded everything that was green.
Just a thought

Tracy