Weed Topic.
"Weeds
- That "small pondweed" looks very familiar. I'm sure that we have some of that in the pond.
- There is also something that grows small leaves on the surface too. Maybe that's the american pondweed also?"
Small pond weed is readily eaten and can be easily controlled by grass carp(GC) and/or tilapia.
American pondweed (AP) is also called longleaf pondweed. It is easily recognizable because it will have elongated willow shaped leaves that float on the surface and some leaves underwater that are on the stem. GC will eat AP but I don't think tilapia will eat AP because it has a too coarse of texture unless it is the only plant available. AP in summer will produce a seed head above the surface.
Water Clarity
""What do you guys think about the blue dye? He adds it to try and kill the plants (which doesn't work) and to make it look "prettier." Is it harming the fishery significantly enough for me to make a stink about it? Or should I just let it go?"
Here is a very good 2.3 page forum discussion about pond dye. It should answer all your questions. As Bob Lusk says in the link dye is not a herbicide and does not act as a toxin and kill plants. It reduces sunlight penetration which in turn slows plant growth. Dye limits plant growth in the deeper water because less light as red and orange wavelengths reaches the bottom. Green plants utilize mostly red and orange wavelengths for growth via photosynthesis.
https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=461334#Post461334Basically dye is designed to slow or reduce most all plant growth that are green (chlorophyll based). Bluegreen algae is not chlorophyll based. Phytoplankton are mainly green plants so they are reduced or hindered when dye is used. I usually say the dye will reduce the plankton both phyto and zoo by about 1/2 which I think in turn reduces the fish biomass naturally produced in the pond by about 1/2. You can compensate for less fish biomass from dye by feeding the fish pellets. Using dye or make-up to make the the pond or pig prettier is a matter of opinion.
