Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants 20-year Pond Suddenly Taken Over

Hello all. I am back with a post after many years of only being a casual reader of this forum.

My pond is on the Texas gulf coast (think hot and humid!) and I've never really had a problem with too much vegetation until this year. In years past I have had some filamentous algae around the edges of the pond but that never really bothered me too much. Starting late last year I had this explosion of this growth. I think it is bottom-bearing meaning that it has roots in the bottom of the pond and therefore is throughout the water column. What is it and can I control it with tilapia? I'd rather do that than add a lot of chemical although I did treat the pond with a gallon of Cutrine Plus about a month ago but I don't think it really had an impact on this stuff.

I think I know the problem. I had an aerator going on the pond for several years but last summer it failed. I rebuilt the pump but I think when it was offline I had too much sediment build up on the diffuser and now I think it requires too much pressure to force air through the diffusers so it is ineffective. This growth took off as soon as the aerator stopped working last summer.

I also have a problem that the pond water is too clear which I guess it is clear because I have so much vegetation. I put 2 gallons of black dye in it to darken it and I am sure that it helped limit growth but this stuff grows on the surface so the black dye probably is not effective.

I am including pics of the stuff I need to eradicate.

Thanks y'all!

I don't think the brown stuff is filamentous algae. The brown stuff looks to have with tiny projections on the strand. It is probably a form of 'higher' vascular plant or it could be an algae called Chara?? .
When I sell an aerator I strongly suggest that the diffuser is lifted and cleaned or scrubbed off EACH year to prevent the diffuser problems that you describe. Neglect causes problems.

Agree with Bill .

Yes. Agreed. The green stuff in the first picture was the FA. I have removed that pic to not cause any confusion.

When I put the diffusers in the pond I put them in a plastic tub that had 12" sides and so I know they are not just sitting in the mud but my concern is that even the tub that they are sitting in may have filled up. I blew the lines out with an air compressor which helped. I am still in troubleshooting mode. I rebuilt the air compressor but I either didn't rebuild it back properly or still have too much silt that the compressor isn't able to overcome.