Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Algae, Pondweed, and Chara taking over!

Theo and I responded to this at the same time, but Theo was slightly faster on the Post Reply button.

Since filamentous algae always starts it's growth attached to underwater surfaces (usu the bottom), floating filamentous algae (FA) is not in it's prime growing site or at the best place for its growth. Usually when FA is at the surface it is in a declining or "death phase". A significiant amount of surface disruptions such as a thunder storm with hard rain or wave action breaks up and disrupts / disperses the algae mats and they sink. I think the mats are floating due to entraped air or gas bubbles among the dense mat. Beating the entraped air out of the mat causes it to sink.

Theo - the FA floats up when the hold fast cells of the algae filaments become deteriorated (usually low light affects) and the bouyancy force from entrapped gases is greater than the anchoring forces of the hold fast cells; thus it breakes lose or pulls lose and floats to the surface.