fins,
Sorry for the somewhat flippant post, but I feel like I have gone 12 rounds with fil. algae, and I know if I let my guard up it will come back with a vengeance. Thus, my suggestion of using aquashade as a preventive. Since I am only dealing with my pond, versus many people here who are pros, I can only comment on what has worked for me personally.
I also was an avid user of cutrine plus, in fact, there are still a couple of gallons on the shelf in the barn. But I have decided I would rather keep the chemicals to a minimum, and so the aquashade.
On a regular basis, I go around my one acre pond with a 10 prong pitch fork and drag up the algae onto the bank. Then I throw it into the back of the mule and dump it somewheres back in the woods.
During that process, you can get up close and personal with your pond. You can see what's happening along the edge going back about 4 feet. You can rescue the baby bg's and throw em back, you can rescue the little crawfish and them em back, you can have a good look at whatever critters are habitating along the shoreline. You can watch the bass hit the baby's you just have rescued (sorry), and generally you can forget about what's going on in the rest of the world.
Personally, I find the whole ecosystem fascinating, and a nice diversion from what I do for a living.
Oh ya, I forgot the reason I posted this reply, in case anyone is still with me, is what do the bg's and lmb do about the layer of algae on the bottom when they are making their spawning beds. Do they just fan it away, or do they lay their eggs right on top of it.
Anyway, I think I have gone on enough, so have a good evening.
Tom Parker
