I have some Pectinatella Magnifica colonies growing near my pump intake - they appear to be clogging the intake pipe.

Are there any recommendations for clearing the intake and keeping the Pectinatella at bay?

Be happy. That is an indicator of good water quality. The only thing that I can think of is mechanical cleaning every week or so.

Plus, you get to use one of the best nicknames for anything - "jelly blobs"!

Alan,

Your post reminded me of an article I read where they use clams to monitor the water quality at the main water treatment plant in Warsaw, Poland.

If the clams detect dirty water, they close their shells, and that sends a signal to stop the output of the plant.

It is worth clicking on the link below, just to see the first picture in the article. It is a clam with a magnet on a spring cemented to his top valve!

https://tinyurl.com/8yjmhpdr

Yes - I admit that when I first saw the colonies my first thought was "what the heck are those jelly blobs".

The clam article is interesting - I'm involved in Internet of Things (IoT) technology, sensors and analytics - using clams in that way is quite innovative.

There have also been experiments in which sensors have been attached to animals as a way of predicting imminent earthquakes.

I suspect there is significantly more research regarding zebra mussels clogging pump intakes.

Maybe you can find a decent solution in that literature that would also be applicable to your particular situation?

I might try fabricating an easily removable intake screen, and using a two-screen solution. Swap out your clogged screen for the "clean" screen. You can then determine the easiest method to kill the colony and remove the jelly blob. If the solution involves time to dry out or time to soak in a solution of X, you now have time on your side.

Good luck,
Rod