Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Film over the pond

I treated with whitecap this spring (and last spring). It got rid of the duckweed and last year I had a little watermeal. This year, no watermeal yet but I have this film that started to grow. Is this the start of watermeal? I can't "scoop" anything--it breaks up when I try to skim it off, then comes back after I take the scoop out. It looks like some type of protein/fatty film but it's green.

I put in pond dye on one side of the pond and that side seems to have less of it, so I'm thinking this must be the start of some type of algae but I'm baffled.

Any ideas? If you know what it is, how do I get rid of the film?

It looks like pollen or possibly a plankton bloom.

So everything I see on phytoplankton seems to be favorable as it consumes excess nutrients and produces oxygen for the pond. But how better is phytoplankton at this than the original problem, which was duckweed?

It seems the pond is more "alive" without the duckweed--more snails, more minnows, more frogs. I'm just hoping that if this is indeed phytoplankton, that it doesn't produce the same type of problem.

Bennie it sure looks like pollen, we've had tons of it this past week, but it's just a guess.

Looks like plankton to me.

What has happened is the nutrients that fueled your duckweed are still there but this time a different plant is utilizing them. I would bet a strong wind will push it to one end.

I haven't done my enzyme treatment yet--that's next--we'll see if the plankton stay or if it's pollen. I'm hoping the rain tonight will wash it to one spot, but since I can't collect it, does it really matter? I think I can fish through it, so it's not as big a nuisance as duckweed/watermeal, but still unsightly. Has anyone ever successfully removed it? I'm thinking this is a tough one and that I'll have to just attack where the nutrients are coming from. This is an old pond, so it could be really rich. Maybe a water test will tell me more.

A water test would be a good idea. That way you know what you are dealing with. Best to watch the situation and see. Plankton is good to have DW/WM is very bad IMO.

Pond Scum. Most likely Spirogyra. Google some photos and see if they match.

There are numerous guesses as to what you have on your pond. Unless the right someone examines it all are just guesses, some better than others. I define films different than scums. IMO scums tend to be a thicker layer and most ofen caused by one or several of the filametous algae. I think yours is a nusiance algae bloom such as one of the bluegreen algae (Cyanobacteria). There are other Divisions (Phyla) of algae that can also form surface films. Bluegreens can form truly planktonic blooms (suspended in water column) or blooms that are predominately on the surface. They depending on species (one of numerous species) often form films on the surface in nutrient rich ponds, although certain tree pollen can also produce surface films. Hypereutrophic ponds with lack of wind exposure can have more problematic blooms of film on the surface that the wind does not push to shore. Wind can push the films to a point they form thicker layers i.e.scums. Often a rain shower and or wind will temporarily disipate the film. I can identify it if you see a need. Send me a PM or email (in profile).

Pond scums are films. They can be dense, but they start somewhere don't they?

1. n. Any of various freshwater algae that form a usually greenish film on the surface of stagnant water.

2. Columbia Encyclopedia: pond scum
Accumulation of floating green algae on the surface of stagnant or slowly moving waters, such as ponds and reservoirs. One of the commonest forms is Spirogyra.

3. Main Entry: pond scum
Function: noun
Date: 1864
1 : any of various algae (especially spirogyra) or cyanobacteria
2 : a mass of tangled filaments of algae or cyanobacteria in stagnant waters


You make me laugh Cody.

Consider the source.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Normally the sources I use to get correct meanings of words.

Hmm, If I were in the hospital preparing to have an appendectomy performed on my person, I would prefer my surgeon to consult the appropriate medical journal, and not an encyclopedia or dictionary. Dr. Cody, you get my vote! please report to surgery!!

like this? http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=170726&page=2

thanks for all the suggestions! Bill I will take you up on your identification if I can't solve it. I googled pollen on pond under "images" and got something very similar:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://digitalphotoproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/a-pollinated-pond-at-pullen-park-small.jpg&imgrefurl=http://digitalphotoproject.com/tag/pollen/&usg=__ApaWj_gM-TP2Wwz2lBahDetUat4=&h=400&w=600&sz=318&hl=en&start=11&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=FY-315w7QfV-lM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpollen%2Bin%2Bpond%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

I'm thinking it might be pollen becuase

1) nothing under the film--water is pretty clear.

2) pond is surrounded by trees and shrubs. Pollen is certainly possible.

3) it doesn't seem to be getting any worse.

But I've never seen pollen last--doesn't it usually sink to the bottom eventually?

I'm still not completely convinced but if anyone can refute 1-3, please by all means let me know.

So, Bennie, has the condition escalated since you first posted about it on the 4th, or has it remained generally unchanged? If, in fact, it's pollen, as it could well be, you may not be seeing much of a difference as the plants/trees producing the pollen may well still be in full production mode. If you noticed a change in the nature/character of the stuff, then you may be correct in your originally posted concern that it was the start of some sort of growth. Of course, 3 days or so may not be enough time to tell if it's slow growing.

Again, I think it would be useful to know if there's been any change in its appearance and also to see if you can get a more up close picture. Maybe scoop some water out that has the film on top, put it in a dark container for contrast, and take a picture of that for us to see.

And for the record, I don't know jack squat about anything beyond watermeal, FA, curly leaf pondweed, American pondweed, and chara, because I've got more than my fair share of those and haven't ever dealt with other stuff!

This has to be one of the most laughable analogies in forum history. Thanks, my side hurts, hope I don't need an appendectomy.

I think the key here is how the stuff swirls in curvy patterns as if it landed on the surface and is following the motion of the water (I have aeration) instead of growing from within which I would think would look more ubiquitous. (alike throughout)

We've had several inches of rain in the past few days that might make a difference in appearance. I think I'll collect a bucket and take more pictures. Thanks, all!

My newly emergent watermeal swirls in patters like you've described as well, but I know what I've got and know that if my tilapia don't get here soon, I'm gonna have to resort to chemicals! However, pollen does that as well and won't grow, so if you're seeing a generally consistent appearance, my money is still on pollen. My WM has grown enough over the past week that I see the change, and I think most aquatic vegetation would have shown at least some change by this point in your pond if it were anything besides pollen. We'll await your pics.

Fairly simple, I do it all the time. Take a sample, look at it under a microscope. If you do not have a microscope, there are numerous local places around you that will look at it for free. High Schools, colleges, universities, water districts, fish and game agencies, even some fish shops. Same way you identify the different algae species. You can also send it anywhere in the world for analysis. Make your own slide.

Bennie, Your first post was June 4, a sample sent to me then from SE MI would have taken 1-2 days. By now we would know what is causing your problem instead of comparing & guessing.

1. Some of the single celled or colonial algae (considered as planktonic) are well adapted to live on the surface. Often they develop in the water column and then move to the surface. At the surface they can coagulate / clump and appear as larger particles, thus one may not see them as individuals in the clearer water below. Surface dwelling species that typicaly form films are usually either buoyant or motile. Some algae have flagella and they can "swim" and become stratified whenever conditions are calm enough for their swimming speed to overcome vertical mixing by current. The morphology and physiology of many of the algae species is fairly complex and their ability to float and or sink varies throughtout their life span. Some algae can even adjust their positon in the water column by adusting their gas vacuole:cell volume ratio that causes flotation. Morning and evening migrations of algae "layers" have been noted. The surface films that I have examined are usually dominated by one species with several or numerous other species and things such as pollen in the mixture. Often due to the surface tension of the water lots of dead organic particles can also be present with everything else in the film. Surface films can be short or long term based on the individual pond and the internal and external dynamics of the system.

2. Ponds esp older ponds surrounded by trees tend to have more problems with surface films due to higher organic inputs and lack of wind exposure that push films to one end and push it on shore or mix it into the shallow zone (littoral). Numerous trees can add lots of pollen and other organics to a pond. High amounts of organics can cause various problems in a pond.

3. Surface algae films are time and size limited based on the amount of nutrients and or conditions favoring growth of that particlular problematic species. Some think the films of some bluegreen algae species on the surface are the result of senescent cells.

My guess from looking at the picture of your pond is 80% chance it is planktonic algae and 20% chance pollen. The color and consistancy does not appear like most pollen films that I have seen. Getting a picture of it in a bucket or jar will only result in more guesses. If the bloom is pollen it is temporaty and chemical treatment would not be beneficial.

As Cecil mentioned the excessive nutrients that fed the duckwed problem are still present although in a different ratio and are now feeding another type of plant problem.

Plus you can be the first one on your block to be able to say the Bill Cody got all CSI on your pond.

How cool would that be!

My neighbor has nowhere to dump his yard debris, so he has been putting rocks and dirt in an area where I am looking to fill in. The other day I went down to the pond and I saw that he had put several branches from Colorado Blue Spruce in the water which leachs into the pond. The branches where emitting an oily like film(it looked like a soap or oil film)I removed the branches and put them on dryland. I ran the aerator and the film seems to have dissipated. Any suggestions?

Dam I hate trespassers, I hate them, I hate them.

I don't know anything about what the Spruce could do, experts?

My suggestion is to not let your neighbors dump on your property. If you must do this to get your area filled up, I would build a small earthen berm to isolate the dumped material from directly running into your pond. also, you could tel him you want to be present when he dumps, to make sure nothing harmful to your pond is put there. Burn the branches, don't bury.