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Hi all!

I've been a lurker for a while but decided to join today.

We moved into our current home back in 2021, we live on 16 acres with a good sized wetland area and a pond that is roughly one acre. The pond at its deepest is around 12-13 feet i believe.

When we moved in, the thing stunk to high heaven. It was murky and riddled with growth.

We bought an aerator with two diffusers - placed at the 1/3 and 2/3 line in width of the pond. This helped tremendously and the odors are gone. However we have a recurring problem with filamentous algae.

Are there any good ways to get rid of this stuff? We put dye in last week to help curb the sunlight going deep.

Thanks!

Howdy!

IIRC it may well be too late in the year for dye to have much affect on the algae - it is best put in soon after ice off.

Stocking tilapia (seasonally) is a great way to control algae; I can't recall if they are legal up North (or where you could get them near Ypsi). But stay tuned for more info, including chemical options (if you are amenable to such).

P.S. My last Junior Engineer is from Ypsi, the land of doorwalls and baggles.

This is a VERY common problem.

Lots of threads on Pond Boss if you search the archives.

What kind of fish do you have in your pond? There are some very good algaecides available that are copper based. Generally, the less valuable or less dense your fish population then you can treat a little harder.

Is the wetland natural and/or created many decades ago? If so, that is the real basis of your problem. Your wetland and pond has been collecting nutrients for a very long time. As soon as you get some warmth and sunlight, then something that utilizes photosynthesis is going to start growing in your pond.

Raking out some of the algae and disposing of it outside of the watershed will help a little, as all of the algae removed is getting some of the nutrients out of your pond. Another aid is to plant some beneficial rooted plants in the shallow water. As these plants grow, there are fewer nutrients available for the algae.

Finally, is there fertilized agricultural land or fertilized suburban yards in the watershed of your pond? If you can divert water around your pond, you might try diverting some water during peak "fertilizer run-off" times.

I hope that helps a little, but unfortunately we don't have a magic wand for you to use on the problem.

If you do reach the point of contemplating a serious algaecide treatment, then post your plan on Pond Boss. There are some actual treatment experts on the forum than can tell you the best time of the year and best treatment protocols to get the best results.

Good luck on winning your filamentous algae war. Your pond dye and aeration system are definitely good first steps.

Hello fellow Michigander.

Got any pics of your pond? Fish? Unfortunately, this forum is horrible for attaching images. Linking a pic with BBCode from an image hosting site is the best way that I have found.

FA is a problem for sure, and there are lots of posts about it in the forum if you search. Dealing with it really boils down to 3 approaches:

1. Mechanical (rake it out of the pond)
2. Herbicide (Cutrine Plus is a popular product)
3. Biological (stock Tilapia to eat the algae)

Here is a post I started last year that covers my endeavors and touches on all three of these remedies.

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=569653