Pond Boss Forums INTRO Common Pond Q&A (archives) Filamentous Algae, aka Pond Scum/Moss - Management

For wise management and effective chemical algae control and management, I am currently 'sold' on using peroxygen carbonate (Phycomycin, Pak 27, Green Clean Pro) especially in smaller ponds. Peroxygen leaves no residue, reacts quickly, will oxidize (breakdown) smallest organics, is not affected by water hardness, has minimal impact on invertebrates/fish, and helps oxygenate the pond as it reacts. As opposed to copper based products that always leave a metal based residue byproduct (copper carbonate) that is stable in the enviornment, acumulates with repeated use, and stays in the pond mostly in the sediments. Used correctly peroxygen products can be fairly selective on nuisance bluegreen algae blooms. It can be used efffectively to 'trim the bloom' and retard early stage algae growth.

For Filamentous algae (FA)one should treat it early when it is short and most vulnerable. This technique will require less chemical. Peroxygen products are not as effective when the algae problem is large or massive. Other methods should be used on heavy or dense, massive infestations. Peroxygen at the 80% active ingredient is best IMO. The dosage rate of label is 3-100lbs /acft. For FA control higher amounts in the 50-100 lbs per ac may be needed - again treat early before the growth gets thick and harder to kill. Light doses - applications are effective on floating films of bluegreen algae. I always suggest one test the product at various concentrations / rates in small areas to determine what is needed for each particular problemic algae.

Suggestion added Mar 13 2019
I suggest two methods, one for the hair algae(aka FA) and one for the chara. 1. depending on your preference for use of the heavy metal copper algaecide, a simple common way to temporarily kill it for your 0.1 ac pond is take a 1 cup of copper sulfate (CuSO4); best type to use is the form with particles 1/4"-3/4" size pieces. Divide the cup into 2 to 3 equal parts because you don't want it all dissolving quickly as you circle the pond applying esp when using the small fine sugar size particles. Put the chemical portions in some sort of small cloth bag or old fine mesh sock attached to a long handled garden? rake. Drag this unit quickly alone the shoreline as far out as the rake reaches. You should be able to dose one shoreline with the 1st dose. Refill the sock and do the other shoreline. etc until the entire 1 cup is consumed/dissolved. Another option is to use copper based Cutrine-Plus or similar brand of buffered copper product. Copper sulfate will not control Chara. Don't waste CuSo4 on Chara. Another common non copper product is GreenClean Pro - aka granular hydrogen peroxide. Follow instructions of the bag as a dissolved spray or granular spread technique.

2. Non algacidal method it control FA and Chara is to use tilapia. Tilapia work very good consuming algae and Chara IF you add enough numbers of tilapia to consume the volume of problem plants over the course of 4 to 8 weeks. Remember each fish can only eat just so much food per day. So amount that needs to be consumed is dependent on how big the problem is. IMPORTANT - Tilapia work best when a significant amount of algae is removed (manually or chemically) before the tilapia are introduced. This way they don't have a HUGE backlog(stockpiles) of algae to eat. Also note big predators will eat small size tilapia so be sure you are not just feeding your big bass expensive snacks.