String algae
A friend was kind enough to share his water plants with us(Lenny and I),he gave us a water lily and a water iris.We were very thankful for the plants.In no time the water turned green and string algae appeared.Lenny is going squirrely over this.He was so proud of his "clear" water.
What do you guys/gals do for string/angelhair algae?I am trying to convince Lenny to go with the barley straw/pellets.But he is too darn impatient and doesn't want to wait.He is looking for a quick fix.I really don't think there is one for this problem.Or is there? Any advice will be very welcomed.................THANKS!
How this appeared under this subject is inknown to me.I would not consider string algae by no means inspiring in a design.
And, has anyone heard of peat pellets(not the ones you use for seeding)?These peat pellets look like coffee grinds but larger, and are put in a mesh bag and put in a pond for algae.
Edited 7/1/2005 10:05 pm ET by lennyswife
Edited 7/1/2005 10:16 pm ET by lennyswife
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(post #15343, reply #1 of 78)
Do you have a waterfall? You can try this
http://www.ponddoc.com/WhatsUpDoc/WaterQuality/AlgaeFix.htm
We don't try to keep the ponds completely free of it. The fish love to hide in it.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
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(post #15343, reply #2 of 78)
I don't get string algae, just the ubiquitous green stuff that sticks to the bottom - very hot temps bring it on, no matter what I do. I use an algaeside and it knocks it back during the worst heat, and when the temps cool down (to reasonable 80's for goodness sakes) I don't have a problem anymore. Le sigh. The water itself is crystal, I just can't get those last little bits of green off the bottom (well, I could with chlorine dosing, but I don't think my plants would appreciate much of that!!)
What do you guys do for that type of algae?
Your first job is to prepare the soil. The best tool for this is your neighbor's garden tiller. If your neighbor does not own a garden tiller, suggest that he buy one.
Dave Barry
(post #15343, reply #3 of 78)
We don't worry about it, the koi do nibble at it. Once in a while DH gets in the pond with a swimming pool vacuum to pick up detritus and stones that the koi have taken out of the lily pots. Mostly we rely on biological filtering to keep the water clear so we can see the fish. Our other lily pond is like peasoup right now. Thank goodness the weather has cooled down. Maybe it will clear a bit.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #6 of 78)
We do have a small water fall, I have not seen that product here (in Canada).But that is not to say it isn't available here.I,myself, don't see a problem with have a bit but the other half is against having any.It is a tiring battle.I did try a product with S.A.B. (string algae buster) in it and the plants pulled out seem to be rid of it.So that must have worked but not fast enough because Lenny drained and refilled the pond since the water was still green/cloudy.Now we are starting over.............I have put a bale of barley straw in the filter and am slowly introducing that plants back.Aaaarrghhhhh!
Have you heard of using a product with copper in it(diluted down enough to be safe for plants and snails) to control algae? It apparently is like a mineral treatment for ponds and the algae can't live with the copper in the water.BUT..........neither can snails because they will eat the dead algae on the bottom that will have the copper in it and copper and snails don't mix. Just something else I wondered if anyone has heard of or tried.
(post #15343, reply #4 of 78)
i havn't heard of string algae but my husband uses a uv filter ( ultraviolet filter) the water gets pumped out of the pool thru this uv filter then on to the main filter... it is made to kill the algae and we have it sunk in a small trench so it's hidden it works very well...if you want more info i'm sure he can remember where he got it we have also on occasion had algae eating bottom feeders but they don't survive the winter here in newengland! if i can get the right pic the uv filter is in the trench just behind the tree to the right ...this was taken in early june!
(post #15343, reply #7 of 78)
Very nice pond Tricia!
Lenny has made a rather large filter that seems to be working well for things like the debris and such.I just threw a bale of barley straw in it hoping to help keep the algae under check,but like I had just mentioned to Jean,Lenny drained the pond and we are starting over(Uggghhh). I think maybe I will go get a few algae-eating bottom feeders.How many do you have and what size is your pond?Do you take them out in the fall?Wouldn't they be hard to net?
(post #15343, reply #9 of 78)
our pond is fairly small about 12 feet by 10 feet and only three feet deep, we havn't had any algae eating bottom feeders in awhile because you're right they are impossible to "fish out" and they don't survive our colder temps in the winter , the uv filter he uses is in addition to the reg filter but i just googled info and it does not work on string algae but works very well on reg algae and over the years we have had a pretty clear pond, found a web site that talks about the uv filter and algae control in general www.watergarden.com maybe it will help... like others have said i kind of like a little of it as i think it makes things more natural... goodluck... once he refills it can we see pics???
(post #15343, reply #10 of 78)
Thank you Tricia,I will check that website out.As soon as my son comes home from camping,I will snag the camera and get a picture of the pond.
(post #15343, reply #11 of 78)
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/ponds/
this is another pond forum
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG
(post #15343, reply #12 of 78)
Thanks bobl,I will check that out.
(post #15343, reply #16 of 78)
I think we may have the problem under control now.............thank goodness!I think I need more plants but I am waiting to find them on sale.Here are a few pics of the pond...........the little dog house looking thing is were the filter is hidden.Lenny wants to turn it into a watermill with a water wheel.That will be next years project.
OOOPs! I see I didn't get the pics attached.I will try again.
Edited 7/15/2005 9:50 pm ET by lennyswife
(post #15343, reply #17 of 78)
glad you got the algae under control. enjoy your pond and there is a rule of thumb that if your pond is about 2/3 or 1/2 covered with plants that the algae will be kept under control. yes we have new baby koi in our pond,thanks to our koi.we are having a great time watching them grow.
(post #15343, reply #20 of 78)
I am amazed at how fast the fish grow.We just have a few pond goldfish and they have probably tripled their size already.
(post #15343, reply #23 of 78)
last night my husband was feeding the koi and the babies were trying to eat the food we feed them he said it was fun watching them. I call them the little racers. They go so fast from one end to the other of the pond and love to play in the parrot feather plant we put in the pond.I will send pics of our pond as soon as i can figure the pic thimg out.
(post #15343, reply #25 of 78)
LOL I hear ya on the "figuring the pic thing out".How fast do baby fish grow? I found a fish in out pond that I haven't seen before and wondered if it was somefish's baby.
Very nice pond.........I love the way it looks so natural. Good job.
Edited 7/17/2005 2:15 pm ET by lennyswife
(post #15343, reply #26 of 78)
i have been working on the landscaplng for about a year now. i just keep trying new things. I am thinking about adding a new tree behind the pond but i haven't figuired out what to plant .i am looking at a harry lauder's walking stick, thanks for the praise.I did design for 25 years before leaving the industry.I just remeber one thing my dad taught me about design. its only a weed if it's in the wrong place.
As to how fast fish grow I don't know but it's pretty fast.
(post #15343, reply #27 of 78)
your pond is beautiful, i like the layered effect and it looks so natural... mr. and mrs. are very cute!
Lennyswife to give the babies a chance ( so they don't get eaten) we have in the past placed in the bottom of the pond (anchored with a rock) a basket with smallish holes so the young fish have a place to hide from the big guys!
(post #15343, reply #28 of 78)
I think your choice of a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick would be a good one, especially for the winter. You might also consider an Acer palmatum dissectum. I could not decide between the two so I planted both.
(post #15343, reply #29 of 78)
Very nice, Dick. Looks very natural.
Here's a pic of one of ours.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #30 of 78)
Here's the pond by our back door.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #31 of 78)
I am so jealous of all of these beautiful ponds people are displaying. Jean, how do you overwinter your koi?
Dava
SW Michigan
Zone 5
"There is no snooze alarm on a hungry cat!"
(post #15343, reply #33 of 78)
They stay right in the pond. 2 bubblers keep a hole in the ice to release the bad gases and aerate the water. So far we haven't lost any, even with the heavy ice of the last 2 winters.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #34 of 78)
in my area since my pond is 4 feet deep the fish stay in the pond and i watch for icing in the winter and the waterfall goes all year round. you might check with the local pond place but as cold as your winters get you problaly will have to winter your koi inside.
(post #15343, reply #35 of 78)
Oh, Jean, your ponds are so beautiful! You've shown pics of the koi before, but I don't think I've seen pics to the ponds themselves. Lovely.
Transitions Farm
Gardening, cooking, and riding in Central Mass.
Ann
"The elders were wise. They knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led to lack of respect for humans, too." Chief Luther Standing Bear, Lakota Sioux
(post #15343, reply #36 of 78)
Thanks, all the credit goes to my DH. I'm the foreman, I sit in the swing and give "encouragement". LOL
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #39 of 78)
What a beautiful job you have done. Same goes for your pond DickK.With mine being just put in this late spring,I really look forward to my having my plant material mature and finish planting around the pond. We mysteriously found a white and black goldfish(I'm guessing) in out pond.Kids say they don't know where it came from and Lenny thinks someone placed it in there without telling us.We started out with 6 orange ones and 5 black one.......this addition is not small enough to be a baby,at least I don't think it is.A funny mystery that is driving Lenny squirrelly. LOL
(post #15343, reply #41 of 78)
Very nice ponds. It looks as if you did what I did, one pond for goldfish and another for koi. How many gallons of water in the pond with all of the koi? In your zone, do you do anything special for the winter? I am in zone 6 and I keep water circulating all year for the koi but let the goldfish pond freeze over with only keeping a hole for escaping gas.
Checking on the goldfish this evening, I found a case of the "Hunter becoming the hunted". (Look carefully above the frog on the attached.)(post #15343, reply #42 of 78)
The koi pond is pretty big. I'll have to ask DH how many gallons. No way could we keep it all open in the winter. DH puts in 2 bubblers together and it keeps about a foot diameter open while the rest freezes. He let the smaller pond freeze over last winter, of course sacrificing all the fish, but we restocked it this spring with donations from a friend. Right now that one is about 95% covered with lily pads. We don't feed the goldfish, but they've had babies already.
Oh, PS, cute picture.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
Edited 7/20/2005 11:37 pm ET by Jean
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need
(post #15343, reply #43 of 78)
Thanks. I think I will look into bubblers for my goldfish pond. A five foot diameter hole sounds much better than the two foot hole my heater provides.
The koi pond that I run all winter also freezes over but it stays clear at the waterfall. As ice builds up the water level drops in the pond. Every two weeks or so I add water from a hose that I connect inside the house.
(post #15343, reply #44 of 78)
Ok, the pond in the picture is 3000 gallons and another is 4500. We get at least 12 inches of ice in them except where the bubblers keep the area ice free. Sometimes snow will collect inthe hole but it's porous enough to let air filter through until DH gets around to sweeping it clear. The holes never get much bigger than 18 inches in diameter when the weather is really cold. I'm sure our waterfall equipment would freeze, we've never tried keeping it going inthe winter.
Veni, vidi, velcro I came, I saw, I stuck around.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
help to provide free mammograms for women in need