Cold Weather/Winter Algae

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Hey folks! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

I've started to shut down and clean my pond over the week and have stumbled on something. I have a lot of string algae growing on the side of my pond! The water is extremely clear and I can see my fish moving around the deep end but I was wondering what to do about all this hairy green stuff! When I pulled out my submersible pump it was like a mini swamp creature nomnomming my cord. It was surprising!

I did some research and heard that at this time of the season it's best to leave it and allow the fish to nibble on it over the winter and spring and some say I should use pond dye and barley to tame it down. I read that it's what's making my water crystal clear and providing oxygen. I'm not sure what to believe!

This November has been partially warm but cold weather has caught up. The pond is around 50 degrees at most now and the fish have stopped coming up for food. What's the best course of action or no action?
 

Smaug

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Leave it but net out anything that freely comes off.my fish graze that stuff year round so it never really gets out of hand.
 
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Leave it. The cold weather will slow the growth and your fish will appreciate the food source. Glad to hear the water is nice and clear - and you're right... The algae is helping the cause!
 
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I leave mine, pulling only what is excessive, or if it's clogging an air stone or pond breather. So happy to hear things are good with your pond :)
 
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Let it build up in open areas where it is going to be easy to twirl and hurl when spring warms.

While it makes a picturesque mass it is providing cover for fish from Mr. Heron, its filtering the water quality and providing shelter for fish nibblies like crustaceans

Where blanketweed can be a problem is if ice freezes over and snow cuts off light, and any photosynthesing plant underwater is likely to do a mass die off after a week or so, keep the snow from blotting out light, eh?

You might twirl and hurl algae away from vulnerable plant positions like the crowns of hardy waterlilies, the submerse foliage of those like good light through Winter

By the time Spring warms, extracting the filamentous algae in steps will help mop up surplus fertility that would trigger free floating algaes, consider blanketweed a 'mop' to create crystal clear water....

When the pond iris, hardy waterlilies, marginals, floaters kick into growth, you will switch from waters with excess fertility, to depletion conditions and consider 'feeding' your favorite plants to ensure good blooms

It takes a well planted pond about two weeks to show signs of depletion, in strong growing conditions. Algae? a distant memory. Unless you shovel fish food in too much...

Regards, andy
 
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Thanks everyone! I shall leave it be. Getting nervous with my first winter with my first pond! I have my pond breather ready and will try to place it away from the side with the most algae. It seems to be growing on one end of the pond. Aerator is going to stay in. The water is so clear I can see them in the bottom, fins tucked to their sides and perching beside each other. One fish makes me a little concerned tho. He likes to sit away from the pack and be by himself. Should I be worried?
 

Meyer Jordan

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Thanks everyone! I shall leave it be. Getting nervous with my first winter with my first pond! I have my pond breather ready and will try to place it away from the side with the most algae. It seems to be growing on one end of the pond. Aerator is going to stay in. The water is so clear I can see them in the bottom, fins tucked to their sides and perching beside each other. One fish makes me a little concerned tho. He likes to sit away from the pack and be by himself. Should I be worried?
Koi and Goldfish are not 'schooling' fish' so I would not be concerned with one fish being separate from the others. Tomorrow you may see a different arrangement altogether.
 
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If I were a fish I would be the one off by myself...I get claustrophobic just thinking about my fish all smashed up against each other. Haha!
 
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I m a bit relieved after reading all this as this being my first winter ,
I'm having the same problem with my fish all huddled together,at the bottom but I can't understand why the string algae has started in the winter ,
I have lost four fish in the last month I've been thinking I'm gassing them some how is it best I turn the water fall off leave the pump running and air stones going
 

Smaug

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In a healthy pond it's not common at all to have losses in the winter.
 

Smaug

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Turning off water movement and or air stones isn't the answer. Water tests were fine? What were the numbers?
 

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