I have had my pond for years. Although I see this occur every summer, I never bothered to ask "why?" I have a bio filter that uses bags of lava rocks. I also have an ultra violet light. My water is very clear. However, my falls always get long, thick, stringy algae accumulation mid to late summer. Any suggestions on what I can use to eliminate the algae? The photo is after I had removed a significant amount by hand.
Algae on my falls
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Mmathis
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Normal. Hydrogen peroxide.
Thank you. How and how much?
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spray on, let it sit for 30 minutes, scrub/hose/brush off. It won't stop it forever but it will lengthen the time interval until doing it again.
It really depends how thick the algae is. You may need several applications. But you can't hurt anything with it, and it's cheap. Experiment with it and see what works. We buy ours at Costco - two one quart bottles for a couple of bucks.
Mmathis
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I did! Thanks to all fo you for the recommendations. I will give it a try!
@KJLive - an alternative method of using H2O2 is sodium per carbonate. It's a powder that you can sprinkle on damp rocks that, once in contact with water, breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. Great stuff - easy to use, relatively cheap and works like a charm for cleaning waterfall rocks. If you've ever seen the commercial products like EcoBlast or Greenclean sold for ponds, that's exactly what they are - in pretty packaging at an expensive premium. I also use it in the spring, similar to a product MicrobeLift sells that you sprinkle on the pond and all the organic debris from the bottom magically rises to the surface to be skimmed.
We buy sodium percarbonate in 40 or 50 lb buckets about once every three or four years. The price ranges a bit from year to year - this last time I pay about $2 a pound. In the past I've found it for as low as $1 a pound - just have to shop around and be ready to buy when you find it. It's sold as an additive for laundry soap mainly, for people who like to make their own soap. But you'll find reviews from people who use it to clean green algae off of roofs, siding, patios, or boats.
By contrast, EcoBlast on Amazon is currently selling for $8 a lb in the 7 lb package or $14 a pound in the 2 lb container. Same exact product inside the container. As a new pond owner I bought the stuff and thought "this is a great product but wow - too expensive!" That's when I started researching what was in the product. I think this link will take you directly to the SDS for EcoBlast:
www.aquascapeinc.com
Just to be clear - I have no issue with any pond product manufacturers selling this for a higher price. They have costs associated with sourcing and packaging and labeling and shipping, etc. And some people may only need 2 lbs once every couple of years and be happy paying that price and not having to store the product. We happen to have multiple water features that get green from time to time and for us, purchasing this way makes more sense!
We buy sodium percarbonate in 40 or 50 lb buckets about once every three or four years. The price ranges a bit from year to year - this last time I pay about $2 a pound. In the past I've found it for as low as $1 a pound - just have to shop around and be ready to buy when you find it. It's sold as an additive for laundry soap mainly, for people who like to make their own soap. But you'll find reviews from people who use it to clean green algae off of roofs, siding, patios, or boats.
By contrast, EcoBlast on Amazon is currently selling for $8 a lb in the 7 lb package or $14 a pound in the 2 lb container. Same exact product inside the container. As a new pond owner I bought the stuff and thought "this is a great product but wow - too expensive!" That's when I started researching what was in the product. I think this link will take you directly to the SDS for EcoBlast:
EcoBlast™ Contact Granular Algaecide (US Only)
Aquascape EcoBlast™ Contact Granular Algaecide eliminates unsightly algae and debris from waterfalls, fountains, streams, and rocks on contact.
www.aquascapeinc.com
Just to be clear - I have no issue with any pond product manufacturers selling this for a higher price. They have costs associated with sourcing and packaging and labeling and shipping, etc. And some people may only need 2 lbs once every couple of years and be happy paying that price and not having to store the product. We happen to have multiple water features that get green from time to time and for us, purchasing this way makes more sense!
100%. The only warning I have ever seen is that the algae dying off can impact the O2 levels in the pond if you have an extreme amount of algae to begin with. If I have string algae I always remove as much as I can by hand before I start and get it out of the pond. Then I turn off the waterfall and while it's still damp I spread the powder. Let it sit for 30 or so minutes on then turn turn waterfall back on. If I still had a lot of algae to remove, I will stand at the base of the waterfall and grab it as it washes down. Mostly though I'll have the dark slimy stuff that just slides off - I don't worry too much about that. Run your aeration during the process and your fish should be just fine.
Awesome! Again, thankyou!!!!!