Brown Slimy Algae?

[froggerlover]

Hello,

Ive noticed a brown algae in my pond. it started about two months ago with loads of tiny bubbles appearing all over my rocks and pond wall, the bubbles then changed into lots of bigger bubbles that covers all the rocks, over the exposed areas and the pond walls and now i still have the bubbles but i also have brown slimy film covering everthing. my plants below the water surface seem to be dying as well.

My pond is two years old and has been fine until now, it has the occassional frog visitor and has some residential newts that have bred and even a dragonfly lava that shed its skin last summer.

i brought some fairy moss in february and added that with a couple of marginal plants but apart from that nothing has changed.

i dont want to do a 100% water change if I dont have to until i know whats causing it and how to put it right. i had searched the internet for pictures of it and the closest one is a picture of brown diatom???
but that seems to only be a fish tanks.

can anyone help or advise please?

Froggerlover xx :sad: :sad: :sad:

 

[addy1]

Do you have a filter?, pump? aerator? fish? can you post some pictures of what it looks like.

Have you done any cleaning, water changes?

 

[froggerlover]

Hi, thanks so much for replying! :razz:
I do have a pump that pumps water from the main pond to a feeder pond on a loop. im not sure what an aerater is :redface: im afraid. I have no fish as i want to atttract frogs and other wildlife. I have not changed the water although i did top it up a few inches last month but the problem was already there. I will take some pictures of it tomorrow as it is dark now and post them in the morning on the gallery??

Froggerlover xx

 

[addy1]

Aerator is a air pump. Adds o2 to the water. I am just uncertain what the bubbles would mean. The thing I would do is do a water change, without fish, you don't need to be as concerned, with water changes.
You water may have fouled, even though a pond without fish is easier to care for. You have plants in it, seems they would have taken care of the water also.

from what I read about brown algae, it is easy to wipe off.............can you wipe yours off?
water changes help
excess nutrients cause it
ramshorn snails eat it

 

[j.w]

This might help you understand the algae better. Taken off the net:

Algae Identification

There are over 17.400 different species of algae. Most water gardens or ponds are plagued by either -

1. Plankton Algae - aka suspended algae, green water, pea soup or single cell algae.

2. Filamentous Algae - aka string algae, blanket weed, hair algae or pond scum.

Not all algae is harmful or unwanted. The short velvet type that clings to rocks and the sides of the pond is beneficial. This type of algae provides oxygen during the day, fish nibble on it, and it uses nutrients from the water. It also provides a natural look to the pond.
Some Causes of Excess Algae

There are about 4 basic causes of excess algae or an algae bloom.

1. For survival, algae needs nutrition (nitrogen & phosphorus) and sunlight. This can be in the form of fish waste (too many fish), over feeding fish, decaying organic matter (leaves & plants), lawn fertilizers and decomposed fish. A build up of sludge on the bottom of the pond will feed the algae also.

2. New ponds are very likely to have an algae bloom. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The algae is actually consuming the excess nutrients in the water. Give the pond time to balance it's self before adding fish as they will only add to the nutrient overload.

3. Weather and temperature changes. In the spring, beneficial bacteria has only started to multiply. Plant coverage is not at maximum coverage. There may also be decaying leaves and twigs from last autumn at the bottom of the pond.

4. Because there is a constant supply of nutrients, string algae flourishes in waterfalls and shallow streams. The sunlight is usually unobstructed and the water is warmer. There may also be a higher concentration of algae around the shallow edges of the pond where the water is warmer and there may not be enough water circulation there.
Natural Algae Treatment

There are several things you can do to lessen or eliminate a mild or moderate algae bloom with out the use of chemicals.

1. Manual rake or pull out all you can reach. Use a soft brush if necessary. Your pump should be able to pump at least 1/2 of the total volume of your pond every hour.

2. Plant coverage should be 50% - 70% of the surface. Add a variety to compete with algae for the nutrients. Water lilies will shade the surface of the pond. Submerged plants (Anacharis) and floating plants (Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinth) absorb nutrients directly from the water with their roots.

3. Add 1 Barley Straw Bundle per 1000 gallons of water. Keep submerged but do not let them sink to the bottom of the pond. They need light and oxygen to break down.

4. Have the proper size biological filter for your size pond. Keep filter clean.

5. Vacuum or siphon the bottom of the pond regularly.

6. Add nitrifying bacteria (Microbe-Lift or Bio-Pond Tabs) which will help to starve out the algae. Both feed on the same nutrients. Have a place for the bacteria to grow, such as a bio-filter, rocks, plants, filter media.

7. Both the barley straw and the bacteria will benefit from an aerator or provide some type of water movement. Increase circulation to the edges of the pond.

8. Have pond at least 24" deep to reduce sunlight reaching the bottom.
What NOT To Do

1. Do not clean or do partial water changes with tap water. This will kill the beneficial bacteria.

2. Do not change all the water at one time. Only do partial water changes with well water. Changing all the water will cause a major algae bloom.

3. Do not use chemical algaecide as this will harm plants and fish and the algae will return with a vengeance. The dead algae will collect on the bottom of the pond creating organic sludge. This provides nutrients and will cause more algae to bloom.

4. An ultraviolet clarifier will destroy floating algae (plankton) but not recommended unless you have zero ammonia. It will also kill your beneficial bacteria. A UV will not help with string algae. Pond Maintenance

1. Do not over feed or keep more fish than your pond will support. One 6" fish per every 100 gallons. Or no more fish than can fit nose to tail across widest diameter of your pond.

2. Use Barley Straw Bundles as a preventative from recurring string algae. It make take 2-4 weeks for the straw to become active. The warmer the water, the faster the straw will start to decompose. Place early in the spring for best results.

3. Remove dead leaves with a skimmer or manually.

4. Adding an organic pond water colorant will help to keep out the sunlight.

 

[Waterbug]

It's really hard to id algae, so many kinds. I just group it by how it grows. I would just call this a mat algae because it's not suspended, not stringy and easy to brush off of rocks. I have seen algae with the little bubbles. I assume the bubbles are from respiration because it's on the surface, rather than from decay.

Why this happened when you didn't change anything...nature does the changing. Ponds always always changing.

If you like frogs, newts and dragonflies I would not change anything. The algae is a good thing.

Underwater plants often have problems, no matter what you do. Just as true in natural ponds and lakes. If the underwater plants were the primary concern you'd want to keep the water and pond bottom very clean.

If you wanted to limit the algae a bit you can brush it off. Breaking it up will lower its defenses and most of it will be killed and eaten by bacteria and other algae species. Mat algae is fairly delicate, and therefore generally doesn't last long even when left alone.

 

[froggerlover]

Thankyou so much Waterbug and j.w!

Just to have someone explain what it may be and what to do and not to do is such a help!
I will take some pictures of it and post it on incase anyone can identify it. I may just wipe ot off the rocks that are showing and leave the rest. there are some leaves in the bottom of the pond.. should i clear these out as a precaution? the pond unfortunatly is situated under a tree and even though i put a grate over the pond during the autunm some managed to get in.... would it hurt if i tried to clear these out. is there a way of mantaining the small wildlife on the leaves while clearing the leaves out???
Sorry so many questions

Froggerlover :bowdown:

 

[addy1]

When I clean the bottom of my pond, every net full is dumped on some screening over a bucket so I can pull out the tad poles, snails, bugs and toss them back into the pond. Thankfully it never stinks, just smells like a pond.

It wouldn't hurt to get the leaves out, I clean them out in the fall, then again in the spring for any that blew in during the winter.

 

[froggerlover]

View attachment georgias photos 083.MOV

 

[froggerlover]

Ok, not very tech savvy and have posted a rather jumpy video and repeated videos. but above are some pictures of it although they are not very clear. what I can tell you though is that the rock is grey granite and the stuff in the other pictures I can peel off the sides like glue and the result is in the poorly made video. does this information help anyone with indentification or what to do about it???

Froggerlover (who needs lessons in tech)

 

[sissy]

seems like good stuff that the frogs will love to eat .if you don't want it you can remove it ,i use a brand new round toilet bowl brush and then spray the area with peroxide .But to me looks like good gunk ,like you get on the liner that fish love to suck off .

 

[Waterbug]

there are some leaves in the bottom of the pond.. should i clear these out as a precaution? the pond unfortunatly is situated under a tree and even though i put a grate over the pond during the autunm some managed to get in.... would it hurt if i tried to clear these out. is there a way of mantaining the small wildlife on the leaves while clearing the leaves out???

It completely depends on the type of pond you want. The decomposing leaves on the bottom are food for little creatures, eaten by larger creatures and so on. Dragonfly larva for example depend on that food chain. So you could remove the leaves and return the larger creatures to the pond like Addy does but without as much food most of the creatures would die. Although their rotting bodies would provide some food for a short time.

 

[addy1]

I leave plenty for them to snack on, my cleaning of the pond is no where clean like a koi pond. I even leave strips of debris just for the critters.