Green-brown jelly Ike blobs in pond

[Sara VanHof]

We have a small (1/3 acre) pond in north central Vermont. Current water temperature at about a foot below the surface is 59 degrees. The pond contains lots of frogs and salamanders, and we have seen one snake. Nor turtles or fish. Since we acquired this property a few years ago we have been working on pond clean up since we love to swim in it. One of the things we have not been able to get rid of or even identify are these small green-brown gelatinous blobs. They range in size from 1/2” to 1.5” and they float. We can not locate the source. Algacide does not appear to help. Photos are attached. Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[MitchM]

It's a combination of protozoa and algae, harmless.
It's a healthy part of the pond ecosystem, but have a look at your pond to get an idea if there's a chance that nutrients could be building up.
Algicides won't help your pond, they'll only throw it out of balance and cause you further problems.
Is there a stream that runs through the pond, or is a settling pond for the surrounding landscape?

 

[j.w]

@Sara VanHof

 

[Sara VanHof]

It's a combination of protozoa and algae, harmless.
It's a healthy part of the pond ecosystem, but have a look at your pond to get an idea if there's a chance that nutrients could be building up.
Algicides won't help your pond, they'll only throw it out of balance and cause you further problems.
Is there a stream that runs through the pond, or is a settling pond for the surrounding landscape?

The water source is snow melt and rain runoff in the form of a small stream that runs down a wooded hillside. We do get leaves and flower petals in their from the surrounding trees, so we are going to work on skimming those off more. There is an outflow stream and also another current that we can feel that runs straight across from the inflow, so we do have water movement.

 

[MitchM]

Seasonal and surface runoff can carry a lot of excess nutrients from farm animals and people fertilizing the surrounding lawns.
Try to determine if that is occurring and minimize or eliminate that runoff from entering your pond.
It sounds like the pond water enters local waterways, so adding fish would probably be prohibited. You'll need to check with your local state authorities.
You could add some native plants to help consume any excess nutrients that would cause excess levels of algae to grow. There's probably a company in your area that supplies native plants for wetland reconstruction projects.
It looks like a lovely pond.

 

[Sara VanHof]

Seasonal and surface runoff can carry a lot of excess nutrients from farm animals and people fertilizing the surrounding lawns.
Try to determine if that is occurring and minimize or eliminate that runoff from entering your pond.
It sounds like the pond water enters local waterways, so adding fish would probably be prohibited. You'll need to check with your local state authorities.
You could add some native plants to help consume any excess nutrients that would cause excess levels of algae to grow. There's probably a company in your area that supplies native plants for wetland reconstruction projects.
It looks like a lovely pond.

There are no farms or lawns up the hill from the pond. Just our woods all the way to the top, but I bet we get some animal and vegetation nutrients that way. I believe we are allowed to stock fish, so we are looking in to that. Thanks for the tip on native plants. I will search for a source.