Natural spring pond with slime

[Dimovi]

I have a small proof of concept swimming pond in my back yard fed by a natural spring. There is no filtration as the amount of new water that flows in is 3-4 times the volume of the pond each day. The water is always crystal clear and constant 77 degrees, however there is clear slime on the walls that comes off in chunks when you brush against the wall. The slime started to form only a day or two after I made the pond. With time it seems to get thicker and comes off more easily.
I cannot figure out what that stuff is or how to get rid of it. The PH is around 8 and the pond is under a tree shade with small amount of filtered light.

Anyone have an idea what that stuff is?

Video

 

[addy1]

It looks like the biofilm that forms on liners.

Welcome to our forum

 

[j.w]

@Dimovi
Just nature taking over like it is supposed to. Eventually you will get a nice short green carpet of algae on your liner which is a good thing. Leave it on there, just more nature moving in creating a great place for fish etc.

 

[Dimovi]

View attachment 132188@Dimovi
Just nature taking over like it is supposed to. Eventually you will get a nice short green carpet of algae on your liner which is a good thing. Leave it on there, just more nature moving in creating a great place for fish etc.

That's what I was hoping. I have a small pond that is about a year old, which is spilling over into the big one. The small one is very clean and had a little bit of algae, but I was not sure if it was the algae or fish or snails or shrimp or hyalella keeping the slime from forming.

What is this slime? Is it bacterial? It is clear and looks like mucous.

I am keeping the swimming pond free of fish but I added a bunch of hyalella. Is it good to have fish? The small pond is packed with guppies.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Yeah, it’s normal!

 

[j.w]

I don't know what that slime is called. And what is hyalella?

 

[JRS]

Welcome!

 

[Dimovi]

I don't know what that slime is called. And what is hyalella?

Hyalella is a genus of tiny amphipod crustacean (look like microscopic shrimp) that only get about 1/4 inch long. Their diet is mostly algae and diatoms.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyalella_azteca

 

[Phaewryn]

Biofilm.
https://www.livescience.com/57295-biofilms.html
https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/microbial-biofilms
Neat little high school study of biofilm in ponds: https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bmb.20595