Need help identifying algae! Please!

[cody]

cody submitted a new Showcase Item:

Need help identifying algae! Please!


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[MitchM]

What components are you running for filtration?
It looks like stuff I've seen in ponds that use a pond ionizer.

 

[bagsmom]

I have some of this in my waterfall basin, but it hasn't done anything detrimental. Are you feeding your fish? I've noticed that since the weather is hot, if I don't feed the fish, the algae diminishes quite a bit. I know others will chime in here to to help! Good luck!

 

[Lisak1]

@bagsmom - he says he has no fish.

One thing to consider is that the more you kill off the algae, the more you add to the nutrients in the pond that are feeding the algae. And when you drain the water and start over you are literally starting over. Any good bacteria in your pond water is gone. You may just be in a bad cycle of dying and growing and dying and growing, if that makes sense. Maybe you just need to let things take care of themselves.

I'm not all that familiar with how a pond works without fish - do you have to fertilize your plants to keep them growing?

 

[MitchM]

The yellowish colour of the algae could mean that is is a freshwater dinoflagellate.
The only solution I know of to remove dinoflagellates from a water body is with a low dose of chlorine, and then aggressive mechanical filtration to remove the dead material.
We need to know more about your filtration before we go down that road though.

Dinoflagellates:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinoflagellate

Treatment:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=ML...YDAM#v=onepage&q=pond dinoflagellates&f=false

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Were these photos taken before or after this growth had been treated?

 

[sissy]

peroxide and let it sit and turn off pump while doing this wait 15 to 20 minutes and turn pump back on clean off loose stuff with a toilet bowl brush .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Because of the lack of color, I am leaning towards a young bacterial floc.

 

[MitchM]

I wouldn't think that bacterial floc had bubbles as this substance does.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Bacterial floc can contain gas bubbles much like blanket weed only the bubbles are CO2 and not Oxygen. It can also behave much like blanket weed originating on submerged surfaces and floating to the surface when gas bubbles are formed within the mat.
Bacterial blooms and floc are usually an indication of low nutrient, high Carbon environments.

 

[MitchM]

If this is a bacterial floc producing CO2, then I guess we should also be seeing a low KH/PH value?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Since there are no fish, I doubt that this water has ever been tested. No reason to.
Yes CO2 will affect the pH to a point, but if CO2 is already at saturation any additional will just be off-gassed.
It would be interesting to see what the daily range of pH levels would be.

 

[MitchM]

If it is a bacterial floc, what do you think the treatment should be?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

If it is a bacterial floc, what do you think the treatment should be?

Basically the same as for algae. Identify the Carbon source and either remove it or limit it.
Since this problem only began last year after many years of no issues begs the question- What was done differently two (2) years ago that would trigger this issue be it algae or bacterial?

 

[MitchM]

I'm thinking that various algae reducing methods used over the years has caused the nutrient level to rise to a point where another organism, not susceptible to the methods used, has taken hold.
The filtration system was good, but not good enough.
It does look to me similar to a substance in IonGen ponds I have seen in the past.