Need help identifying algae! Please!

[cody]

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

Thank you for your effort in helping me with this issue Meyer, I can tell that you are very keen on these matters.
These photos were taken prior to any recent treatment. It is not an entirely clear blanket of growth, it does have a bit of light tannish color in it. What would you do to address this situation? I have it completely cleaned out and dry at the moment. thanks

 

[cody]

im just saying, this is your best and safest route.

I have done this numerous times, it just comes back within a few weeks. thanks

 

[cody]

The colour to me appears to be a golden brown.
That's consistent with some dinoflagellates.

View attachment 102401

This color in the photo is extremely close to the color of the substance! Fyi, when this stuff dries on the rocks, it hardens almost like a thin chip that will break apart with light force.

 

[cody]

Another clue that this is not any specie of algae is the fact that it is colorless. Algae contains chloroplasts which contain Chlorophyll a, which we all know is green. Algae may rarely be red, brown or black, but never colorless.
There is also the outside chance that there are elevated levels of one or more Heavy Metal.
If this is indeed bacterial, a low Dissolved Oxygen level would be expected.

The reason I am nearly certain that this bacterial is due to the fact that once I apply peroxide, the peroxide begins to sizzle like crazy. Another reason is that any algae killer product does nothing to this stuff.

 

[cody]

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?

Changes over the last 2 years are adding a copper ionizer that killed off all string algae and gathering plants from local ponds and planting them into the feature.

 

[cody]

@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?

I have another pond on my property that has pristine water with no issues. Do you think I should try filling up my problematic pond with this water after a drain and clean? I do not fertilize my plants, they are growing in a volcanic crushed rock that provides them with all the nutrients they need. It is called caribsea eco and it is commonly used in fish tanks.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Thank you for your effort in helping me with this issue Meyer, I can tell that you are very keen on these matters.
These photos were taken prior to any recent treatment. It is not an entirely clear blanket of growth, it does have a bit of light tannish color in it. What would you do to address this situation? I have it completely cleaned out and dry at the moment. thanks

That should correct the problem as you will have removed any nutrient source for both dinoflagellates or bacteria.
Next step, permanently retire the ionizer!

 

[cody]

That should correct the problem as you will have removed any nutrient source for both dinoflagellates or bacteria.
Next step, permanently retire the ionizer!

I will try this. What do you see as the problem with the copper ionizer? thanks

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Read this article that I wrote several years ago when these devices were first introduced.

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/are-pond-ionizers-safe-you-be-the-judge.16720/#post-350406

 

[MitchM]

Great to hear back from you cody.
I'm interested in hearing how your pond develops after the ionizer is taken off line.
Are you also running a UV clarifier?
Any chemical treatments or activated carbon in the filter system?

 

[cody]

Great to hear back from you cody.
I'm interested in hearing how your pond develops after the ionizer is taken off line.
Are you also running a UV clarifier?
Any chemical treatments or activated carbon in the filter system?

I will definitely keep you posted. No, I am not running a UV clarifier. There is no chemical
or activated carbon in the filter system. Just several different sizes of screen/bio material and matalla matting.
The plan at the moment is that I am going to spray down everything with H202 one more time, let sit for a few hours, spray down with water, pump out water, clean all filtration media really well then refill with pond water from the big healthy pond. thanks

 

[MitchM]

Thanks.
Are you performing any water tests? (ammonia, KH, GH, nitrate, phosphate)
It would be helpful to know the results as soon as possible after the ionizer is unplugged.
We might be able to predict what the algae situation will be in the near future.

 

[cody]

Thanks.
Are you performing any water tests? (ammonia, KH, GH, nitrate, phosphate)
It would be helpful to know the results as soon as possible after the ionizer is unplugged.
We might be able to predict what the algae situation will be in the near future.

The pond is currently empty. At what point should I perform a water test after filling up?

thanks

 

[MitchM]

I wasn't aware you emptied it.
How long ago was it emptied?

 

[cody]

I wasn't aware you emptied it.
How long ago was it emptied?

Yes, I emptied it around 1 week ago. After emptying, I sprayed everything down with 3% h202, hosed
everything down with a high pressure nozzle and removed all remaining water. Nearly all of the unknown substance
came off all of the boulders. It definitely does not like hydrogen peroxide. It was sizzling loud enough to hear it from 15 feet away or so.

 

[cody]

One more thing I failed to mention before was that the water seemed to simultaneously get murky and green
while the substance began to develop on the rocks over the course of a few weeks. This would happen each time after an empty/scrub/refill cycle.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

The pond is currently empty. At what point should I perform a water test after filling up?

thanks

When was the last time that you tested the big pond beings that you are using that water to refill?

 

[cody]

When was the last time that you tested the big pond beings that you are using that water to refill?

It has been a few years. I will test the water and send the results. thanks

 

[cody]

The big pond has been amazing. It only ever has very light algae, nearly no debris build up anywhere, super clear water, zero smell anywhere (including debris off the bottom) and a whole thriving population of different life forms. I do run a cooper ionizer on this one as well but it is on a very low setting and there is 21,000 gallons of water in it.

 

[cody]

When was the last time that you tested the big pond beings that you are using that water to refill?

Test results. Nitrite and nitrate 0, ammonia 0, ph 7.6, gh 125, kh 100