Red Algae

[ShawnLimy]

We have red algae in our pond, i can't find much info about it, there are no fish in the pond yet, just water hyacinth.

Has anyone ever experianced this?, is it bad?, how bad is it?, should i drain it?, should i fill the hole back in?

I havent finshed the pond yet, i have been to busy with work and other things.

I have filters running with furnace material, and lava rock, suggested by Sissy.

 

[crsublette]

Is this how your red algae looks like in your pond ?? :bdaybiggrin:

((source: how does red marine algae affect fish? ))
[video]

Here is the best I could find and I believe are reliable sources.

The Planted Tank - Algae Guide

The Krib - Cause and Control of Red Algae in freshwater tanks (I found most of the info reliable on this website, but it is dated so take this into consideration)


It appears there many algae species that have a red tint to it.

There is a red tinted algae that is a noxious grower and may likely suffocate plants.

There is a red tinted algae that is actually a bacteria, which is a quite invasive "self fertilizing" algae that only require smallest amounts of micronutrients and may thrive to the point of causing an aquatic kill.

There is a red tinted algae that only grows due to poor water quality, lack of oxygen, and poor water circulation.


Personally, if I found this in my pond, then I would remove as much organics out of the water as possible, temporarily disconnect my bio-filtration for a short duration, disconnect any plant grow beds, and instantly nuke the main pond resevoir with an oxidizer, that is with fish safe dosages. Here is my version of a remedy and prevention program for algae.

 

[ShawnLimy]

Is this how your red algae looks like in your pond ?? :bdaybiggrin:

((source: how does red marine algae affect fish? ))
[video] [/video]



Here is the best I could find and I believe are reliable sources.

The Planted Tank - Algae Guide

The Krib - Cause and Control of Red Algae in freshwater tanks (I found most of the info reliable on this website, but it is dated so take this into consideration)


It appears there many algae species that have a red tint to it.

There is a red tinted algae that is a noxious grower and may likely suffocate plants.

There is a red tinted algae that is actually a bacteria, which is a quite invasive "self fertilizing" algae that only require smallest amounts of micronutrients and may thrive to the point of causing an aquatic kill.

There is a red tinted algae that only grows due to poor water quality, lack of oxygen, and poor water circulation.


Personally, if I found this in my pond, then I would remove as much organics out of the water as possible, temporarily disconnect my bio-filtration for a short duration, disconnect any plant grow beds, and instantly nuke the main pond resevoir with an oxidizer, that is with fish safe dosages. Here is my version of a remedy and prevention program for algae.

Thanks for your reply Charles.
Wow, that looks like tomato soup, mine doesn't look quite like that, the red algae seems to be sticking to the bottom, and not floating around.

I red the info in the links you provided ( thank you for that ) while reading, one thing really stuck out, and that was indroducing contaimenated plants.

There has only been water in the pond for a couple of weeks, no fish have been added, just the water hyacinth were added about 5 days ago, the red algae started right after that.

I am wondering if i should just drain it, and get rid of the water hyacinth, and start all over.

 

[crsublette]

If you have properly maintained the pond water, with good circulation and keeping sludge to a minimum, then I would not be suprised that the algae might have been transplanted with the water hyacinth.

I know folk have been just fine with never quarantining plants, but this does not mean all sellers out there are reputable and safe.

If you are interested in "cleaning" your plants prior to puting them into your pond, then here's a quote, from a good guy I trust, that explains how he would quarantine his plants.

((souce: quarantine your plants?))

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) can be used, but bleach can damage plants if the concentration is too high or the plants are left in the bleach too long. If you are using bleach, then 1 part bleach to 19 parts water for no more than 3 minutes will disinfect everything, but it can damage sensitive plants. Rinse the plants well and dip in water with sodium thiosulfate to remove the hypochlorite before putting the plants into the pond.

Potassium permanganate is just as effective at disinfecting, but much more safe for the plants. Potassium permanganate at 6 to 12 ppm for 10 to 20 minutes is effective and safe for plants.

The third alternative is alum (aluminum sulfate) at the rate of 1 tablespoonful per gallon of water for 3 hours. Rinse well before placing the plants into the pond.

On a personal note, I never have quarantined my plants and doubt I ever will, but, if I did have any wierd ailment and I had a reasonable suspicion that it came from new plants, then I probably would start quarantining the plants.

 

[mrsclem]

Are you sure it is algae? Did you rinse your lava rock before putting it in? It has a lot of dust on it and can leave a coating on the pond bottom if not rinsed well.

 

[ShawnLimy]

If you have properly maintained the pond water, with good circulation and keeping sludge to a minimum, then I would not be suprised that the algae might have been transplanted with the water hyacinth.

I know folk have been just fine with never quarantining plants, but this does not mean all sellers out there are reputable and safe.

If you are interested in "cleaning" your plants prior to puting them into your pond, then here's a quote, from a good guy I trust, that explains how he would quarantine his plants.

((souce: quarantine your plants?))


On a personal note, I never have quarantined my plants and doubt I ever will, but, if I did have any wierd ailment and I had a reasonable suspicion that it came from new plants, then I probably would start quarantining the plants.

Someone had mentioned using bleach to me, but they were not very clear in their recommendation, what i was getting from him was, to add bleach right to the pond water ( yikes )

There is enough aeration, circulation and filtration.
It looks to be that the water hyacinth is the culprit. do you think i should just drain the pond and start again, since there is nothing in the pond right now except the water hyacinth?

 

[ShawnLimy]

Are you sure it is algae? Did you rinse your lava rock before putting it in? It has a lot of dust on it and can leave a coating on the pond bottom if not rinsed well.

I am not 100 percent sure, but, i just added the lava rock, and i rinsed it well, the pond water had the red in it before i added the lava rock.

 

[ShawnLimy]

Would a UV unit do anything for this red algae, i am new to all this, i need all the help i can get.

 

[crsublette]

If it is an algae that is floating in the water, then a UV might help.

Yeah, as far cleaning the plants go, this is done in a seperate container.

Sure, you could drain the pond, clean it down, and start all over again if that's the only way to get rid of the stuff, but this would not be my first choice.

Personally, I have never encountered the stuff so I am just thinking out loud here what I would do. Hopefully someone else who has experienced the stuff could give further insight.

 

[pecan]

Can you take a picture of the algae?

As new as your pond is and with no fish you have a lot of options. draining and starting from scratch wouldn't be all that bad since I am doubtful the pond has balanced yet. That would be a last resort in an established pond.

But I would wait to confirm the actual cause and issue before going through all that work.

 

[ShawnLimy]

If it is an algae that is floating in the water, then a UV might help.

Yeah, as far cleaning the plants go, this is done in a seperate container.

Sure, you could drain the pond, clean it down, and start all over again if that's the only way to get rid of the stuff, but this would not be my first choice.

Personally, I have never encountered the stuff so I am just thinking out loud here what I would do. Hopefully someone else who has experienced the stuff could give further insight.

We went to a local Nursery/pond supply store, and the owner said we needed more oxygen, i hope he is right.
We also went to a local Tractor Supply store here, and out in the yard, there was a feeding trough, and i noticed it had rain water in it, and, lo and behold, it had some of the same red algae in it.

I put the other pump in the pond when i came home, for more circulation and aeration, try that for a bit and see what happens.

 

[ShawnLimy]

Can you take a picture of the algae?

As new as your pond is and with no fish you have a lot of options. draining and starting from scratch wouldn't be all that bad since I am doubtful the pond has balanced yet. That would be a last resort in an established pond.

But I would wait to confirm the actual cause and issue before going through all that work.

It is to dark now, but, i can take one tomorrow. I wiped some off the side of the liner, and it looked just like blood on my fingers.

When i first seen this redness in the pond, i thought someone dumped something in the water, i never heard of red algae before, now, i am hearing about it, but, there is not a lot of info about red algae in ponds on the net.