Solving the algae mystery

[DoDad]

Install a UV!

So am I correct in saying that although the title is "solving the algae mystery" nothing has been solved here?

 

[crsublette]

Install a UV!

Except that only kills algae that is freely floating in the water.

 

[dieselplower]

Except that only kills algae that is freely floating in the water.

haha i was going to say... the UV works great on the free floaters but nothing else. oh well...

 

[JohnHuff]

I think of UV for green water.

 

[crsublette]

So am I correct in saying that although the title is "solving the algae mystery" nothing has been solved here?

Not in a finite sense, although I think clarification has been shared, which should be just as helpful, in portraying that there is no simple fix.

Unfortunately, I often as well do read and even hear the same "black & white" algae myths reiterated that Waterbug has shared, as if algae can be turned on and off as simple as flicking a light switch if only the pond is shaded and plants were put into the pond.

Since there are freshwater algae species that can emit poisons to kill aquatic plants, then simply adding plants to a pond will not "starve" algae. How do ya get rid of this type of algae? Chemicals, elbow grease, or predation involving organisms that feed directly on the algae.

Since there are freshwater algae species that can thrive in high shade, low light conditions much like Hornwort, then simply adding shade to a pond will not "kill" algae. Fortunately, these type of algaes can be significantly impacted by aquatic plants, through creating a nutrient imbalance and the plant itself emitting toxins to combat the algae.

Furthermore, all aquatic plants, including algae, have their own defensive mechanisms as well so this adds to the explanation as to why only particular algae species are experienced in the pond.

Then, in addition to everything above, there are particular aquatic plants that encourage the growth of particular microorganisms that feed on algae.

Why has a pond not experienced an algae that can kill their Water Hyacinth? Well, pond water circulation and filtration as a big impact on this and also to the extent of the pond's location and there is likely a higher predation rate on the algae, whether it is from the koi or goldfish or other critters or other microorganisms.


Unfortunately, I do too often read recommendations that say, "if you do this, then it will ' fix ' your algae problem." Then, the customer comes back saying that it did not fix it and so then they come back again for an answer.

Often times, predation from fish or snails or other stuff is what will be required to try to " fix " the algae problem.


It is exactly what I mentioned in post#5, and to use Mmathis word "balance", that it takes multiple ingredients so to obtain that balance and this likely will be different for everyone's pond.

 

[crsublette]

Suffice it to say... If you want to "solve" the algae problem, then it requires maintenance and particular ingredients such as described below.

1. Maintain a health pond and practice good pond husbandry, which is...
   • good water flow which involve aeration of some sort from bubblers, waterfalls, fountains, etc
   • particulate and biological filtration, which bogs also help with both of these
   • do not over feed and do not allow too much decay to remain in the pond... a little decay is fine
     
   • have some predation on algae such as snails or algae eaters such as the shark mentioned above or koi/goldfish eating the algae
   • diversification of plants such as water hycainth, duckweed, pennywort, Pistia Stratiotes (water lettuce), pickerelweed, cattails, , Acorus gramineus (sedges, rush, sweetflage)
     .
2. Inhibitors such as...
   • UVs to kill the algae spores that are free floating in the water
   • chemicals such as chelated copper algaecides or hydrogen peroxide or pottassium permangante. This is explained further in post#22 of took over existing pond thread.
     .
3. Spot killing algae off of water falls or other objects..
   • Use a spray bottle, filled with high concentration 22~32% hydrogen peroxide, which can be bought at vetinarian retail stores or online, let it soak on the algae for a hour, then power wash off the dieing algae. This is done so to ensure no new spores are knocked off from simply only power washing it off.

Alternation Option #2 ... If you do not want to use UVs nor chemicals, then look into dosing the pond with baker's yeast. Supposedly, the yeast feeds to grow various plankton microorganisms, such as zooplankton, and then these microorganisms will eat the algae spores and other young algae growth.

From what I am told, which have been tried by others except not by me... Here is a post of Wayne1 talking about it. For anyone curious about "wayne1", he a big koi breeder and has been breeding them for a while; his breeding threads that I follow are most often on koiphen. Here is his recommendation for the baker's yeasts.... "a starter dose at 4ozs per 1000 gallons every 4 days for a month helps keep the plankton needed to do natures job and no uv light as this will kill it all off"... from the thread, life and times of string algae. And then... In another thread, titled "what kind of algae", he recommends "1ozs per 1000 gallon mixed with clay at 1oz per 1000 in a bucket and poured around the pond every 4 days".


And Time... Over time a pond will mature and create its own "ecology", which will help reduce algae occurrences, but this depends on how the pond is treated and if weather or other critters do not interfere too much.


Keep some algae in the pond since "some" algae in the pond can help prevent major outbreaks of other algae types. Only remove as much as you think is an eyesore and then try to leave some... That is if you do not want to take the "scorched earth" approach to algae control.

 

[crsublette]

I don't know...

Personally, I think it is good to have these type of threads even if everyone does not agree...

Threads like this is tremendously much better than folk saying, "oh, your pond in is full sun or you have no plants so this means you will have bad algae problems", which is misleading, bogus, and false.

I know folk that have ponds that are in full sun, no plants, and there are good reasons why they do not have algae problems.

 

[JohnHuff]

1. • diversification of plants such as water hycainth, duckweed, pennywort, Pistia Stratiotes (water lettuce), pickerelweed, cattails, , Acorus gramineus (sedges, rush, sweetflage)
     .

And algae should be part of that diversification too.
Natural methods are the best!

 

[crsublette]

Alternation Option #2 ... If you do not want to use UVs nor chemicals, then look into dosing the pond with baker's yeast. Supposedly, the yeast feeds to grow various plankton microorganisms, such as zooplankton, and then these microorganisms will eat the algae spores and other young algae growth.

From what I am told, which have been tried by others except not by me... Here is a post of Wayne1 talking about it. For anyone curious about "wayne1", he a big koi breeder and has been breeding them for a while; his breeding threads that I follow are most often on koiphen. Here is his recommendation for the baker's yeasts.... "a starter dose at 4ozs per 1000 gallons every 4 days for a month helps keep the plankton needed to do natures job and no uv light as this will kill it all off"... from the thread, life and times of string algae. And then... In another thread, titled "what kind of algae", he recommends "1ozs per 1000 gallon mixed with clay at 1oz per 1000 in a bucket and poured around the pond every 4 days".

Ok... Forget it !! I was trying to find the best info on this, but his dosing directions keep on changing... Found another saying "3.5oz per 10,000 gallons once every 3 months" and then found another saying "yeast at 4ozs per 500 gallons every 14 days"..... Also, he has a tendency to type in all CAPS, which hurt my eyes and apparently the guy does not " hablo el englis " too well.

Due to all of the changing in directions, this really makes me question the efficacy of it... but... might be worth a try if folk do not want to use chemicals nor a UV device.

 

[JohnHuff]

Also, he has a tendency to type in all CAPS, which hurt my eyes and apparently the guy does not " hablo el englis " too well.

Irony, thy name is Charles and dieselplower. Do you two remember when we had this argument about posting? One should always post and write for your audience and not for yourself.

 

[JohnHuff]

Interesting post there:

Agree with not using uv for the reasons he stated
Disagree with his barley comment, which pretty much doesn't work for anyone.
For a big pond, you're gonna have to dump a lot of yogurt and yeast, which is just going to be unnatural as anything else unnatural. I'd prefer to go natural without yeast or yogurt.

I read a few articles from koi4u. Thanks once again to Charles for linking such an interesting website. Every serious GPF'er should read the articles there.

 

[crsublette]

Irony, thy name is Charles and dieselplower. Do you two remember when we had this argument about posting? One should always post and write for your audience and not for yourself.

When it becomes insightful to others, then it is not exactly posting for one's self.


Bah... Been trying to look more into this whole yogurt and buttermilk used to help grow microorganisms that eat algae and improve bio-filters... Supposedly, the proponent say that it has been used in aquaculture for " 100s of years ".. Yet, I have not come across any "common best practices" to give appropriate instruction. This might take some time to research...

 

[JohnHuff]

When it becomes insightful to others, then it is not exactly posting for one's self.

Only if they can read it. Why not make it easy for them to read?

Supposedly, the proponent say that it has been used in aquaculture for " 100s of years ".. Yet, I have not come across any "common best practices" to give appropriate instruction.

Where? It has to be at the intersection of places which have had buttermilk, whole yogurt and fishkeeping for hundreds of years, which means where? Tadzhikistan? Albania?


"Bah"? Who are you, Captain Haddock?

 

[crsublette]

Only if they can read it. Why not make it easy for them to read?

Thus far, according to the many folk I have helped, it has been easy to read although clarification will always be needed thus the reason questions are asked so to seek further clarification. So, I demonstrate with my question...

Is there something I wrote that needs further clarification?

 

[crsublette]

Where? It has to be at the intersection of places which have had buttermilk, whole yogurt and fishkeeping for hundreds of years, which means where? Tadzhikistan? Albania?

"Bah"? Who are you, Captain Haddock?

Bah! Quite likely.

Yeah, more I read the more I am dissuaded about sour milk, or buttermilk, involves in water, as stated by Dr. Conrad, in the great annual bio-filter cycle thread, "Buttermilk contains the key stuff the biochemist said would do the job of stimulating biofilm growth. However, as Roark says, when we cycled a filter that way, and left the water in the pond, the fish dependably died in only a few hours from all the "bad" biobugs that combination grew in addition to the "good biofiltration" growth. We found if we cycled the filter with the buttermilk, sugar, baking soda, and household ammonia, then did a 100% water change, everything was okay. That seemed too much trouble to me, and too likely to kill fish when folks did not understand the need for the 100% water change before adding fish." I would have to say... Dr. Conrad has convinced me to not use the stuff to boost bio-filtration...