Water Hyacinth Roots Covered in Algae (pic included)

[Pondlover2020]

So I recently discovered that my water hyacinths are completed caked in green slimy algae on their roots. This is my second summer with our container pond but we recently had a huge heatwave in the PNW with temps in the 110s. How can I fix the algae issue? I am already feeding way less (only have three small goldfish in a 400 gallon tank, purchased water hyacinths to get coverage on the top, and am cleaning the filter manually at least once a day.

 

[Lisak1]

They look like they're struggling a bit - probably more the high heat than anything. Can you divide some out and get them into a separate container in the shade? Give them a bit of time to recover and then rotate them. You could add a tiny big of miracle grow to the water to give them a boost - just remember to rinse them off before you put them back in the pond.

I frequently just break the long trailing roots off my hyacinths - the first ones I ever bought they told me they do that to stimulate growth. So don't be afraid to pull the algae off even if it means you'll lose some of the roots. Is the algae just on the plant roots? Or is there a lot in the container, too? What kind of container pond do you have that holds 400 gallons? With that much algae in the pond you could stop feeding the fish altogether - they'll be fine.

 

[mrsclem]

I would stop feeding the fish all together. They have the plants and algae to eat. Is the pond in full sun? If so, try to set up something to give it a little shade. Hopefully, your weather will change soon!!

 

[GBBUDD]

Omg i cant even imaging trying to stimulate growth in my pond not of any plant

 

[Lisak1]

Omg i cant even imaging trying to stimulate growth in my pond not of any plant

Well, present company excepted... some of us struggled with plants early on before the pond got mature. Floaters are still hit or miss in my big pond. Patio pond? Great. Pondless? Excellent. Big pond... rarely great, sometimes good.

 

[Pondlover2020]

They look like they're struggling a bit - probably more the high heat than anything. Can you divide some out and get them into a separate container in the shade? Give them a bit of time to recover and then rotate them. You could add a tiny big of miracle grow to the water to give them a boost - just remember to rinse them off before you put them back in the pond.

I frequently just break the long trailing roots off my hyacinths - the first ones I ever bought they told me they do that to stimulate growth. So don't be afraid to pull the algae off even if it means you'll lose some of the roots. Is the algae just on the plant roots? Or is there a lot in the container, too? What kind of container pond do you have that holds 400 gallons? With that much algae in the pond you could stop feeding the fish altogether - they'll be fine.

Hi Lisa thanks for the reply. I have one of those metal troughs I use for my pond. I will try pulling off as much algae as I can. Last year I tried miracle grow water with my hyacinths and water lettuce and they all just turned black. Do you think I did too much? I thought I put a tiny amount but it obviously didn’t work. The tank is having an algae problem but these hay bale things we got seemed to help. They are now caked on algae so I need to swap it out. The tank is in full afternoon sun and I don’t know how to get more coverage for it

 

[Pondlover2020]

I would stop feeding the fish all together. They have the plants and algae to eat. Is the pond in full sun? If so, try to set up something to give it a little shade. Hopefully, your weather will change soon!!

Okay I will stop feeding them for a bit. I bought these hyacinths to try and get the pond covered. Their roots are huge and helpful but now caked in algae

 

[WaterGardener]

You could get a shade sail or put an umbrella over the pond.

 

[HARO]

these hay bale things we got seemed to help.

If you're talking barley straw, toss the bales and get a bottle of barley extract. Works a lot faster, since it doesn't have to decay to produce results.
John