Pond Algae

[GARDEN GUY]

Hello everyone
Anyone have a problem with "string algea"? If so, how did you solve the problem?
Thanks and Take care
Gary

[zuzu's petals]

Hiya Gary.

I'll be interested to see if anyone has a better answer to this
because every spring, my pond develops a bumper crop of filament algae,
I just climb in and tear it out by hand.

I'm not complaining about it as much this year, since a friend (who has her own pond locally)
scolded me for whining about it and offered to trade my clear water, filaments and all,
for her "pea soup" full of suspended algae ... upon consideration,
I declined her offer.

[GARDEN GUY]

Thats what I thought.......do you have fish? I have 10 with 10 more on order.
Thanks
Gary

[zuzu's petals]

Every now and then I glimpse a few small, shy descendants of my once splendid herd of fishies.
Only those with the shiest and wiliest genes remain.

A local owl took the expensive Koi many years ago, I must see if I can find the pictures.
I loved those fish, each one was named and tame enough to pet,
several trusted me enough to let me actually lift them from the water with my bare hands.

Anyway, when they disappeared
(hubby pointed out the big, well-fed owl perched on the Hickory limb, surveying the crime scene),
I replaced them with goldies, which (having learned my lesson), I did not name or take to heart.
And sure enough, when they got to be dinner sized,
and/or too big to dart into the stack of rock where they could hide,
a Grey Heron began to visit and made light work of them, too.

And that's my tale of woe for today.
I do hope that I haven't jinxed you, and that your fishies never become a birdie buffet.

[GARDEN GUY]

Hi
I just have different varieties of gold fish at the moment but hope to have Shubunkin soon. They look like Koi but are much less expensive. Wal Mart, here , has Koi for $5.95. Mind you they are only about 4in long but grow quite rapidly.
How would I go about finding if someone had a "Red Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree"....Can you help me locate one that someone is willing to trade? I would be greatful.
Thanks
Take care
Gary

[zuzu's petals]

How would I go about finding if someone had a "Red Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree"....Can you help me locate one that someone is willing to trade?

That's certainly a lovely Dogwood, Gary, much deeper color than most pink DWs.
I wish I had one to offer, all of the DWs on my property are the common white flowering type.

Perhaps if you post a new thread in the Plant and Seed Exchange section,
maybe titled "Looking for Red Cherokee Chief Dogwood Tree", it might bring an offer forward.

I did a site search using the words Red Cherokee Chief Dogwood and it only lead me back to this post.

A member posted yesterday, saying that they had lots of trees,
but I got the impression they were mainly native species, rather than hybrids,
but you could send a PM and enquire ... ... don't cost a thing to ask.
The post is here: South Eastern Trees & Plants 'I got em'
Even if they don't have this one, they just might have something that you didn't even know you wanted,
it happens to me all the time.

Of course, getting a tree (even a little un) from Mississippi to Nova Scotia is another kettle of fish so to speak.

[jdkline]

I get that stringy algea every year also. I wish I could control it. But like zuzu, I get in there and tear the stuff out and then in not very long a time, its back again and has to be taken out again. I wish someone would tell us how to take care of that without harming the fish. I have goldies, koi, shubunkin and butterfly koi. They are my pets and I wouldnt want to put anything in there to harm them in any way.
Deb

[GARDEN GUY]

I'm hearing that feeding the fish "too much" is what causes the problem to remain. Once a week is enough they say. Also, draining 1/3 of the pond and replaceing it with fresh water twice a season will help control the problem..I am going to try that...pass it on.
Take care
Gary

[ok_nurse]

I heard a story at the pet store that reminded me of you and your koi.
The clerk was telling methat a woman came in last week and ordered $175 worth of large koi that had to be shipped in for her pond and they came in last Friday so she promptly kicked them up.
The next day she came back in tears because this morning she had a crane in one end of the pond and a large snake on the other end-no fish.
Sometimes it helps to know someone else feels our pain.
I have a hawk that swirls over my pond way up high in the sky. I wonder what he's looking for. My pond seems too small to attract him but he circles nearly every morning. I'm gonna get lots of plants-maybe he'll tangle his feet in it and decide its not worth it.
So much rain lately my pond looks mucky. It was real clear just a couple weeks ago.

[meleahs]

There are lots of factors that can play into algae control. A "magnetic algae controller" actually helps rid the pond of filamentous algae. The brand I have is called "Eco Aqualizer". UV clarifiers will also clear up a lot of algae... but it can also kill beneficial bacteria that flows through the chamber. So, it's important to have a good biological filter as well that grows beneficial bacteria. Plants are also important. Your pond surface should be covered about 60% with plants. You will always have some algae growing on the sides... good for your fish. Other considerations are pump size, # and size of fish, amount you feed, how you clean your biological filter (never use tap water), how much and how you fertilize your aquatic plants, etc. It basically boils down to knowing the nitrogen cycle and getting the right balance. You can do all the research you need on-line to get the right balance. Clear water is easy to achieve without a UV filter. I do not have one. I use the "Eco Aqualizer", a barley ball (just a plastic pet gerbil play toy ball... w/ holes filled w/ barley straw) and "PonSparkle" from lilypons.com. I use PonSparkle only after a rain.... you'll alway get an algae bloom after a rain and usually in the spring as your bacteria balance gets moving again. PonSparkle isn't harmful to fish, plants, etc. Just beneficial bacteria. Hope this helps.

[meleahs]

Sorry, didn't read all the posts before... I feed my fish at least twice a day. As much as they can eat in 5 minutes or so. To keep mine safe from predators, I have one semi-deep section in the middle of the pond, my pond is small as well. I also have an "in-let" shaped area where my waterfall is located. I covered this area with several large rocks... over the top so my fish have a safe place to hide if something comes in. I haven't had problems with snakes but, you could possibly use a fake owl and sit it on a fence post or by a rock to detract snakes... not sure if this would work.

[zuzu's petals]

I heard a story at the pet store that reminded me of you and your koi.
The clerk was telling methat a woman came in last week and ordered $175 worth of large koi that had to be shipped in for her pond and they came in last Friday so she promptly kicked them up.
The next day she came back in tears because this morning she had a crane in one end of the pond and a large snake on the other end-no fish.
Sometimes it helps to know someone else feels our pain.

Aww! That poor woman!
You know, I had the most awful nightmare after our koi were devoured,
I dreamed that I saw every sort of predator imaginable, bird and beast,
all lined up side-by-side around the edge with one last terrified fish in the bottom.

[GARDEN GUY]

Thank you.......great advice

[zuzu's petals]

I was doing a bit more research and I read that Barley Pellets work well for filament/hair algae (Blanket Weed) ...
and after reading that, my tired old brain finally coughed up a suggestion that someone made to me a few years ago.
They said that I could pour the cheapest beer into my pond and that it would help control my filament algae.
I don't think it would hurt fish, but I don't know how much is necessary.

This site discusses both,
just scroll down the page to the section on Blanket Weed.

[GARDEN GUY]

As ususal....excellent advice!!