slimy green weed

[Alan Taylor]

Hi all,

a mate of mine has a nice big pond/rock garden with water falls etc. The water must be OK, the dog drinks it the plants are doing well and the fish are breeding.

The problem is that he has a lot of orrid thin, soft fine green weed that he just cant get rid of.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

He has seen some chemicals but is scared of killing the plant life, the fish and the dog

 

Cheers

 

Alan(nl)

[peter mccue]

Hi Alan,

 

I've used algicidal pads this year with good results, gin clear water, very reduced levels of the 'orrible green stuff & they haven't affected any of the plants.

 

I also have a phsycopath of a cat that washes the mice & birds down with nothing but pond water & his killing sprees continue unabated despite the algicide.

 

Oh yes & the fish are growing well, plus it could be that algicide is piscine viagra it's been a very good spawning year.

 

There is one note of caution though, I'm not sure how the fry will grow in this new clear environment, a lot of the little creatures that depend on the algae feed the fry ready for winter & they may well not be there.

[MrWiggly]

The stuff seems to pop up from nowhere, don't it ?

 

Various reports suggest that the algae thrives in strong sunlight, and more top cover plants may cut it down dramatically. Also, topping up your pond with tap water seems to give it a burst of life. (Phosphates ?)

 

Altho' many people used traditional remedies, like a bale of Barley straw in the water, here's a trick that was passed on to me by a trout farm friend some years ago ..

 

..............................

 

Your local chemist can usually suply you with a small bottle of POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE for less that £1.

 

Put 1 TEASPOONFULL in a quart bottle, and top up with water. Give the bottle a good shake.

 

You now have a bottle full of pretty purple water.

 

I used about 1/3 of the bottle for a pond size 15 X 8 X 5. (FT)

 

Pour solution in where water enters pond. (Waterfall/Filter/Inlet)

 

Your pond will turn a nice pink colour which dissapears in a few days. The Algea will turn brown and die, which looks a bit unsightly but your filter will soon clear it up.

 

No damage to plants or fish.

 

I have used this method now for three years, and it works for me !

 

Good luck !

[Alan Taylor]

MrWiggly:

The stuff seems to pop up from nowhere, don't it ?

Thanks Peter and Mr Wiggly I will pass your tips on and let you know how he gets on.

 

Alan(nl)