Does a pond with saturated oxygen level cause string algae to bloom?

[B.Scott]

KB,
I battled with it for years and NOTHING I did got rid of it. The amounts were massive and it was everywhere. I built a TT reduced my fish load, did massive waterchanges and lowered my nitrates to 7mg/l. It still kept coming. I tried algaecide and later even sterilizing the pond... nothing helped.
In a quest to reduce my electricity bill I exchanged my EA Answer for a DIY static kaldnes setup. My algae started dying back within a week and dissapeared and hasn't come back in almost a year. Some say it's a coincidence but to me the it looks like there can be only one reason. Who knows. Bang one together run it alongside your normal filter and see what happens, what could it hurt?

Some examples
http://www.koiquest.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=748

B.Scott

[68bruin]

Sorry, forgot filtration:

Small pond has 14" x 20" box filter with three sponges for mechcanical and some biomedia. Also has "trickle down" tetrapond barrel.

Large pond has Ultima II 10,000 gal "bead" filter, fountain "trickle tower" if you can call it that, and a small concrete box where water upwells thru lavarock and matting before spills over falls.

[B.Scott]

Quote: Originally Posted by 68bruin Sorry, forgot filtration: Small pond has 14" x 20" box filter with three sponges for mechcanical and some biomedia. Also has "trickle down" tetrapond barrel. Large pond has Ultima II 10,000 gal "bead" filter, fountain "trickle tower" if you can call it that, and a small concrete box where water upwells thru lavarock and matting before spills over falls.

And this relates to KB's algae question how????

[junglegeorge12]

filters on the other ponds?

dissolved solids make the light refract, which can really intensify algae's growth. All outdoor ponds get light, just different intensities of different kinds. A high tds will make algae worse.

[68bruin]

B. Scott - I was answering junglegeorge's question to me.

Junglegeorge, I've missed the point of your last post and how it pertains to what I posted to answer your questions about MY ponds and experience with string algae. As I said, the least sunlight correlated with the most string algae for me. My water is about as clear as any I've ever seen posted. So please clarify. Thanks

[koibito]

Thanks a lots for all your advice.

I think my pond has a lot symptoms that everyone of you have raised.

My pond is about 10,000 gallons. There is no bottom drain, but the pond bottom is sloped to one side where the water is drawn by a 3600GPH pump (this may not be exact due head pressure, etc.). The water is then feed to 8 shower heads that spray onto eight 55 gallons barrels filled with open cell foam. The water exits out from the bottom of the eight barrels. The first four barrels are then feed to the bottom of another four barrels filled with boulder rocks and the water is then exit from the top back to the pond. The second four barrels of the first eight are returned back to the pond directly. In addition, I have another 500GPH submersible pump that just pump the water directly back to pond without going through any filter to help create circulation and add oxygen to the water. I flush about 100 gallons of botom water every other day.

Before the algae started to bloom, I feed my kois with some regular koi food. There are some algae attached to the wall of the pond, but they are very easily break apart and feel like silt when you squeeze on them. Then I switched to Hikari Wheatgerm. I feed my koi about half a pound a day. After about two weeks, it is noticiable that the water is much more clearer and I also noticed there are green algae attached to the walls of the ponds. This time the algae is more difficult to break apart and they are very stringy. Lately, I only feed my kois every other day because the temperature is kind of low. However, the kois keep ripping the algae from the walls of the pond and this create a lot of problem. The pump kept shutting down and about two weeks ago, the pump is zapped.

Sorry for such a long history. I just want to know if there is any biological benefit to the pond or kois with string algae (beside damaging the pump...). Do you think that the string algae is like the oxygen warehouse/storage for the pond when there is a lot of oxygen in the water? Would the string algae release oxygen back to the pond when it needs?

Cheers...

[junglegeorge12]

Quote: Originally Posted by 68bruin B. Scott - I was answering junglegeorge's question to me. Junglegeorge, I've missed the point of your last post and how it pertains to what I posted to answer your questions about MY ponds and experience with string algae. As I said, the least sunlight correlated with the most string algae for me. My water is about as clear as any I've ever seen posted. So please clarify. Thanks

In one of your posts you mentioned that pne pond was in shade yet had more string algae than the others. Not sure it does apply to your ponds 68bruin, was simply offering one explanation as to why ponds with less light can have more algae. I was also just curious about your filtration.

With no bottom drain, a high tds is common.

[68bruin]

Koibito, how old is your pond? Different algaes will find their nitches in your pond - usually more kinds as your pond ages - there will be competition, and changing populations with changing conditions among these algaes. Mature ponds usually have a green fur of algae about 1/4" long for most of the year, at least where I live ( all algae have a temperature "range" that they can survive in - some need boiling water, some need very hot, lukewarm, on down to probably freezing or below). In my temperate area, the string algae doesn't become a problem until you get fall or spring water temps - then it starts to grow like crazy if conditions are right.

It will especially grow around your intakes of your in-pond pumps - sometimes to the point of having to lift out and clean off these intakes once or twice DAILY!
Again, I'm commenting on my ponds in my climate, because I think its difficult to generalize about string algae and be accurate for all the different ponder sitiuations.

[bekko]

String algae is not all bad. Its good nutrition for the fish and will improve color. It ties up dissolved nutrients. It is something which you can actually put your hands on and physically remove from the pond. Every time you throw out a wad of string algae, you throw out the nutrient waste left over from some of your feed. If you keep cropping it, string algae can be rather attractive. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of work and can be hard on the equipment.

I do not know any tricks to get rid of string algae. However, Murphy's Law is still the most powerful force in the universe (it is somehow related to string theory) so if you want string algae to grow, it is sure to disappear. String algae is less common in very mature ponds which are not treated with chemicals and have a rich biodiversity. Certain factions of the pond ecosystem are able to inhibit string algae or out-compete it for nutrient resources. Unfortunately, we do not know what those factions are.

Since its cool right now and your koi have plenty of string algae to eat, you could cut back on feed for a month and see if that helps. Saturated oxygen does nothing to promote string algae. However, heavy aeration and mixing stabilizes the carbon dioxide levels and the algae needs carbon dioxide to grow.

We have a bunch of small ponds, but the ones with koi seldom have any string algae. Therefore, I collect a bucket full of the stuff from elsewhere 2 to 3 times each week and throw it into the koi ponds. When I am feeding them a lot of algae, I do not have to worry that the cheap trout pellets are too high in fat. If there is not time to collect algae, the koi get koi pellets. I do not have a lot of expensive fish, but all maintain good color and conformation. They keep getting better, not worse.

-s-tevehopki-ns

[B.Scott]

Quote: Originally Posted by bekko ...Therefore, I collect a bucket full of the stuff from elsewhere 2 to 3 times each week and throw it into the koi ponds... -s-tevehopki-ns

Steve you are a braver man than I!
A few little clumps of string algae here or there are not a problem. I can deal with that. The greatest drawback to the the stuff is when you get it so badly that it acts as a giant crap-trap holding all solid organic waste inside the pond to decompose and cause your bacteria count to go through the roof. Even with a small pond you can only twirl that stick so much and you will never reach much of the algae. Fact is almost every koi I have had die in the past would have lived if I would have had no string algae in my pond.

B.Scott